The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1917-07-06
.$11.45 Per Day
Says |. w. w. Man
Organization Wants 50 90 a Day, or
$50 90 a Month, But Regard
1t as MeasIy B
SAYS THE FARMERS .4@ls
DODGE THIS ISSUE
Industrial Worker Charges Tlliers
With Exacting Greater |
Profit

Industrial Worker Charges Tiliers /
With Exacting Greater
Profit
Fargo Forum:-An interesting con-
tr1bution to the discussion anent farm
labor costs is made by "The Industrial
Worker, official organ of the Agri-
cultural Workers union, unit of the
Industrial Workers of the World,
with which organization President A.
c. Townley of the Nonpartisan league
has announced the formation of a
labor pact.
That the Industrial Workers of the
World arc entitled to $11 As a day is
the theory the Industrial Worker" is
spreading among members
President Townley, of the Nonpar-
tisan league, has just announced that
the committee representing the
league, made up Of J. N. Hagan, F.. B.
Wood and N. E. Whipple, had reached
an agreement with a like committee
representing the industrial Workers
of the World, such agreement cover
ing hours of labor, conditions of en-
ployment, and wages. The wage fea-5
ture has not been made public. s..
AS means Of giving more binding
effect to the agreement, President
Townley has called meetings of league
members to be held at Minot July II;
at Valley City. July IL; Bismarck,
July 13, and Devils Lake, July IA.
According to the announcement soH
far made by President Townley, the
agreement provides that farmers who:
hire I. w. w. members, will be pro-
tected against strikes, and will be sup.
piled with labor. az555
Wanted 50 90 at Convention. ), 8$S55
Some time ago The Forum publish
ed story Of the proceedings of the
I. W. W. convention held at Kansas
City, when the men agreed to make a.
demand of $4.OO a day for harvest
work, and s6O. 90 a month for straight
farm work. I Ig5
The Industrial Worker" article
declaring $11 As a day the wage due
to farm laborers, based on the present
price Of wheat, was written by ]. A.
Billings, published in the issue June
9. It gives some intimation of what
the Industrial Workers of the World
are being educated preparatory to 4
the opening Of the annual campaign
In the wheat producing states Of the8
northwest. It follows: &#
Fed Them at Family Table
when wheat was selling at co.
cents bushel number of years ago,
the harvest hands were being paid
50. so and .s3.90>a day. At 81. so q day,
the harvest hand could buy four and
one'sixth bushels with his | days
wages. '' %. '7''' ~ y. $$s%E#z5
Those were the days when the Y
farmer did not ride in automobiles; a
plow horse, hitched to a lumber
wagon, was then good enough for him.
but even in those days the farmer
could afford to provide his harvest
hands with good beds and he fed
them at the family table. 4. +s..:. s: as55ss
To-day the farmer gets s2.75 OH
bushel for his wheat. II the price Of ]
labor were to be raised to correspond
with the raised price of this commOd-
ity, the farmer would be paying
$11. As day for harvest hands this
year without. any more grumblinE
than when he previously paid 81. 50. .s
To-day, we find that the farmers
are adverse to paying even IS during
the harvest. In other words, the
farmer wants $6. As more profit out Of
his worker than when =, grain was u
worth 50 cents bushel. &: :.s Sss
I'm addition to this. the harvest
hand does not enjoy the Inconvenience
es and condition of former times de-
spite the fact that he does more owing
to the improved modern machinery
used in the harvest fields;
Machinery cannot alone harvest
the. wheat. 5 .,.5sss l. si5s 5.5
VAoat CauHot nATv9Stz Flt86ll
Human labor must be applied to-
the wheat before It Is worth anything
to society. ss55
Then why should not the harvest;
hand be entitled To- q raise ii WagesS
prop portionate to the Increased price
Of wheat.
THE farmer lodges this issue by
saying there II more help than
formerly but if such Il the cass
why ~ the farmer so strenuously 40
yocating the employ ynent of schooIss
hand li does not enjoy the inconveniencs-ss
Continued on + F'ass