The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-04-28
SIMPLE TALE OF
A FARM WORKER
Dan Jones, Who Left the Fields
TO Toll In a Factory.
SHORT ANIMAL OF THE POOR

What Man With Imagination Read In
partment of Labor--High Cost of
Living Quenched the Ambition of a
Brave Spirit.
With disguised smile, John Smith
laid down the Monthly Review of the
bureau of labor statistics of the United
States department of labor. "Why does
the government get out these senseless
publications. he said "Here are pages
of mussy figures that mean nothing.
| think l will write the department of
labor to take my name off their list
This stuff is not worth mailing" Uncle
Charlie picked up the offending periodi-
cal and looked at the article. John"
said he after a moment, this is really
interesting" I'm from Missouri"
snorted the practical man. SHOW me
something!" "All right. John. Listen
to one story | see in these tables:
"a husky farm laborer, Dan Jones,
worked from early dawn to plumb
dark for Farmer Johnson on a fine
place in Ohio. Dan thought he earned
more than Johnson paid-being human
Besides, being an average man any
way, Dan was getting-this was in
1915-only $3.50 month in real
money, besides board. Like any other
human creature, Dan did not realize
what the board was worth. But he
could remember that his pay had risen
only $3.50 a month since 1910.
''The Weekly Banner reported big
demand for workers in the new auto
mobile plant in the city. So Dan quit
one Saturday night, and Monday found
him in the line of applicants at the
factory door. And Dan wasn't the only
country boy there. Sixteen out Of ev-
cry hundred farm laborers did as Dan
did this year, John" said Uncle Char
| lie, interrupting himself. That's bad,
! Charlie. Will the farmers be able to
plant as much ground with SO many
leaving?" I'm afraid not, John. The
reports indicate 2 per cent less cultiva-
ton this year. But let me go on with
my Interpretation Of this table. Dan
took his sister with him to the city,
and another country boy went along.
Della got job in Cotton manufac-
turing plant, and Sam landed in shoe
factory. They took those jobs because
. they could soon learn the work, while
Dan, being ambitious and having q
turn for machinery, stuck to his plan
and was hired by the automobile com
pany. That was year ago. Now
Dan, Della and Sam are city people.
They are pale and not SO strong. Their
evenings are filled with amusements-
movies, walks in the bright lights,
visits with other young workers, some
times bit of beer or some other relax
| alton. Even ambitious Dan has lost
his first determination to work for the
future. The spirit of resignation of the
poor is eating their vitality. And here
are some of their experiences written
in this report:
Della is one among 53,242 who were
working February last. The payroll is
bigger than when she started in. The
average was SO week then, it is SOTO
now.
"Sam gets little more pay now
$14.37 against $12.9S year ago.
"Dan gets $21.72 week, and year
ago it was $19.31 There are 111,971
in those factories now, where 1855
worked year ago.
But how much better off are Dan,
Della and Sam really?
1.-THE factories pay more to their
workers; the pay roll increase runs
from 10 to SO per cent. More workers
are busy as many as one In five more
in some kinds of industry, and many
Of them come from the farm, which
works to reduce the supply of food for
US all and to increase the cost of our
living. And listen to, Della. Dan she
is saying, 4 think we had better stayed
-on the farm You get the biggest pay
of the three of us, almost 500 month
Your pay would be only $3.50 on the
farm. but look what it costs us to eat
A five dollar bill just melts down when
it meets the grocery man. Back home
you got your meals with the job, and
so did Sam and l. Nonesof us are as
well off Dan, let's go home
But Dan won't 60.
Now. John. look at those tables
again.
Boots and Shoes Eighty-five estab
lishments were asked for reports; six
ty-eight replied. They pay every week
Fifty-six thousand four hundred and
ninety-nine worked for them in Febru-
airy, 1916; 60,226 in February, 1917
That means that sc per cent more
were working in 1917 than in 1916, and
the pay roll figures show that 1t costs
1S per cent more to pay them In other
words, this table shows the rising cost
of labor in the industries reporting and
the increasing number of workers EN-
| ployed in the industries that have re-
ported Pay rolls rose everywhere,
37.8 per cent in iron and steel, $3.50 per
cent in automobiles, 29.S per cent in
leather working, 1916 per cent In paper
making. In each of these trades thou
sands Of Dams and Delias and Sans
are toiling. These figures are the short
| oud cimnla annals of tha NOR Prot har