The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-05-21
Eastern Lines of Santa Fe Are
Short 1,S0O Men.
Local Shops Need Both Skilled
and Unskilled Workers.
FARMERS OF STATE WORRIED
Hands to Handle Their Crops
Are Not Available.
Southern Part of State Wants
S-Hour Law Suspended.

Kansas is facing an acute famine in
unskilled labor and a shortage of
trained workmen. With immigration
cut off from Europe by the war and
from Mexico and South and Central
American countries by the immi-
grants illiteracy law, the latter be-
coming effective May /, railroads, fac
tories and practically all lines of con-
structive industry are short thousands
of labOrers. Enlistment of skilled
wOrkmen in the army has left holes
in those ranks. Farmers thruout the
state are being hampered in their eff
forts to increase fOodstuff production
by shortage of farm hands.
F. c. Fox, general manager for the
Santa F'e railway here. said today that
the last weeks report of his roads
maintenance department shows that
there is a shortage of 1900 men on
Santa Fe eastern lines alone. The
most of the shortage is in unskilled
labor. Beginning at the start of the
war, the situation has steadily grown
until it has increased alarmingly in
the last few weeks, according to Mr..
Fox.
Use Negroes and Mexicans.
The Santa Fe," said Mr. Fox has
attempted to meet the shortage as far
as possible by drawing upon Mexican
labor and negroes from the south. The
illiteracy law is cutting off unskilled
labor for the railroads from Mexico
and South America. So far we have
been concentrating our forces and
keeping maintenance work up to the
standard. In order to carry on new
construction work and expansion
which has been authorized. it is shown
in our maintenance departments re-
port, we are short 1900 men.
PAY has nothing to do with the
shortage. In the last year or so the
railroads have increased the wages of
unskilled labor from IS to SO cents a
day. Men simply cannot be obtained"
The illiteracy law, it is pointed out
has made the unframed labor problem
as acute as any other one thing. I'm
migrants, in coming into the United
States, must pass an educational ex-
animation. The greater per cent of
the labor for railroad and construc-
ton work is thereby cut off railroad
and construction officials declare
Want Law Suspended.
T. j. Mcbride, state labor commits
sioner, said today that there is a big
emergency in this state In the last
few days he has received several re-
quests from cities and counties in the
southern part of the state to suspend
the Shour labor law which applies to
employees of the state, cities, counties
and townships. In making the re-
quests the counties and cities say it is
impossible to push adequately road
building and construction work under
the law, because of the labor short
age.
1T is estimated" said Mr.. Mcbride,
that at this time there is a shortage
of 100000 laborers and workmen in
the United States Thousands of la
borers are needed now in Kansas and
needed badly"
Industrial Workers of the World,
and other labor agitators and those
who refuse to work, in the face of the
labor shortage, are scheduled to be-
come mighty unpopular actors in the
state this summer. Under the law
passed in the last session of the legis-
lature, counties of Kansas are mo-
bilizing their forces to combat the an
nual exodus of hoboes, illiterates and
l. w. WIS from the south. Anyone
refusing to work in Kansas this sum-
mer will be thrown in Jail, if present
plans are carried out.
Shops Need Men.
NJ. ]. Drury, superintendent of the
Santa Fe railway shops here, today
asserted that unskilled labor and some
trained men are needed here. An eX-
ecutive officer in Topeka from Chi
| cago last week asserted that between
| 400 and 500 mn could be used in the
Santa Fe shops here and in surround
| ing territory.