The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1918-01-03
Farm Help and the Draft.

farm Heip anu the Dfa1C.
We receive many letters from
readers who speak of the great diff
ficulty of securing satisfactory help,
and express apprehension concerning
the future. One of them encloses a
Clipping, in which Doctor True, OF
quoted as saying that farm survey
is to be made to acquire information
concerning every farm problem and
that unemployed men wherever
found must be placed in service on
farms, and that workers in factor
les producing articles that may cas-
be transferred by the government to
labor on the farm.
Our correspondent expresses The
fear that help of this kind will not
prove very satisfactory, and will be
more of detriment than a benefit;
time doing the work himself than in
trying to break in inexperienced
help In this opinion he will find
many to agree with him. 1t seems
difficult for folks in the cities to I'M
derstand that farming is a business
which requires experienced help.
This correspondent suggests fur
Their that rather than to further de-
plete agriculture labor, the draft
age should be extended to say forty
years. He thinks that in the cities
there are a great many able-bodied
men between the ages of thirty and
forty, who could very well be spar
ed for the army.
Under the new rules governing
the draft, it is possible that a shall
er. proportion Of farm boys wi + be
taken. In the first draft there we're
very few exemptions because O. oc-
cupation. Under the new rules, it is
tn thnrou0hlv classify bVprv
man subject to the draft, and to
make it selective in fact as we'll as
III name. At the present time blanks
are being sent to all registered men,
which they are expected to immedi-
ately ", fill i. out tan and return 1t is
these blanks be filled out very care
fully, and that claims for exemption
because of agricultural occupation
be made so clear that there can be
no misunderstanding.
However, we might as well face
continues, an increasing number OF
men from the farms will be taken
for the army, especially from the
corn belt states, where SO large a
percentage Of the population live on
farms We. might as well plan
ahead to adjust our farming opera
tons to meet this condition: Not
army, but the pull of high wages in
the cities will attract a very large
percentage of farm hands.
What our correspondent says as
to the value of inexperienced help
on the farm is entirely true 1t is
of know-how. The inexperienced
man is not only unfamiliar with
modern farm machinery, but he us
ually does not know how to handle
teams nor to care for other live
last summer of losing team of val.
liable heavy draft mares, because Of
the inexDerience of boy who had
come to him from the city. The boy
was splendid worker so far as
willingness was concerned but did
not know that he was overheatlns
these mares.
There is merit in the suggestion
that the draft age should be extend
ed. In the cities there are very
large number of young men between
the ages OF thirty and forty who
should be compelled to bear thei"
full share Of the war burden. Those
army or navy should be put to work
in munition and other factories, and
on the railroad, or at whatever Oc-
cupation in which their services are
| needed. There are also in every
| city a great many young men OF
from eighteen to thirty, who appar-
emily have no visible means of sup
port. They can be found around the
pool halls. at the moving picture
shows or loafing at the drug stores,
every afternoon. The services Of
these men should be Communicated
forthwith and they should be put
| to work wherever they can be used
TO the best advantage, either in the
army or the navy or in the indus
tries. BY extending our draft age
and by the drafting of all men who
| are not engaged in really useful oc-
| equations, the labor needed in the
| industries could be supplied and the
draft Of these industries upon farm
help thereby lessened
AS we see it, the. most hopeful
sources for recruiting additional
| farm help are: The boys in the
smaller towns, young fellows who
have been accustomed to handle
horses and cows; retired farmers;
Young farmers in the cities who are
| employed in offices and shops, and
whose places there can be taken by
those who have not had farm ex-
perience.
| half the world is up to the farmers
of the United States. II we are to
solve it satisfactorily, and AVOID a
world famine, there must be Gvery
real and thorough mobilizatidM OF
our agricultural forces, and it must 5:
be handled in practical, and not in
| a theoretical way.-Wallaces' Farm
err.