The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1918-07-30
FARM LABOR Is BIG
PROBLEM THIS YEAR
War Emergency Calls for Great
est Efforts to Produce Food.
Both Country and City People Must
Sacrifice Comfort to Furnish Pow
er to Cultivate and Harvest r
Necessary Crops.

prepared by the United States DEPART
ment Of Agriculture.)
In a statement issued by Clarence
Ousley, assistant secretary of agricul-
ture, attention is called to the fact
that both country and city people must
sacrifice something of their comfort to
furnish the necessary man power to
cultivate and harvest crops necessary
this year to carry on the war. That
part of the statement which deals d.
rectly with farm labor and what the
department Of agriculture is doing to
solve the problem, follows:
The principal difficulty in farming
operations for 1918 is the problem Of
labor. That is serious. but it is not
insuperable. The department Of agri-
culture has farm-labor offices in nearly
all Of the states working in co-opera-
ton with the agricultural colleges,
the county agents and other state ac-
tivities, and the department of labor
has employment offices In nearly all
the centers of population. These two
departments together are enabled to
contribute much to the solution of the
problem by furnishing information and
by shifting labor from neighborhood
to neighborhood as the seasonal de-
mand passes, and generally by bring
ing together the 1aborer and the en-
ployer. But when all has been done
that may be done by these depart
ments or by any other governmental
agency, much will remain to be done by
the states and communities, especial
ly by the cities, for there Is not enough
labor seeking employment to supply
the farms for cultivation and harvest
ing. For years the cities with their
great fortunes and bright lights have
been drawing young men from the
farms. The war has merely precipi-
tateI drift that sooner or later would
have caused more or less Of food
crisis. In peace times that Is a mat
ter that might well be left to readjust
itself through such reduced produc-
ton and consequent high prices as
would make farming more profitable
and attract men to the industry. But
in the war emergency we must have
food at all costs, and since there is no
way of getting IT without labor. and
since labor is lacking. the cities must
sacrifice something and harvest the
crops. In many towns and cities last
year the business men closed their es-
tablishmenrs - spared numbers Of
their employees to help the farmers.
Ix, 4oxrr I'll satxon dxr hr1c
are taking Surveys and are making
pledges to furSssh labor which has
farm experience. to the adjoining COM
munities as may be needed. The same
methods must be put into practice In
every town and city adjacent to a
farming region. The men of the cities
must be brought to understand the
vital Importance of agriculture. Many
of them have sneered at 1t or have re-
garded 1t with indifference. Now they
must lend it much of their thought and
their effort. They should understand
that the United States is going to
furnish food to the armies and the
civil population behind them, and they
may depend upon it that the farmers
will feed themselves. 1t behooves the
cities therefore to take some thought
of their own sustenance by readjusting
their activities. There is hardly bus
mess or an industry In the United
States that cannot spare temporarily
for the cultivation and harvesting sea-
sons a considerable part of its man
power, or even close, say, for three to
fftoen days during the period as the
local need appears. In many cases
women can take the places of men for
the lighter commercial and Industrial
tasks so that the men who have farm
experience may be available for farm
needs. In many cases women can do
light work on the farm, such as dairy
Ing, cultivating vegetables and gather.
ing fruit. The details must be work.
ed out by each community. 1t is not
possible to devise general system, be-
cause conditions vary on every farm
and in each neighborhood.
In many Of the Industrial centers
wages are SO high that a large num-
Der of men are content to work only
a part of the time. Either by public
sentiment or Industrial regulations-lf
need be by vagrancy laws-there must
be full utilization of man power. 1t
Is not possible for the national govern
ment to compel or even to direct such
establishments. There is not wisdom
enough IN this congress or In any con-
gress that could be assembled to solve
all these local and regional problems.
States, communities and individuals Of
influence must take responsibility.
Washington cannot create labor and
should not compel employment. Lo-
cal initiative and local responsibility
must be exercised to the fullest ex-
tent.
The farmers will do their full duty
in planting. The governmental agen-
cies will do all that they can do and
we may reasonably expect a normal
season. If the people of the commu-
mites, especially of the cities, will
assume their part of the burden, there
need be no doubt of the result, but IL
the cities persist in plunging for profit
and in enjoying their ease, expecting
the government and the farmers to
work miracles, then those who are
neither fighters nor producers man
suffex some privaf5on