The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-28
LABOR SHORTAGE
 GROWING PROBLEM
By HOLLAND

l
 Ihere1s one kind of embargo which Pres
 ioent Wilson would gladly exempt from
 other restrictions upon imports which fl
 has been deemed advisable to make. Flo, I the President and the entire country. es. pecially the farmers. would be glad |,
 immigration of men and women willino
 ana able to work were resumed so tha,
 m that way the shortage of labor could oe 10 some extent make good.
 1 Hugh Reid, who is an expert in tbe of.
 nee fthe Secretary of Labor, has issued statement that thelc is no foreign country upon which we can now draw for
 an acceptable class of labor to meet our 1 needs. Up to the year of the outbreak of 1 the European war there came after 1eoo
 10 the United States immigrants in great
 nuiiipers. AS many as 100000 a year came Tn the 10 years previous to 1914. NO longer is record of that kind made.
 and Tor that reason the labor shortage. especially in the agricultural sections oiieis greater and greater embarrass-
 ment and difficulties to the farmers.
 MT. Reid says that we can fortunately rely upon some of our outlying posses
 sions for some part of the labor which
 IS needed. The department of labor ia now preparing for bringing into inc
 onited States 100000 Porto Ricans and
 1v Iv,"u laporers from our newly acquired
 virgin Islands. In that way we may se
 cure by early spring 11o, 900 men who are
 competent to work at first upon the rail-
 roads and then in the agricultural sec
 lions beginning with the south, where they Will lind accustomed warm weather
 ana, as the country warns up toward the north, they will gradually be sent even as Tar north as the agricultural states or the northwest. This fine army of working men are not foreigners As they come from Porto Rico and the yirqin islands they are American citizens and
 It IS probable that many of them will remain In the United States after tha war is ended S
 LABOR SAVING APPARATUS
 Presumably the government at Wash ington is preparing to assist the farm. CTS so that they may be able to secure sometime in the spring and before the summer IS ended much needed increas SC In agricultural implements The farm CTS or the west who till farms. each of which contains hundreds and in some in- stances thousands of acres, are anxious .s, so secure an adequate supply of tractors.
 Si 'iiiSiitb etluillS the farmers and appealing to the great industries which are capable of manufacturing these aeri- cuitural implements, may be able to SUD- ply the farmers by midsummer with nos sibly as many as 5000 tractors.
 Inerefore, while the great tanks are occupied in warfare upon the western front of the battle lines in Europe the apparatus which furnished the first hint from which ultimately came the British tanks, will be doing war work of another Klnd, Tor it will be aiding the farmers in cultivating their fields and in harvesting Experience has shown that the very large tractors are not as economical or as readily available for extensive farm work as are those of small size The Ideal tractor for the farmers is one which IS capable of doing work equivalent in amount to that which could be performed by four horses in a single day and is also or such simple construction and easy management that lad in his teens can orlve 1t, not requiring any other Before the summer is over there will be thou sands or these tractors at work and they Will Tn some measure make good the In fo 1o6