Evening star., 1918-08-18


Joys of their summer holiday to "do
their bIt''
Such is the record mode by the
United States lioys' Working Reserve,
II branch OF the employment service
of the United States Department of
Labor an organization having for its
object llio furnishing of boy power"
to the farmers of the United states
In the present great need for labor.
Started in May, 1917, this ofeanaa-
tIon sent during the first summT
many thousand boys to farms
throughout the land. after ntting
them for the work they We're to 90 by
a special intensive agricultural and
semi-mlitary training. Last summer
the results proved the worth OF the
venture.
This yoar there. will be placed on
the farms OF this. country quarter
of Il million boys who have not only
saved many crops which might other
wise have become u total loss through
lack of sufficient labor. but by their
efforts 1t Is estimated that crops to
the value of $i0,000.000 have been
added to the nations food supply.
And already the program which this
organization win carry out in 1919 is
being formulated In the hope that
IL million boys will be on the farms
OF the country. resulting in an in
creased production due 10 their ef-
forts of at least $lO0.C00.0OO
*
The story of the growth of this or
ganization is the story of an original
enterprise, an enterprise which
brought into action heretofore un-
tapped .resource. and which in tho
face of skeptcism has become vital
factor in the winning Of the war, be-
ing regarded today as of untold bene-
fit not only to the Iation itself, but
also to the boys who form the army
OF. workers.
When Europe was swept by war
affected through the almost complete
cutting off of her immigrant influx,
which robbed her industries of an
average OF some 100000 male workers
annually. When. later. this country
took up arms against the Germa !.
government. an additional 100000
men We're called away from peace
time employment Added to all this
came the demand for increased food
production, and the enormous de-
sary to the actual carrying on OF
the war.
1t was at sAch a crisis that Will
liam Il, Hall, president of the Boys
Club Federation. advocated MOBILIZE
ing the boy power of the country,
a source OF labor supply which up to
that time had been not only never
used in this country. but never
in an organized way in any of the
warning nations. And so 1t came
about that in May, 1917, Mr., Hall
was made national director OF the
United states Boys Working Reserve.
The purpose of this organization is
the furnishing OF boy labor to the
farms of thtnati6n Because war in
dustries afforded opportunities to
boys having no experience and rel
atively little schooling. and offered
salaries far above those paid on the
farm. conditions became moro seri-
i. Gus in the agricultural sections of the
country than elsewhere.
!"
The Boys Working Reserve Is an
organization composed Of boys between
the ages of sixteen and twenty -onc who
volunteer their services for the. summer
months for work on the farms of
their respective states. The boys are
given a two-week intensive training
in farm concentration camps, OF an
agricultural and semi-military nature.
not only giving them basic knowl-
euSe OF tne uutleS tHey VIII HdNe
to perform, but fitting them physical
TX for the hard work. To this Is
added a military discipline which not
only enhances the work for the boys
themselves but later proves of value
to them when they become OF draft
age.
instruction camps In many of the
states are established in cooperation
with the state agricultural colleges.
In'many states there Is an active or
ganization for the instruction of such
boys as volunteer for service In the
reserve. which adequately trains them
before sending them to the farms for
actual work. In addition. all farms
are first inspected. In order to insure
their being both sanitary and morally
fit to employ the boys Standard farm
wages are paid.
Perhaps no movement intended to
reach the boys of the country has
brought forth their true patriotism
more than the Boys Working Re-
serve. They might he called Uncle
Sans army of younger brothers the
boys who stand upon the threshold of
manhood apd who, though they may
touch shoulders with their big BROTH
ers along the flar-fung western bat
tie front.
Almost every one of these boys who
has undertaken the physically difii-
cut task of working on farm could
find work In factories and shinyards
in the large cities which would offer
greatly increased wages The hoy