Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-10-15
STATE EDUCATIONAL COMMITTEE
WOULD RELEAsE PUPILS FOR
AGRICULTURE.
LONGER SCHOOL DAYS
I, AMONG SUGGESTIONS
Sessions on Saturdays and elimination
Of Vacations Also Recommended in
Order to Shorten Terms and Permit
Youths 70 Go On Farms in Early
Spring..

Des Moines. Oct. 15.-Teaching Sat
urdays, elimination Of vacations, and
longer school days are. some OF the
things recommended by committee
Of representative school men meeting
in Des Moines to consider ways and
means of releasing school boys for
work on farms and in other industries
during the shortage Of labor brought
on by the war;
The committee acting under the di-
rection of A. NJ Deyoe, state superin-
tendent Of public instruction. vas COM
posed of City Superintendent George
II. Sawyer Of Usage, J. r. Cougill, OF
Nevada, u. j. Pollock, Of Norwalk, nj.
G. Clark, of Sioux City, Principal w.
f. Shirley, Of Council Bluffs, and w. H.
Bender, of Des Moines, state director
Of vocational training in Iowa.
n, Federal Suggestion.
The suggestion that plans be worked
out whereby pupils, especially high
school boys. could be released from
school to enable them to enter diff
ferent lines of work, came to the state
superintendent from the government
when a representative of the federal
labor department called at the super
intendent's office early in September
and asked his cooperation in the mat
ter of meeting the labor shortage.
Superintendent Deyoe shortly there
after called a conference of school
superintendent. consolidated school
principals, directors of the boys work.
ing reserves, representatives of COL
leges, the board of education, the state
labor bureau and the state council of
defense to discuss plans for line Of
action along the suggestion of the gov
eminent. At this conference the COM
mittee above referred to was appointed
to work out plans in detail.
Find Big Shortage.
AS a result of the Investigations of
this committee it was discovered that
as compared with the man power on
the farms of Iowa in 1915, there il now
a shortage Of over $4,000 farm workers
in the state. Taking this fact into
consideration that Iowa produces one
tenth Of the food products Of the Unit
ed States the necessity for action
along the line suggested became more
apparent than ever before.
The recommendations Of the COM
mittee in detail are as follows:
That all vacations be eliminated this
school year, with the exception of not
to exceed one week, preferably at the
Christmas season.
That every school which finds it
practicable to do so, teach as many
Saturdays as possible.
Plan Special Glasses.
That the school year remain as at
present but that special classes be or
ganized for pupils who will go on
farms or into other essential indus
tries.
That in such communities as it Is
feasible the school day be heightened
in order to shorten the school year.
These recommendations, while they
have the sanction of the state superin-
tendent, are not in any sense issued as
an order. They are merely suges-
tions appealing to the patriotism Of
all concerned, and it is left to- the var
ious school boards to follow them in
accordance, with such conditions as
may exist Ia any given community.
Special training Of pupils in the par
ticalar line at which they will prob
ably go to work Is also included
among the suggestions of the commit
tee. This is likely to be taken up by
many schools under the supervision of
r. X. Bliss.