Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1918-01-14
SUGGESTS Plan.
IMPROVE LABOR
PROBLEM HERE
Caldwell Business M a n
Would Release Men En-
gagged in Building to As
sist in the Fields.
Shortage Recognized as One
of the Most Serious and
Action Necessary Soon to
Improve It Seventy Per
Cent Militia From Farms.

V6uI Mll1Cld + TOIu + dTIIlS.
The Importance of the state Of Idaho
taking immediate steps to solve the
serious labor shortage situation which
Low exists and will become more acute
was pointed out Saturday by d. G.
RUBY Of Caldwell, who was in Boise
on business He recommends that
there be a general shut down during
the planting and harvest seasons on the
farms on the various improvements in
progress over the state and the men
so employed be used to help out on
the farm.
Speaking of the labor situation AMI
suggestions made for improving it, Mr..
Ruby said:
A SERIOUS PROBLEM.
THE most serious proposition con-
fronting the people at large in sue
cessfully carrying on the war is the
slowness in making preparation for the
tilling of the land and especially for
this coming season. There is no de-
nying the fact that the shortage Of
food stuff is serious and that the short
age of food stuff has been caused not
only by the shortage of farm help, nut
unskilled as well, it takes real willing,
muscular labor and with farm sense in
order to make the land produce as it
should. Last season great deal of our
crops were improperly put In on ac-
count of being short of farm help and
with the prospects of a spring draft
many more young men will be taken
from the farm.
Eighty acres properly farmed will
produce more bread stuff than 100 acres
not properly farmed All the proof one
needs of this is to drive through the
crop producing country and you will
find that the farmer with the help
and gray matter has good full crop
while the farmer who is short Of help
has a poor crop, but the facts of the
case are the people are too strong ON
commercialsm in time of war. There
is not enough able bodied laborers to
carry on commercialism, the war and
farm the broad acres as 1t should be
done. If there is enough laborers in
the United States to carry on COM
mercialism, the war and farm the land
properly, then we had far too many
IDLE men when the war began which
everyone knows was not the case, for
hclp was DlSHeT anu SCdTCeT IMAM IL
had been for many years.
SEVENTY PER CENT TO MILITIA.
Seventy per cent of the militia called
from the grain producing sections of
the country was taken from the farm
who were either farmers or farm la
borers, and real live ones at that, for
the government can't use the dead
head, neither can the farmer use them
to any advantage.
Now the time has come when there
must be real awakening as to farm
conditions Every interested person
should advise both state and federal
officials as to the conditions. for as a
rule our officials are little posted on
farm conditions, yet they want to be
right and do what Is for the best and
they certainly want results from the
farm.
Last year state officials undertook
to furnish farm laborers but there were
few to be found. as real labor is always
busy when there Is anything to do. OF
course, the pool hall loafers were forced
out into the country where they ate
your grub, drew top wages and caused
discontentment among farm laborers.
or course, there were some clerks and
school children furnished ,ut rs a
rule. they are of as little benefit to
the farmer as the country boy Is 10
the merchant as a clerk.
SUGGESTIONS MADE.
NOW we hear many different sug-
gestions as to how to handle the farm
proposition for this coming season.
Some think that we should draft men,
but whom are we to draft? Some
think that we should import laborcrs
from China and Japan, but any la
borers imported would be unskilled in
our system of farming and Of little real
benefit. We certainly know that they
would not send their best laborers for
the best men are always employed. and
1t is certainly too late to experiment.
| Il see where one man recommends