The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1918-06-19
LABOR IN SIGHT TO SAVE CROPS
AND WIN WAR.

AND WIN WAR.
y The United States Food Admins
tration has divided the country int,
zones. Louisiana is districted will
, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi and Ten
nessee. The first zone meeting will
be held at Vicksburg, Saturday.
One of the main questions to com,
up will be the milling and handling
OF the oncoming wheat crop. Louis
lana has not yet become wheat fac
tor, but she is vitally interested in the
labor problem in connection with the
wheat and other harvests in the south
Cotton, rice and sugar will soon be
due and war industries are still taking
away the farm workers. The zone ad.
ministrators will make strong bid
for Mexican labor. They are assured
of thousands, and President Wilson
has eased the way by suspending the
head tax. The last concession re-
quired will be cheaper transportation.
If McAdoo grants cent a mile rate
the plan will be put over. Planters
and farmers will then be able to con-
tract for this labor on basis of six
months, with ninety days grace there
after, upon arranging to deposit the
travelling and other expenses required
| Cliff Williams, the governments s
3! labor commissioner for the five states
in the Louisiana group, will help the
Mexican importation, and in turn Sc
cured the cco-operation Of the Louis
lana food administration in his cam
paign to put all loafers and idlers into
the field and to make the non-essen-
tial industries give way to essential
food production. John NJ. Parker
went with him to the turpentine men
and the latter will turn thousands
loose. The outlook for enough man
power to gather all the crops is be-
coming much brighter, and the south
will again render immense food serv-
ice to the nation.
The convention of Louisiana Food
Administrators, at New Orleans, was
great success, the work systematized
to large extent, and important poll
cies adopted. A message was sent to
Hoover telling him that the state was
willing to undergo any wheat sacrifice
demanded. 1t will continue wheatless
Mondays and Wednesdays, using
only Victory products on those days,
will restrict flour sales to six pounds
per month per person and strictly en-
force the ffty-fifty rule. Louisiana
also suggested that the government
take all the -four it needs right at the
mills, and distribute the balance
among the states upon an equitable
basis. Uniform rules are urged and
Louisiana will obey such rules no mat
ter what deprivation it entails. No
action was taken regarding bread, as
Mr.. Hoover has announced that ma
tional regulations would be forthcom-
ing in the next few days. Meantime
no increase in bread prices are au-
thorized.
Ice prices will be kept at last years
figures unless q factory proves its
right to increase the rate. The sugar
distribution system was declared to
cover the soft drink situation, and
the parish administrators will hustle up
the industries to send in reports upon
which sugar certificates are issued.
The state was divided into zones, with
Shreveport, Monroe, Alexandria, New
Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lake
Charles as headquarters, and each
zone will have its price interpreting
committee, which will publish a price
list weekly, giving both cash and
credit prices Consumers are asked
to report overcharges for food so that
investigation can be made. The dis
tricts will also conduct food work
IIlOIC 1ulIt 81 dS " ACIiSSC VIC SSiSho
office of all but the main questions.
The extension of the closed sugar
bowl to all parishes was recommend
ed. Special prohibition was promul-
gated against sales of flour ,nc other
foods to other states, which have de-
clared against such sales. Uniformity
of regulations was endorsed and the
Third District asked to conform to
this desire for uniformity. The
State Administrator was requested
to specifically instruct the Parish
on their duties and |
powers, and to give them full au-
thority to fix and impose penalties
so that they could act vigorously
and promptly whenever occasion de-
manded. The United States En-
abolition = the Saturday half-hol-l !
days ard the str:ngec. enforcement
+ vagrancy laws.