The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-03-04
The Shortage of Farm Help
Prompts Discussion of
Means to Meet Crisis
VIEWS EXPRESSED
BY MANY SENATOR'S
Talk of EXempting Farm Hands from
the Operations of the War Draft
Government Must Find Some Way to
Get More to Work on Farms.


WASHINGTON. March 4.-Conseri9-
ton of labor AS a way of solving the !
shortage of help on farms was suggest
ed in the senate Saturday during a !
| discussion of the conference report on
the soldiers and civil rights bill Sen
ator Smith of Michigan said he had
been informed by Provost Marshal
/ Crowder that scheme was under con
temptation which was expected to over
come the difficulty now confronting the
farmers.
The provost marshal general has
been considering some way to insure
keeping men on the farms,'' said Sen
ator Smith. - am told he is to issue
an order respecting it within a few
davS -
Senator Borah of Idaho spoke Of the
operation of the first draft as having
seriously drained the farms Of Iaborers
If the next draft IS worked the same
way it will mean grave Gripping of
farm activity said Mr. Borah. '.Geu-
eral Crowder says there was compa-
ratively small percentage OF farm la
Dor taken in the draft as compared
with other pursuits. So far as the per-
ecutage is concerned, that may be true,
but we must bear in mind that other
industries nave been drawing from the
farms for the last 10 years. and par
tieularly in the las three or four wears
until the slpply of farm labor has been
4 reduced to 4 minimum. To take any
II "a Il Nf f1r OIL NOM
I unless there arc means to supply tn,
Z PLACES Of those taken, works a great
\ hardship. 1t is perilous to draw from
farm labor, if we are to keep up in any
degree our production
/ Senator Borah read an editorial from
\ the New York Times commenting upol
the shortage of farm labor. Variou
l scuator1 rose from different parts o
4 the chamber TO say there were seriou
shQElAGfs e,iR,th e1r s,tatgs.an. on. /
- have letters from every sactio
=, Of Kansas in which the writer's tell O
III ,aarcity Of farm help, said Senate
II Curtis. d" In the western part of tn
state 5000 acres of wheat land Ia
II been abandoned because the farmer
II cannot get hands to work.
II Senators Owen of Oklahoma an
II Smith Of Michigan spoke of the far
II situation i'm their states as being Q,
II trcmely grave through lack of farm /;
II Dor.
H IF these men must be taken fro
II the farm - said Senator Borah. '-tl
II government must find some way to fl
II their places. Uncertainty rs to VIII;
y the draft may do mas had the effect
II dcteuimg farmers from going ahcg
II with their season s crops. They don
i know what to expect; they don t kno
II if they will have the men to till ii
II soil or harvest the crops -
II Senator Gore of Oklohoma urged
II liberal policy of exemption from far
Il labor. In proportion of population,
said, a larger percentage of farm lab
- had been enlisted in the first draft tht
= from any other vocation.
II Senator Borah thought the til
might soon come when the idler in t
ranks of labor would have to be &C
scripted.
''That may be necessary to get t
full strength of labor said the 81
ator. ~ do not think it is neccssa
vet TO do that.
Senator McCumber suggested ii
the wage question doomed up in I
problem Of getting men TO the far
Workmen who get 81 or s. day in t
city do not want to 90 to the farm
$l9O month.
Senator Kirby of Arkansas insist
that it was time the country eve
up and began to understand what /
to be done.
eve must get down to bushes
he said. Z" Men must be trained.
= have embarked on an enterprise ;
we must do something to get all
men we can over to France. We
going to need 100000, yes 10000,
men in France. and we 've got to dr.
men from every walk of life to do