New-York tribune., 1918-08-09
Shortage of Labor
Will Not Diminish
Crops in Northwest
Professional and Business
Men Volunteer to Toll
in Harvest Fields

'Spsesot Correspondence o. The Tri6ure)
MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 8.-Spring
"heat-a big crop this year in many
parts OF Southern Minnesota and
oouch Dakota, where little has been
grown tor years, and big crop in til
North"estern states as whole-is
oelng harvested by volunteer labor in
many counties. Lawyers are driving
teams, dentists and architects are oil
ing machinery, real estate men and
merchants pitching bundles. ministers
are IN the fields, and even the small
town banker has not disdained to take
10 the harvest fields. Consequently,
the Northwest's big food crop is going
TO be saved to the last bushel, not
wlthstanding labor scarcity that
amounts actually 70 famine in places.
how bad the labor situation is may
be Judged from the order by Judge
John F. McGee, Minnesota Fuel Com
missioner, that not a pound of coal
is to be carried in" Wherever a
home stands up from street level. so
tnat teams cllot drive alongside.
coal men al .b;dden to carry the
fuel to the cellar bin chute. The coal
Will be dumled il the street The
householder may hire it carried in,
carry 1T himself or organize a neigh
borhood relief association. get the
men living near to help him. and in
turn help his neighbors
Government Aid Is Ready
Northern Montana and Western
North Dakota suffered from dry
weather, and a good many farmers got
nothing. Secretary of Agriculture
Houston has men in the field investi-
eating the situation, that government
relief may be given; the 9th Reserve
District Bank has relief plan, the
Federal Reserve Board at Washington
has instructed reserve banks to be
liberal in rediscounting cattle and
agricultural paper, and the situation
is going to be taken care of Presi-
dent Wilson has interested himself
But such losses are inconsequential
in the relative sense. The 9th Re
serve District, 1900 miles from east
to west and 500 to 700 from north to
south, is a vast domain, and, while it
has bad areas, this region as a whole
has magnificent crop. Acreage yields
Of wheat, oats, barley, rye and other
crops are good. Flaxseed is going to
be valuable crop on account of the
high price, even if it does not Weld as
much as was at first expected and
corn is coming along in fine promise.
The draft, volunteering and an in
slstent demand for men in war in
dustres have completely wiped away
the floating labor supply. For a month
this has had serious consideration
The Duluth Board of Trade, Mime
apolis Chamber of Commerce and
Minneapolis Civic and Commerce As
sociation, st. Paul Association Of
Commerce and commercial clubs in
Grand Forks, Fargo, Sioux Falls, Bis
marck and other grain-state towns
have been pounding home the fact
that labor must be found
The Minneapolis Real Estate Board
has the names of 100 volunteers who
are going into the fields for periods
of one to two weeks each. There will
be several thousands from many such
organizations
Guarding Against Waste
The Federal government, cooperat-
ing with state agricultural colleges
and state food commissioners of Min
nesota, North Dakota, South Dakota
and Montana, has expert thrasher men
in the fields. and printed Instructions
are in railway stations. banks and
meeting places and on the doors Of
churches and schools, cautionng
farmers to have leakproof wagon
boxes to haul the grain and to operate