The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-07-03
SEEKING MEN TO
ASSIST FARMERS
Board of Trade Sends Let
ter to Business Men
Hereabouts
NEED is VITAL
AT PRESENT TIME
County Agent Sweeton Could Furnish
Employment for Number of Men and
Boys Immediately-G Shortage
of Farm Help Everywhere.

In an effort to help the farmers of
Brattleboro and vicinity harvest their
hay crop the local board of trade in CO.
operation with the representatives of the
state committee of public safety has sent
an appeal for men to manufacturers and
help is vital at this time, and it is hoped
that employers in other lines of activity
will be able to make arrangements SO
that farmers can get the benefit of addi-
tional labor during the haying. season
and later at harvest time
County Agent A. W Sweeton could
furnish work for number of men and
boys Immediately; in fact, several could
be utilized in hayfields tomorrow. Unless
help can be provided through co-opera-
tive arrangement whereby store clerks
and factory operatives can be released
for short periods it is feared that only
a small portion of the crops in this local
lity can be harvested. The letter sent
out by Acting Secretary H. E. Moffitt of
the board of trade is as follows:
you are doubtless aware there is a
very great shortage of farm labor
throughout the county. At meeting of
the public safety committee representa-
tiyes and the state public safety commit
tee held in Brattleboro last Wednesday
the cooperation of the board of trade
Twas sought in an effort to relieve this
shortage SO far as possible.
Much of the work on the farms can
be done during the ordinary working
hours of the day, even during the after
noon, provided groups of men can be
transported to the farms for work and
brought back at night. The matter of
Transportation can be easily arranged.
but your assistance is very necessary in
torder to do what we can toward providing
lmen. 1t may possibly happen that
there are among your employees those
who came originally from farms who
would be willing to go back for day or
a portion of a day. in order to relieve this
shortage and insure the harvesting of
the bumper crops which the large acreage
tplanted gives us reason to expect.
Governor Graham has Just issued a
proclamation in which he suggests that
such factories and stores that can do sc
should close three afternoons a week fol
this very purpose. While / am not re
lquesting any such radical rearrangemeni
as this, it may possibly happen that som,
| such Encouragement Of working honri
for those employees or possibly littl
, earlier closing for a group of them som,
, afternoons might be the only necessar,
factor in insuring the assistance of thes
) lmen. OF course payment for the worl
these men did would be expected from
the farmer.
t "Mr. Sweeton informs me that he cal
e lplace a number of these. men now an
: several groups could be used to advan
r tage during the haying season. May
: not ask you to take this matter up wit
n your employees and see if some assistanc
!. lcannot be granted?
v Assuring you of my desire to cooper
i ate with you in every possible way fo
i the betterment of Brattleboro. / renal
ssVery truly yours,
II. E. MOFFITT.
"Acting Secretary"