New-York tribune., 1918-02-25
High Factory Wages
Drain Farm Labor

- The great drain on the farm labor
supply has been from the factories, the
railways and government works of one
sind and another. High industrial
wages have drawn hundreds Of thou
sands of farmhands from the country
20 the cities or industrial centres.
Taking it the year through, the farmer
cannot compete with booming war in
odustries IN the matter Of wages
Increased use and economy of farm
machinery are expected to do much
toward reducing labor requirements.
Tractors are an important factor. They
will be used in larger numbers this
year than ever before and with much
greater effectiveness. Manufacturers Of
farm implements, through the efforts
Of the Department of Agriculture, have,
generally speaking, been second in or
der of priority only to manufacturers
OF munitions in having their require
ments for material met.
There has, therefore, been no decline
II the output OF agricultural imple-
ments and the production of tractors
has greatly increased. There are more
than 100000 farm tractors in America.
Scarcely any of them have hitherto
been utilized to the maximum. The in
divdual owner has done his seasonal
farm work with them and then his ma
chine has lain idle. This year the owner
of tractor will use it for his own
work and then lend it to his neighbors.
Throughout the country little neigh
borhood groups are being formed
around the tractors. Moreover, the
tractors will be modified in districts
where their work is completed or comes
at another time of the year and moved
to distant sections. Finally they are
to be used twenty-four hours a day.
Farmers To Do Best
With Green Hands
AS for the human element. the
farmer has made up his mind that he
must get along with green hands
schoolboys, Boy Scouts and men volun-
teers from city and village as an i'm
portant supplement to his still remain
ing farm hands and the migratory la
-borers.
Last year the farmer was inclined to
scotf at dude" help. This year he will
content himself with "cussing" it's in
efficiency and will use it for ali it is
worth. Reports to the Department Of
Agriculture indicate that an immense
number OF city and village men are
gong TO spend their vacations-and d
more than their vacations-h helping on
the farms.
In the smaller cities and in the viii
lagos business will be practically sus-
pended during the seasons of special
activity on the farms. Merchants are
contemplating closing their stores and
giving their clerks longer vacations
than usual. Many Of these men are
more valuable for farm work than
might be supposed
At a recent meeting of business men
IN Portland, Ore. a city of 2500 900 peo
pie, 1t was found that 50 per cent of
them were bred on farms. Their
muscles may be g. little soft and their
WIND q little short, but such men
are iamiilar with farm processes and
the handling of work animals and farm
machinery. These volunteers Will be
distributed Systematically through an
immense number Of agencies.
The boys OF the country will be a
great factor. Thousands Of them
gained valuable information last wear
and the organizations for taking care
or them are much further advanced
than they were then. The great rural
population viii work harder than ever
Country women Will this year do work
ihat men have usually done hitherto
Even city women and girls will be util-
wed III large numbers for the lighter
kinds of farm work, such as fruit nick
ing. Soldiers drawn from the farm are
TO be furloughed at seeding and har-