Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-03-25
INDUSTRIES PAY
MORE FOR LABOR
Wages are u uble Those Paid by
Farmers Despite High 4
Food Prices.

Approximately 90 per cent of the labor
now applying 10 the L. $. Department Of
Labor at the Federal Building, Sixth and
King streets, is going to the shipyards md
other large industries. said A. g. Burk-
hardt, head of the local Department of
Labor, today III discussing the most urgent
farm labor question Data compiled by
MIR Burkhardt showed that skilled ship
yard labor gets from 80 tn ~ y cents per
hour common shipvard labor, about 40
cents chemical labor from 10 to 30 cents,
common unskiled labor from 2S 10 40
cents. while farmers offer from so to $50
per month with board and lodging. or IN
reality about S65 n month Mr., Burk-
hardt said that during last month uo
men were sent from his office to the ship
yards alone. while the number sent to the
farms was only very small percentage ot
that number Although very optimistic,
Mr. Burk hardi eccms to think that, rs
sanguine as the officials nay appear Ia he,
there is an underlying belief that event
ualv draft will have to be resnrted to IN
order to secure the necessary lnlp.
0s,OO0 LABOR AGENTS
IN order TO overcome this possibility hv
supplying the farmers of the country
with labor ior the coming season. an
agreement between the Postoliice Depart
ment and the Department of Labor has
been effected whereby all third and fourth
class postmastcrs and rural carriers be
come Labor agents under the United
States Employment Service. These new
agents. numbering more than nS 900,
together with 1000 agents of the Depart-
mcnt uf Agriculture whose services will be
similarly available, furnish connecting
links between tho farms and the sources
of farm labor supply They place the
nited States Employment Service ~
direct touch with virtually every farmer ~
The United States
Postmaster-t General Burlcson not only
has consented to the appointment Of this
army nf postal employees as labor agents
hut has pledged the fullest cooperation
of his department in the efforts of tlo DE
partment of l.ahor and the Employment
Service to furnish farmers with sHihclrnt
labor ~ produce bumper crops this year.
rorN 10 10000 orrict-
The use % the postmasteis aud rural
carriers is equivalent 10 the immediate
establishment of 10000 employment ~
fices ~ the agricultural sections ami other
rural districts Of the countr, u gives
to the \meucan farmer an employment
system that IS larger and better than hat
enjoycd hv any other farmer ~ the world
The third and fourth class poSfmasters
tptalIng "A oo1 arr located in towns and
agricultural canteFs. while til" rural "ar
rlerS. numbering t3.3l4 travel ia'lN over
routes having mn aggregate mhrago ~
n 2noO00 and touching the gatc ~ n"arI1
every farm Frtv-four and ? haif pr '~'nt
cf the total population If thc nitod
states viii hc served hv these new laloI
agents
tll officers AMI employees II the govern
mcnt are requested - give The widest
publicity io this plan, and - 500 that
everN farmer IN the United States iS
assured that his lahor needs can ~ met
through the use " his mail carrier ~ his
local postofiicc
CHrAGn oFFI'F AIpINi TAfM-
The Office of the United Statc- Labor
bureau in Chicago has tried several unique
plans. and are now preparing for an in
tcnsive ami extensive campaign un the
following last wear ON small scale the
experiment was made uf taking + grrur lf
men from a local establishment and eert
ing them to farmers IN RELAYS tWu weeks
for each man The results were most
gratifying anil shaved that the plan
offered excellent poe-lHiltio- The, ere
entering into tins plan more extensively
this wear and hayr inaueuratcl The ram
paign by preparing Il live letter ~ larg"
EMPLOYERS asking them 10 participate ~
the arrangement
raFNER- VIII rAtE pnN-.
Nr Burkharit also attached much
importance to the movement nf thu 81
Bows Working Reserve and seemed
quite confident of the results
VIII tho bows enrolled for farm service
bo taken hy the farmers This Is q nat
urel question and one often heard n-
fortunately there have bcCn appearing
many general statements tu the effect
that high school h01~ ar useless Tor farm
work and arc not acceptable ~ farmers
and II viii be the tasi of the Employment
Service and ali directors and enrolling
agents of tho Buv " Ikine Reserve 10
cnlrntcfact the dl-coiraG'ne effect eft
these statements upon farncre
Indiana farmers last wear u~cd i'o,s. 80
last week Indiana farmers m 80 ot th,
- cuuntle~ of that Statt gave p sufficient
answer to the qucrv above bv asking fol
approximately / i0l huvs for tho com
INC season Fcioral state Director
Strauss Of the Reserve a indianapolis
has notified the Employment Service
that .34S have already been voluntarily
sought hv Indiana farmers and hat
10 600 bows is the minimum number Of
BOYS that VIII bo needed in hat State Tins
wear Other States arc making the same
reports