El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-09-14

7 climate grows colder
Army Of Reapers Yanishes-
In the past thers was a nonadic reap
ing population which took care Of this
] harvest. It was composed OF migratory
/ labOrers who came from various sour es,
and moved uorthward with the wheat II
I was brought together by the high wages
and steady work and the knowledge that
] this work would continue during the
I harvest throughout the tier Of states In
/ 1917 the country had the advantage OF
. the most OF this army OF men. but when
I the wheat was ready 10 cut this year
/ the men had disappeared They had been
] swallowed UP by the enlistments and
. drafts for the war. and also by the war
I Industrial plants whose wa yes and work
Z were better than the best the farmers
7 could offer
Creating a New Army
The situation was serious. The food
! administration demanded the wheat, and
there was chance that the war misht
be lost by the lack Of this food supply.
I The great government departments had
] reported as 10 the crop and also as TO the
[ lack Of labor, and IL was known that
a new industrial army must be created
or the wheat would rot In the fields The
matter was given over 10 the department
: OF agriculture and the department Of Ia
Dor and the two have so combined their
work that they have created a new army
70 take the place OF the old IN this
the department OF agriculture led at the
start II already had Its organised agents
in every state and county. and IL had
body OF state farm help supply specialists
who were sending in regular reports as
to crop conditions II was through this
machinery that the labor supply was
created
The first work was the sending out OF
a four minute speech 10 every county
agent This man was ordered 10 cali the
business and professional men Of his re-
giOn together 70 hear war message from
the administration They met In the
went somewhat as follows
Demanding Men
Men, we are az war; The government
demands food. and IL demands that every
one 81 Us 40 lis part in saving the wheat
crop, which is now ready for cutting This
is so important that every other enter
prise and business should be stopped IN
I'll the wheat has been saved According
TO the estimates sent me from Washing
ton 5000 harvest hands are needed for this
district alone. and this town is called
furnish them even though il be necessary
TO stop every bank, store. factory and
church while the work is going on"
Everybody Goes out.
This message went Into every wheat /
district and every large town The re-
Spouse was immediate Preachers law /.
dropped their usual employment ana
went out 70 the farms The state Of
Kansas got $4,000 such men, and 10000 !
Of that number came from Kanss City I
there were - labor unions and Al Of /
them took all Of their men TO the wheat \
soft Handed Work Wen.
II was wonderful the good work that 4
these soft feshed. velvet handed men OF
the city did some OF them. engaged IN
the professions, realized that they could !
not stand the hot sun during the long
hours from sunrise 10 sunset. but they
arranged TO do what they could Ihey
came out to work In the morning and
in some cases iE the afternoons and
worked until DARK Three or four rro-
fessionai men wos.Id tell a farmer that
~ o HnaH HHHnrH HrTHH|
be there in the evening 10 shock It
One harvester. for instance. ran his
reapers and binders all day, and at four
IN the afternoon an automobi-e or So
each containing four lawyers o. bankers. +
would arrive They would put the sheaves +
into shocks, and by rushing the work
ordinary force. Instances OF this nature
we're common throughout the wheat belt, I
and the men who worked were OF every
Banker With Blistered Hands. +
I heard OF one banker who had sal
ary OF $4,000 q year He does not boast
Of that, but he has been going around
showing the blisters on his hands from
his work in the harvest field ard the 1t r.
tie wage cheek he got there at the rate
Of 81 a day Many Of these men were
paid by the hour. The work OF the
harvest fields is now largely done BY the
hour. the farmers paying IS OF 90 cents
ten hour 8 day controversy does not arise
and the men get paid FOR the time they
work
After the wheat harvest began the de-
partment OF labor had a director general
stationed in the west who took charge OF
the labor supply This man had daily
reports as TO the harvest conditions OF
every district. aud he sent bodies Of men
on telegraphio notice 20 the localities and
to the exact farms where they were
needed. The agents throughout the coun-
try would telegraph him the time their
wheat would be ready 70 cut and the ex-
ira men needed
Some Of the corn viii be cut by ma
chinery, but a vast deal OF It viii be
husked from the stalk as IL stands in the
field The men who do this are experts
cially prepared for the purpose, one wall
q the bed Of Che wagon being built as
guard board high up 30 as 10 catch the
earE when thrown in. Each husker takes
two rows at time, his wagon going along
Al good man can husz 50 bushels per
day, and instances Of 100 bushels are not
uncommon There is a record Of one man
husking 1f5 bushels a day and putting
the corn in the crib. These huskers work
so that there IS no waste effort II takes
Just three motions 70 get every ear Of corn
into the wagon First the man grabs the
ear. second he pulls down the husk, and
third breaks the ear Off and throws IL
into tibet wagon The ears fly from the
stalks at the rate OF one a second, and
you can hear the thud, thud Or them
striking the guard board as regularly as
the second hand Of clock goes round the
dial The corn Of this year viii be more
than 5000 000, zoe Of bushels. and a vast
deal Of It viii be cropped in this way The
department OF agriculture makes no bones
Of saying that every loafer must be put
10 work IN the fields
LOafers Are Aiding Enemy
7 have before me a bulletin recently
issued by that department II calls for
more hands on the farm, saying that the
loafers are aiding the enemy and that
they should be made to go TO work or 10
jail. i.
This bulletin was issued by secretary
Houston IN the midst Of the wheat harvest
,swsgaPsr Syndicate BV D7gi6