Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-03-28
SOLDIERS ARE
RETURNING TO
Jobs ON FARMS
Government Authority Says
No Fear of Labor Shortage
in Rural Communities

That large numbers of returning
soldiers and sailors are seeking work
on farms is the statement made by
Assistant Secretary C. I. Christie,
representative of the United States
Department of Agriculture on the
Council of the Emergency Commit
tee on Employment for Soldiers and
Sailors, before the first meeting of
the council yesterday. He told how
department representatives in the
rehabilitation camps are aiding re
turning soldiers and sailors to find
jobs.
The creation of the emergency
committee was made necessary De
cause the United States Employment
to curtail it's machinery to about 10
per cent of normal and to close
most Of it's branch offices. TO meet
the need and with the concurrence
of the secretaries of war and laoor:
Grosvenor B. Clarkson, director OF
the Council of National Defense, APP
pointed a committee under the chair
manship of Colonel Arthur Woods,
formerly police commissioner OF
New York City and now special as
sistant to the secretary OF war.
Other members of the ccmittee are:
Franklin D. Roosevelt, assistant sec
rotary of the navy; e. n. Hurley'
chairman of the United States Ship
ping Board; Nathan D. Smyth de-
partment of labor; G. l. CHRISTIE,
assistant secretary of ag {,a e. !;
Foreign and Domestic Commerce;
Matthew Woll American Federation
of Labor: Elliott Goodwin, general
secretary of the Chamber OF Com
| merce of the United States; 5. +.
Bush, Industrial Board OF the De-
partment of Commerce; r. j: Ayers,
| Department of the INTERIOR; John ii.
Hollowen, of Boston, and GrosVenor
| B. Clarkson, director of the Council
| of National Defense.
help to Fill Million Jobs
Approximately one nlllloH III ..i,
went from the farms into military
and naval service. With at least
| that many jobs, therefore, on the
| farms of the country to be hlled, the
| question of the readJustment OF SOL
! der and sailor farmers to farm JOBS
is one of the large problems ronieinS p - 6a {
| the committee. In discussing II pc
| fore the committee, Assistant Secfe-
| tary Christie said:
"Reports from the farm help spe-
cialists of the United States Depart
| ment of Agriculture indicate that
| large numbers Of returning soldlers
! and sailors are taking up work on
| the farms. During the last Two
Years Yea the labor shortage on the
| farms has been such that these young
men are welcomed by the agrlcui-
| tural people and are given every op,
| portunity and ENCOURAGEMENT 20 '"Ne
up agricultural work, no,o+ius
Through the States Relations
Service Of the Department of Agrl-
| culture, and the extension service
Of the Agricultural colleges, agr!cul-
| tural representatives nave peer
placed in the demoe1llzatlon camps 1hs
where they are comforting with the
soldiers and giving them needed IN
| formation as to openings and op-
! nortunities in agriculture rms II
resulting in many thousands OF
| Young men returning to the lanu u
| follow the occupation in which they
are interested and for which theS
have been trained. .:4.
Farm Lads Returning From ClG1es
at is true that some of the mel
who left the farms for the army
will not return to the land rms IL
neither unusual nor uheApe4eeu, -, =,
! the natural course OF events many
thousands of young men left the
| farms during peace times for lnduS-
try, the professions, and work IN
| general in the cities. Many OF theSe
| men who would have lett the farms
| for such work have been taken into
| the army, and that they now choose
| 70 remain in the city is not to be
taken as any indication that all
: Voung men are leaving agriculture
for City life. Reports from farm arm
| helm specialists, county agents, ano
| other agricultural people indicate
| that the large majority Of men VINO
came from the farms and who are
given any reasonable opportunity
are again taking up this work, It
is found, too, that the large BODY Oh
men who left the farms to take up
war work in connection with the
| building of cantonments, war lnduS-
tries, etc, are returning to the farms
in large numbers. o,.
Farmers are offering good wages,
in many cases a partnership in the
farm business. and are bulldln8
suitable homes and supplying pet
fer living conditions. All of this IS
| snpealing to men who have expert
| enced hardships in the city as a re-
suit of poor living conditions, hlsh
cost of living, and other unusual eA-
| penses. e,,e
| have been short of labor Much
work has been allowed to go IN
| done. There is now an opportunity
for farmers to get a supply of labor
which can be used in placing drains
building fences, clearing LANDS, re-
nairing buildings, and in other ways
malin@ improvements and placing
the farm in the condition in when
wish to see it.