New-York tribune., 1919-04-06
State Land Army Will Be Permanent
Hell p to Farmers

has thirty-ive members, including super
visor, cook and chauffeur"
AT q meeting of the board of directors
last week it was decided to ask the resi-
dents OF New York City, The Bronx and
brooklyn to contribute to the future work
OF the Land Army by means of tag dav
on Saturday, April IL.
Some of the things which the Land Arrr
WILL undertake this summer include the
sowing OF the pre-war shortage of farm
iapor' AT one time, according to statistics.
the country was short 100000 farm labor
ers, and the planting of agricultural acre
age was decreasing year by year making
1000 scarcer and food prices higher The
army, too, will furnish employment for
women who were engaged in wartime oc
cupations and are now jobless
The Land Army aims to supply a healthy
occupation to girls in seasonal trades who
in the past have been without work DURING
most of the summer, thus relieving great
deal OF the unemployment which engenders
economic and social unrest.
AT present requests for thirty camps have
been received. 1t is hoped to develop them
on such a sound economic basis that thew
will be self-supportng.
Social Advantages
Not Forgotten
Permanent rural community centres arc
expected to be the outcome Of the Land
Army camps. The Land Army rural commu-
nifty centre offers moving picture shows.
lectures, dances, community singing and
n hor aft
families, as we'll as to the farmcrettcs.
The Land Army hopes to establish. event
ually at least, permanent Land Army
camp IN each agricultural county, but not
to attempt to do it this summer The goal
OF the Land Army this year is to be the
quality of the camps and their effectiveness.
not their number.
Also 1t seeks to create a domestic science
department, with girls recruited especially
for this type of work who are to go out 10
! the farms under the same system MS those
working on the land, so that the farmer
wives may receive in their homes some Of
the assistance needed. The camps are ex-
pected to remain open all year as community
| centres.
A plan of cooperation has been devised
, with the National Girl Scouts whereby a
| group of from four to eight Scouts could be
located at each camp under Scout leader.
On each county committee of the Land
Army there could be a representative Of
the Girl Scout organization. The Scouts
would work only in the camp garden and in
the camp itself at both domestic and ao-ri
cultural work four or six hour working
day for the girls would be the rule.
For several months before the signing Of
the armistice arrangements were under
consideration for an afiliation between the
Federal government and the Woman's Land
Army, and shortly after the armistice this
affiliation completed and a Woman's
Land Army division of the United States
Employment Service of the United States
Department of Labor formed.
Federal Appropriation
Is Lacking
Congress adjourned without passing the
deficiency bill which carried the United
States Employment Bureau approximation.
Therefore the government cannot assist the
Land Army financially, and the Federal ap-
polntees become dollar -a-year officials, with
the possibilities of the officials receiving
Tree transportation and the franking priv
lege for the national and state Offices.
1t IS planned to arrange an endowment
plan OF financing the work of the Land
Army by establishing special funds to meet
the expenses of the following branches:
Educational propaganda throughout the
state, general administrative expenses, mo
tor transportation, local budgets, initial
equipment of camps and experimental work.
such as the development of the community
centre plan, which includes recreation.
education, community canning kitchens,
dehydrating plants, circulating community
libraries and Girl Scouts