The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-12-23
ANNUAL MEETING OF BINGHAM COUNTY
FARM BUREAU CONDUCTED LAST WEEK
Higher Rating Established by Caring for Things
Already in Possession. Much to be
Done in Modernizing Homes
CAMPAIGN FOR ERADICATION OF PESTS

At the farm bureau meeting Tues
day afternoon of last week the ques
tion Of wage scale for labor fol
1920 was discussed. County Agen1
M. O. Monroe said that the farmers
did not stick to the scale adopted fol
the season of 1919 and went to bid
ding against each other. That made
it more and more difficult for the
farm bureau to secure help for any
one. The agitators would start a re.
port that higher wages were being
paid in other localities and they
would not work for the scale in
Bingham county, and farmers, hard
pressed for help, would consent tc
pay more, then the agitators would
pass the word along that Mr.. so and
SO was paying such and such price
and that Started the bidding.
Many false reports were scattered
and were often just as effective as il
they had been true.
Mr.. Monroe said that until the
farmers could agree among them
selves, as to what they were going
to pay and agree to stick to the
agreement, that it. would be useless
for the farm bureau to try to con-
duct an employment office.
The scale for last year was $500
a day with board, $3.50 per day for
stackers in haying time, $4,000 per
month with board and $4,000 per
month for man and wife and in the
bidding the prices went as high as
$500 per day and $500 per month.
The matter was discussed by For
rest Trego, S. T. Ezell. w. H. Dye,
Mr.. Lofquist, Isaac Sorensen and
others. Mr.. Dye said one source Of
disturbance was that the beet seed
companies. desiring to attract good
grade of laborers, so they could take
their choice of the applicants, offered
little higher price than others.
They have an advantage over the
farmers in being able to name their
own prices for beet seed and it does
not matter so much what they
pay for labor, they can add enough
more to the price of their seed to
give them the same margin of profit
while the farmer can not do this and
consequently can not compete. The
prices paid by canal companies were
usually higher than individuals
were paying and higher than the
scale. Often the canal companies de-
string to rush the work thru, Of
fered high prices and men quit their
jobs elsewhere to accept that en-
ployment. The canal company would
study their forces and select the best
men and teams to be kept on the jot
and discharge the others. Those
that were discharged would not feel
like going back and applying fo1
work where they had already quit
or if they did apply they would prob.
ably be refused.
So the net result was that the offer
of these high wages by the canal
companies merely got them the
choice of help and left many Others
out of employment and left the
people without help.
The people in charge Of the county
road work had scale Of their own
and none of these different employ.
ers were consulted by the farm
bureau in establishing their scale Of
prices. 1t would be well for all Of
these employers to consult together
this winter and agree upon a scale Of
wages, made high enough so there
need be no disturbance after it IL
put into effect and then all stick tC
it.
Some one at the meeting Tuesday
suggested that perhaps the scale las