Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-08-31
WHY THE GIRLS
LEAVE THE FARM
THEIR HOURS OF WORK ARE
LONG AND THE EQUIPMENT
FOR 1T is NOT SUFFICIENT.
DETAILS OF OFFICIAL SURVEY
Facts That Are Not Complimentary
10 the Men Are Brought Out by
Questioning the Women in 10000
Farm Homes.
BY JAMES p. HoRNApAy.

Sy JAMES p. HORNADAY.
"aShlngton.-"Is ii any wonder girls
leave the farm?" said an official in the
agricultural department the other day,
after he had acquainted himself with
the details of a survey of ten thousand
farm homes in the thirty three north
erl and western states, recently COM
pieted by the department in co-opera-
zion with the state agricultural col
leges and farm bureaus. More than
haiI OF the women interviewed, al
though classei by the census Office
win those having mo occupation,"
are up and at work by 8 O'Clock in
the morning. The working day of the
average woman is 11.3 hours the year
round, and in summer it is 1912 hours.
And 81 out of each 100 women have
no regular vacation in the year.
Inere is man "hlred help" on the
farm, but not much woman hired
help. Only II per cent of the women
included in the survey reported hired
help and that only for about three and
half months each year Yet "a per
cent OF the women made part or all
OF the family bread, 60 per cent churn-
ed their own butter; in 96 cases out
of 100 they did the family washing
43 per cent having no washing ma
chimes and only 80 per cent having
running water in their homes: 90 per
cent did all the family sewing. and
otherwise looked after their families,
the average numbering five persons.
and their homes, meaning in the ma
jority of cases a 7-room house.
Many Help With Mems Work.
In addition, "A per cent of the women
assist in the field work. % per cent
help to feed and bed the livestock.
80 per cent assist in the milking. 5000
include milk pals in their dish wash
ing and 5,703 wash the separatOrs.
Eighty-one per cent attend to the poul-
try, meaning on an average so hens.
and 56 per cent spend part of their
time wedding, -hoeing, and tending the
vegetable and flower gardens.
The inquiry revealed a small num-
Der Of children in the farm homes.
7,467 reports showing an average of
only Ito under ten years of age for
each home, and only Q.9S between ten
and sixteen years of age In the rural
homes of the east the number of chill
dren fell below the countrywide av-
erage, while that in the western sec
ton proved the highest. with IA under
one year and 0.97 children a home be-
tween ten and sixteen years. The av-
erage farm home is more than five
and one-haif miles from the family
doctor, twelve from a trained nurse
and fourteen from hospital.
Power Seldom Given the Home.
'The farmer" comments Miss Ward.
usually considers modern farm equip
inent as so much cur",Vcy with which
10 buy efficiency. OF the total num-
Der answering the question, As per
cent reported power for operating farm
machinery. When We consider that it
is a simple matter to connect the en-
CINE used at the farm with household
equipment, it seems a singular fact
reporting have this advantage. Power
for such frequently recurring tasks
as churning and using the washing
machine would frequently relieve the
farm woman
Running water is the pivot upon
which such modern conveniences de
ponds. OF those reporting, only 80
per Ger of the homes have running
water; IS per cent have water in the
kitchens only. In 81 per cent of the
homes into which wafer must be car
ried this work is done by women"
Trying to Help Honest Business.
The federal trade commission IS
trying to establish II better relation
ship with industry. The commission
feels that its work is not as we'll
understood as it should be by the
public. William B. Colver, mem
Der of the commission. said the other
day that in creating the commission
congress wrote a single sentence
which seemed TO him to sum I'D the
ideals of American business:
Unfair methods of connection in
commerce are hereby declared unlaw-
full" This declaration. Mr.. Colyer
said, means that in commerce there
shall not be trickery; that there shall
not be the rule Of might as opposed to
right; that unfairnesS, meanness:
ruthiessneSs and dishonesty have no
place in American business. Accord
ing to Commissioner COlver, the fed
eral trade commission in administering
the law follows scrupulously a pro-
cedure carefully laid down by con-
greSs. When one believes that unfair
practices are being INDUCED in to his
injury and lie addresses the federal
trade commission with a statement of
the facts as he understands them. the
commission makes a preliminary in
vestigation and if, in the end it has
reason to believe that it is to the in
terest of the public that the matter be
formally inquired into, then it issues
its complaint in writing, directed to
the concern against which the accusa-
ton has been made This issuance
of the complaint is no judgment of
guilt but resolution for an orderly
trial of the matter.