The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1920-06-10
LONGER WORK DAY THAN THE
FARMERS
kansas City Starr

kansas City Starr
There has been much discussion lr
the press and wherever persons fore
gather regarding the unfairness OF tine
demands of labor for 6-hour WORK
day. Comparison has. constantly beer
made between this short day for the
CITY workman and the long. hours OF
the workman on the farm.
In these discussions, however, the
person whose work day is longest and
most exhausting, the farm housewife
has been entirely overlooked. Ac'
cording to a recent survey made by
the United States department OF ,ag..
riculture the general farmer in Central
Illinois spends in the field, exclusive
of the time used in going to and re-
turning from the field at morning
noon and night, and exclusive of the
time required to do the farm chores,
ten hours and ten minutes day dur
ing the spring planting and cuitf-
waiting seasons; nine hours and fifty
five minutes in haying and grain har-
vesting; nine hours and thirty min
utes for fall blowing and preparing
for wheat, and nine hours and twenty
minues when gathering corn. This
does not include rainy days, Sundays,
election days, circus days and perlo-
DDS of the year when farm work is
slack.
The government made another sur
vey recently and discovered that the
average farm woman's day was elev-
en- and one-half hours long. 1t was
also found that SO per cent of the
farm women do the family washing
:, and more than half of them still use
the, old-fashioned washboard. In 81
per cent of the farm homes visited,
the women carry water an average
of forty feet, 90 per cent do the fam
lily baking. And as though these
tasks were not enough, there are the
duties of canning and preserving for
the family and perhaps hired man
or two, and looking after the chick
ems and part at least of the garden
work thrown in for good measure
Perhaps 80 per cent of the, farE homes
are still lighted with kerosene lamps,
heated by coal or wood stoves, and
have not one modern convenience.
The mother must do all these things
herself or with such help as the chill
dren can give. Hired man labor on
the farm is short, but hired house
help lis impossible to get.
The farm is equipped up to the min
ute The farm home is half Gentry
behind the times. A hand washing
machine which will cut the labor 'of
blue Monday in half costs less than
half the difference in the price of a
walking and riding pillow. Most far
mers ride while they pillow, as they
should, but half of the farm women
still use the washboard of our grand
mothers. A kitchen sink and water
boiler with necessary connections can
be installed with the proceeds from
the sale 'cf an acre of wheat or corn
or alfalfa at present prices. An cleo
trio lighting system which. will be
used every day in the year costs lit
tie more than is paid for self bind
err which is used not more than six
days a year. A complete farm wat
er system, including electric lights,
bathroom, power washer, vacuum
cleaner, power separator and power
churn can be installed on the farm
for less than the cost of farm trac-
tor. which is used fewer than thirty
days year.
We lament the drift Of the -ycung
people from the farm to the city. 1t
is not altogether the fault of the
young people or the city. A substan-
tial part Of the remedy is in the hands
of the farmers themselves. Cbndf-
tons under which women and children
do not want to live will nct long at
tract good men