The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1920-07-10

agriculture is primarily labor and
poorly paid labor at that. Farmers
who manage farms and take the risks
of agriculture. need and use large
business ability, and are entitled to g.
return for their labor equal to that
OF men ENGAGED in other similarly fm-
portant business, as we'll as to a fair
return upon the value of their farms,
and farm equipment. Instead of get
ting such return many farmers re-
ceiye less for their work than un-
skilled workers in other industries
who are themselves paid less than a
living wage.
All the Family Works.
/The farmers wives and children
vfho do farm work-and everybody's
hoinE it on the farnl-are entitled,
according to the Farmers National
fCouncil. to a labor wage of at least
ia thousand dollars a year for any
, adult who spends eight hours a day
in farming. They certainly are en-
titled to time and a half for over
time.
There are about six and a half
million farms in America, and the
council estimates that an average of
two adults of the farmers family do
the equivalent of a full days work.
each, daily, on the farm, which means
that they are entitled to labor in
ceme of thirteen billion dollars. The
1910 census reports that there were
that year 5,926,816 farmers of which
257,706 were women.
The great majority of farmers are
married and the work of farm wo-
men aid children is fully entitled to
pay. in 1910 there were nearly six
millior farm laborers. men, women
and children, ten years of age or
over, Of whim about three-quarters
were made. Assuming only the same
number for 1919 their average wage
and keep certainly was equal to 1888
q year, total of five billion dollars.
Value of Farms.
In 1910, the last year for which
value of farm properties, including
la91d, equipment buildings, imple-
mei nts and machinery, domestic ami
n1fAls, poultry and bees, was about
$41,O00,000,000 an increase of 100
p4r cent during the decade preceding.
The Farmers National Council esti-
4nates that the value increased at
Heast 80 per cent during the years
from 1910 to 9l19 so that it totaled
ut least $1,000, 100000 last year. A
3Six per cent return upon this value
Of farm property is $4,674,00O,000.
The other items in the above tables
are carefully estimated though the
allowance for state and local taxes
is very low and the depreciation al
lowed-10 per cent-on the estimat-
cd increase in the value of imple-
Ments and machinery since 1910 IL
also probably too low.
May Challenge Figures.
I'VE have no doubt" the Farmers
National Council says, that these
figures will be challenged by those
who demand that the farmers merely
produce and do not worry about
whether they are breaking even, that
jF.9 working for food, clothes and
shelter and not getting ahead. This
pfs1tlon taken by the monopoly, pre-
&tory and speculative interests of
ne country, the Farmers National
courcil terms untenable."
I'VE have reached a crisis in agri-
culture,' the council states, land un-
qess it is made profitable and put on
= business basis farmers will raise
;$nough to feed themselves and will
pot worry about feeding other peo-
Jple. Unless feeding the world yields
Sfatr wages, expenses and interest on
4 Continued on Page Ta6o.