Indiana daily times., 1920-05-08
FARMERS CRY
HELP! AMIDST
LABOR FAMINE
Corn and Wheat Suffer While
Men Flock to Factories
in Indiana.
HIGH PAY VAIN LURE


Back to the Farm" has been changed
from advice to appeal in Indiana, and
upon the answer depends the continued
prosperity Of the states great and rich
" fertile agricultural districts.
Conservative estimates secured at the
indianapolis stockyards from ten men,
picked haphazard from the days Wis
itors, indicate that the labor supply on
the farms OF the state is from 25 to
b per cent below normal and that as
a result thousands and thousands Of
acres are unplowed, much land here
tofore devoted to corn being left to
grass.
This necessarily means a great falling
of in the states corn crop, 1t Is pointed
Here are q few Of the representative
expressions Of opinion;
The farm hand is now the boss"
we pay what they ask and let them
work as they please, and even then we
can't get them"
''Neighbor after neighbor of mine is
without help, and each is trying to do
at least two mems work himself"
The young fellows, from 10 years
into mills or factories at from So to
$ and we are helpless"
Investigation into these conditions vas
started by this declaration, made by
a visitor thoroughly acquainted with
Johnson county's troubles:
Il shouldn't wonder If at least one
fourth OF the ground will be left IN
plowed because of the lack OF labor"
GLOOMY FORECAST
GIVEN BY OTHERS.
This man refused to allow his name
to be used, but his gloomy forecast was
thus borne out by others:
s. ". 8fulcahy, Clinton County-Our
man-power is st least % per cent lower
than the normal in pre-war times.
1T seems the labor we used to get
IS all going to the cities.
Many a neighbor OF mine has TO do
all his work himself.
Conditions are a trihe better than
last year, but the best inducements we
can oner-double those in the past-faiI
of effect"
A. c. Payne, Boone County, think II
is safe TO say that from . to S5 per cent
Of our land viii be left unploved.
I've can't get the men we need even
at S65 a month, with everything free in
the way of housing and board, although
we will let them work practically as they
please"
l. T. Lane, Hancock County-"Present
conditions are exceedingly tough, both
on the renter and the owner.
They show no Improvement over last
year. though we were then just emerging
from the war.
Our labor supply is from - to So per
cent below normal and this means a big
a~corn shortage when we consider that con-
5rsions everywhere in the state seem TO
be about the same.
Many in the county have been com
PEELED to turn their cornhelds into
grass"
Frank Trester, Morgan Couuty-''You
can put it all into one sentence-the
farmland is the boss. He used to get
S1-25 a day and now isn't satisfied with
$3.50. Our man pOwer is fully 80 per cent
Of and I fear 40 ?er cent Of our corn
land viii he turned into grass"
F. s Wallace. Putnam County-"We
also have felt the labor shortage, but
out corn crop. I think. will be about
normal because OF the increase in the
use of tractors
This possibly will he the eventual
solution Of the man-power problem. but
certainly something has 10 he done IL
production is to be maintained
IDLENESS HURTS
CORN AND WHEAT.
G. c. Martin. Hendricks County-"Our
labor shortage is fully y per cent.
Some Ct our corn land can't even be
turned into grass because OF. its present
condition.
Moreover. Hendricks will show a fsI
ing off in wheat because Of the fear that
adequate prices could not be obtained"
Glade Walradtb. Delaware County
We cant set men even at $3.50 to 50
Gy.
The supply is fully One-fourth below
the normal
Hardly any corn has been planted, you
might say.
Frank Leonard, Madison Couuty-"We
are way late on corn, especially on the
smaller farms because We have an av-
crage OF only three men when we should
have four.
Our oats also have suffered there be-
ing quite 4 lot still to SOW, two weeks
late
IF the cities won't give men to tie
farms how are we going to feed them7"
L. A. Dicks Of Putnam county gave
a sample Of the city's lure from a com
psrison st his own freslde, saying:
"One Of my sons boy friends. barely
IS and going TO high school put in his
spare time working In a tin mill at
$50 a day. If 7 had to pay that for
farm work I'd be on the county pretty
soon"