Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1920-06-02
REPORTS Wild ON
HELP SHORTAGE
Commissioner Labor Urick Disputes
Statements Regarding Conditions
on Iowa Farms About
Shortage of Help.
SHORTAGE LESS THAN
1900, NOT 10000
Reduced Acreage of Farm Crops Also
Greatly Exaggerated and Does
Not Exceed 10 Per Cent i'm
Any County.

commissioner Tor iowa ana lcuerai
director of the Unitde States en-
ployment service, makes emphatic
denial of sensational reports regard
ing farm labor shortage in the state
and consequent reduction of acreage
in farm crops planted. Neither con
dition is alarmingly serious in this
state, according to figures gathered
by Mr.. Urick from farm agents III
every county in Iowa. Mr.. Uricl S
statement follows:
Reports are being circulated thru
out the country indicating a great
shortage of farm labor in Iowa. One
of these reports is TO the effect that
the Iowa farmers are 10000 men
short of requirements, that as a re-
suit of this, many acres of Iowa
farm lands are taken out of tillage
and put to pasture, These statements
are said to have a serious influence
with financial institutions including
banks, insurance and loan companies
in the loan of money to Iowa farmers
These excessive figures are not
true.
There has been a shortage of farm
help as indicated by the reports from
county farm agents to the state fed
eral employment service. Every coun-
ty in the. state is thoroughly organ
lied, there being one county farm
agent for each county of the state
and Pottawattamie county, because
,of its size has two agents, making
one hundred agents for the state.
Each Of these is thoroughly familiar
with the conditions of his county.
I'm a QUESTIONABLE sent out to
these agents under date of March l
there was indicated an unsupplied
shortage or demand for 619 married
farm hands and 745 single hands,
making total shortage for the early
part OF March t,464 farm hands.
Under rate of April 1, a second
QUESTIONABLE was mailed to the
agents and the early part of April
indicated a shortage of 297 married
farm hands and 1852 single hands,
making total of 1,449. This repre-
sents the shortage instead of $780,
600, as indicated in press notices
st is reported that J. N. Howard.
President of the American Farm
bureau Federation, resident Of
Iowa. should have reported the short
age Of 10000 farm workers. Mr..
Howard has been using the figures
OF the state federal employment SER
vice and instead of $50 900 has given
TIE figures as approximately / 500 in
all the addresses that have come
to our notice.
las to the great cut of acreage
under tillage, fifty-seyen counties re-
port cut In acreage of approximate
lily ten per cent, twenty-eight coun-
ties report cut, but of so small
proportion that the agents did not
give the percent, while fourteen
counties report no cut in acreage
whatsoever. The reports from these
also indicate the wages that are be-
ing paid and which are likewise
stated in dispatches to be so excess
sive that it will be impossible for
farmers to employ labor at the ex-
cessive rate.
THE average from all reports re-
ceived from the county agents for
the month Of March and April was
S73.25 for married men and $67.91
for single men. In some counties the
rate being of course lower than this
average, while in other counties, be-
cause of conditions, the rates are
somewhat higher.
The lateness of the season has had
some little effect in the acreage put
under tillage. but Iowa is doing her
full share and will continue to do
her full share as food producing
state, and while we can use sorie adj
ditional farm laborers as indicated
Dy the reports of the county agents.
there is no such shortage as shown
in these press dispatches which are
doing great damage to the state OF
Iowa and to the nation"