The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1920-08-24
THE. FARM WOMAN.

All sorts and conditions of labor IS or
ganized except the farmers and the farm
ers' wives, and the farmers are making
strenuous efforts to get into position to
reduce their hours of labor to the level of
those of the industrial worker. But the
farmers wives are not organized and are
environment, and are unable to extricate
themselves from the maelstrom in which
they find themselves.
The national government has completed a
survey of the conditions of the farm home.
The survey is only sort of straw vote on
the matter but it is sufficiently wide and
representative to form the basis of an I'M
derstanding of the general conditions I'M
der which the farm woman lives. The sur4
vey shows that FIVE additional men are re-
quired for at least six weeks of the year on
80 per cent of the farms investigated. Yet
only IA per cent of the women of the farms
have any additional help in the house dur
ing the year. AS the average family COM
prises five persons the farmers wife takes
her vacation by doubling the number of per-
sons for whom she must cook and clean and
serve.
Ninety-four per cent of the women in
Guided in the survey made part or all the
bread consumed by the family. Sixty per
cent of them churned their own butter.
Ninety-six per cent did the family washing,
but only AZ per cent had washing machines
and only 80 per cent had running water in
the house. Ninety-three per cent did all the
family sewing and otherwise looked after
their families
But the survey does not stop at the inside
of the kitchen door Twenty-four per cent
assisted in the field work. Twenty-Five per
cent helped feed and bed the live stock.
Thirty-six per cent helped do the milking.
More than 80 per cent included the washing
of the milk pals in her kitchen work, and
70 per cent washed the cream separators and
cared for the machines. Eighty-one per
cent attended to the poultry, which on the,
farms included in the survey averaged
twenty hens. Eighty per cent spent part
of their time wedding and hoeing the vege-
table garden.
The average time of going to work in the
morning was 5 o'clock, and the average
length of the working day was lib hours
the wear round and 1912 hours during the
summer After that period of service the
women were free to enjoy themselves.
Eighty-seven per cent of them have no regu-
lar vacations and only IS per cent of them
have any vacation during the summer.
In 81 per cent of the homes the water must
be carried into the house by the women.
Forty-eight per cent of the farms sur
tveyed had power for operating farm ma
chinery, but only 10 per cent operated the
household machinery by such power. Sixty
two per cent had automobiles, and 81 per
! cent of the women were able to drive car
and 43 per cent were able to make temper
ary repairs on one. Seventy-two per cent
of the homes were equipped with telephones
and SO per cent had rural mail deliveries.
These dry figures tell a more graphic
story than the pen of a Poe or Kipling.
Much has been said about the freedom of
life on the farm. Much more is said about
farm household conveniences. But the
given truth is the majority of the farms are
only building toward the idealism of which
publicists pirate. The cost of undermining
the isolated farm home is near prohibitive.
Farm wives must give first attention to the
present and future care of, their families.
To do this they must sacrifice their comforts,
and too often their health. When the farm
ers get in position to exact justice for them
selves from the consuming world there will
be hope for the betterment of the farm home
as whole.
! Speaking of increases in railroad wages