Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-02-21
Farm Wages in 1919
Highest Ever in
United States

At no time have the wage rates OF
farm labor been as high In this
country m they were in 1919. cer-
tainly as far back al 1885, when the
first investigation of this subject
was made by the bureau OF crop es-
Inmates. United States department OF
agriculture. Averages for the Uni
ted States are in mind. and not To-
cal rates. For labor hired by the
month with board, the average rate
was $3.50, and among the geo
graphic divisions thu average was as
low as S3O54 in the south Atlantic
and as high as s82.ss in the west
erp including the, mountain and Pa
cffic states. Without beard, the av-
erage for the United States was
$5e,2s. and the lowest was 344.O3 in
the south Atlantic states and the
highest, SS7.12 in the western. Elk
tras, such as firewood, milk, ETC., are
not included. ...... .s
Average for U. s. $3.15 Per Day.
Harvest wages per day with
board reached the top figure OF $i.4S
in the north central states west of
the Mississippi river and the lowest
figure of $2.2S in the south Atlantic,
and the United States average was
1915. Without board, the United
States average of $3.S3 was most ex-
ceeded by $3.50 in the former states,
while the latter states had the low
est average, $2.S2. s.,
g.. ri, IL. Co.. Inx,
wages for work outside of harvest
with board make the United States
average $2.45, that OF the north CEN
trail states west of the Mississippi
river $3.22. and of the south Atlantic
states S1.S5; the rates without
board, in the same order, were $s.12,
$4.0S, and $3.50. 49,,
are in the south Atlantic states and
next to the lowest In the south. CEN
trail states. 1t Is interesting TO note
that the greatest percentage of gain
in rates in 1919 over 1913 among all
the groups of states was in the lat
ter group, and that next To the
greatest gain was in the former, ex-
crease in harvest day wages was In
the north central states west Of the
Mississippi river. The lowest per-
centages of gain in all clnsses Of hir-
ing are found in the north Atlantic
states, a region in which the rates
for all but one of the classes of hir-
ing are above the averages for the
T1pifod Sfafac
Farming Operations Also Increase
In the farming operations OF 1918
in this country, crops were produced
that had a value at the farm that
was lis per cent above the value OF
the crops OF. 1918. and animal pro-
ducts 90 per, cent above. but the
gain In the rates Of wages OF farm
labor from 1918 to 1919 were rela-
lively greater than. these. In hiring
by the month, the gain was IA per
cent when, with board. and 1873 per
cent when without board: day wages
in harvest gained 1879 per cent
whether with or without board. and
day wages for work other than In
harvest gained 1874 per cent whep
WITH board, and 1876 per cent when
| without board.
These figures indicate that the
farm laborer Is still regaining the
ground that he lost, relatively, early
in the rapid upward movement OF
prices of farm products after 1915
This wage recovery was evident In
1918 as well as in 1919. but full re-
covery has not yet been accomplish
ed. s7
For some reason or reasons the
,onnection between the wage rates
and the boarding OF the laborers by
employers underwent change from
1913 to 1919 that was the reverse OF
the change that occurred from 1913
to 1919. In 1919 compared with
1913, the last fun prewar year, farm
hired labor with board was relatively
more in demand or less in supply
than labor without board, but COM
pared with 1918, labor without board
was relatively more in demand OF
less in supply. In these two classes
OF hirings, labor without board was
somewhat at premium in 1919 as q
result of changes that took place
since hirings OF 1918.