Evening journal., 1920-07-23
BACK TO FARM h
in ILLINOIS
Lack of Labor Prompts
Landholders to Resume
Tilling Soil "a
HAD DRIFTED TO
ENJOY AMPLEINCOME

MONMOUTH III. July 23-In this
part Of the great Corn Belt one re-
suit OF the labor shortage has been to
send young retired farmers back TO
the farm. Reversing the role Of Gin
cinnatus they have been called back .
TO the plow. The pressure has chang
ed them from non-prOducers 10 pro-
ducers. !.
Not all the exodus from the farm
has been that Of the farmers sons and
the hired men. Like most cities in
this rich agricultural region, Mon .
OWners-men OF 40, 40 and 30 years.
rich in fat acres-whO, in the prime
Of life, have turned over their home
steads 10 tenants and moved into
town TO Join the leisure group.
Some Of them have left fine count
try hOmes-the kind a city man
dreams OF, with modern conveniences. +
electric lights bath tubs. sun par
lors and sleeping porches-and have
come into the smaller cities drawn ,
up largely by the gregarious URGE
the lure OF closer social contract and
better schools for the children. Some
OF them dabble in business; others,
are idlers, producers of nothing.
There's nothing new about it, eX-
cepting that the rapid rise in land
values and the high prices Of grains
in the last few years appear TO have
had "a ttndency to increase the mi
grafton OF actual land owners-nOt
tenants or hired help-frOm tho
country TO the city.
But land does not produce unless il
is worked and when the labor short.
age bObbed into sight the retired
farmer was faced with a curtailment
Of his income. So in this pass, many
OF them emerged from retirement,
hoped into their cars and raced
back TO the farm. They have worked
at plowing. planting, and cultlvating
| tnls year ever since the governmental
| agencies first sounded the warnings
! OF lack OF crop workers.
Then. too, a movement from the
city TO the farm has been noted
among the professional men, Many
wise ones. seeing far more remuner4
alton in the corn and wheat fields
| than in the white collar callings. have
taken TO the country. For instance.
one lawyer here now puts in only
one day a week at his practice The
other five days he spends on a farm
| which he Is acquiring. He has takens
/ his two sons with him. Another
/ lawyer. who was once States attor-
ney of Warren county, puts in Sat.
urdays at his law Office. the rest OF
| the time he Is working from a. m
to p. m. on his farm They are dos
ing it because it offers greater COM
pcnsation.
As to the shortage OF help. the.
farmers are meeting it in several
ways. principally by putting in
longer hours and harder licks them
selves. Men have been hard to get.
/ But planting was so late that high
| school was out almost by the time,
| the hard work began. and high
school and college boys flocked 20 the
/ fields Pay at, the rate OF 81 or s55O
/ a day during vacation is not to be
sneezed at even in these days when
values have gone crazy.
Harvest hands are scarcer than
hens teeth, but still the farmers. are
| managing Many ~ them get along
! by clubbing together and pooling
! their resources OF men and ma
chinery.
And right now IN get men-by the
month-the farmers are bidding
| against the factories. and. in many in
stances. are getting the men. Many
took from the potteries here meV
getting 81 and $3.50 a dav There is
/ more velvet i'm $40 or $50 a month
| and upkeep than in s. or Sc a day,
/ with high cost OF living doing a
/ hOrnpipe on the weekly pay en-
| velope. and In many instances haS
proved a sufficient attraction.
| Harvest hands are getting as high.
as Sc or $3.50 a day But the place
where the shortage Il felt is not 50
much in transient labor as in ste6dy
/ help. and This S being met by extra.
| eXerlion on the part Of the farmer
and his family Everyone appears 10
/ be taking it Quite philosOphically,
/ everyone seems Too prosperous TO ba
| anVlhlnr hui nnlirnislic