The Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1920-1982, 1922-08-02
THRESH|NG SCHE-
DULE IS SET AT
MEET SATURDAY

Seventy-five farmers and thresher-
men from all sections Of Ramsey
county assembled at the Court house
in Devils Lake on July goth to discuss
the threshing situation and set a
price for threshing grain by the BUSH
ell. The meeting was considered one
Of the most successful of it's kind ever
held in this region. Altho there was
some difference Of opinion on matters
which arose during the session, all
were "threshed out" and the meet
ing closed with some very definite
understandings as to threshing prices
and labor wages.
The meeting was called to order
by Sam Raney of Devils Lake, who
was chosen chairman at a previous
meeting. County Agent, A. NJ. Chall-
ey, acting as secretary, read the
minutes of the meeting held on July
9th as we'll as some reports from Fed
eral State Employment offices, which
stated that many men are waiting
to come to North Dakota for the wheat
harvest which will start within the
next week and for the reduced rail.
way fare for harvest help which
will take effect August 1st. Apparen-
tly there will be no shortage of lab
or this season.
A discussion of the wage scale adj
opted at the meeting on July 9Th
followed. Farmers stated that in
their opinion the wages set were fair
and that the good class of help is
making no protest. Several farmers
stated that they would be forced to
leave their grain unshocked rather
than to raised to wages set. Only two
cases were reported where more than
$500 per day was being paid for
shocking, which goes to show that
farmers are determined to stay by the
wage schedule they have set. tsIt is not
a question Of what it is worth, but a
question Of what we can afford to
pay" was statement commonly
heard. The reports of higher wages
being paid are, in the majority Of
cases only stories started by agita-
tors and should be allowed to pass
unheeded.
Will Thresh by the Bushel This Year.
1t was unanimously decided that
threshing by the hour should be alb.
olished. This action was taken after
some discussion, taken part in by both
farmers and threshermen. The chief
reasons for abolishing the old system
Of threshing by the hour was as fol-
lows: that it places the competent
and incompetenent thresher on the
same basis, rather than actually pay
ing for the amount of work ac.
complished. When on the hour basis,
some threshers were little interested
in the wages paid for this could be
passed on to the farmers by raising
the price of threshing per hour, thus
making wages unstable and unreason-
albe. Several farmers stated that
they paid out for harvesting and
| threshing crops last year more than
the proceeds from the crops and that
this could not be repeated this year.
| The following committee, consisting
| of three threshermen and two farm
ers was appointed to work out the
scale of threshing prices: John Nc
Lean, 1var Iverson, Roy Ellis, Geo.
Calderwood, and Mike Brady. The
committee reported as follows: The
price of threshing wheat and rye
should be IA cents per bushel, oats
and barley 10 cents per bushel. These
prices, based on the scale of wages
; set for Ramsey county, to be paid to
start with and if threshing can be
done cheaper and still allow the
threshermen fair return they should
belowered. In case of an exceedingly
poor crop or field the farmer and
threshermen will make special az.
!, reement as to the price Of threshing.
i When asked to vote on the report
of the committee, 26 threshermen
voted that they favored the price set,
8 voted that they thought it was q
, trifle high and three or four did not
vote.
= The wage scale for Ramsey County
which conforms very closely with
, that Of other counties is as follows:
Harvest Shocking and binder men)
$500 per day, or 80 cents per hour.
Threshing (field pitchers and team
sters) $3.50 per day or IS cents per
q hour.
$ Spike pitchers, s4.oo per day, or 40
r cents per hour.
Ell Engineers and Separator men SO
: per day.
Cooks az team rigs) $500 per day.
8 Team and wagon $500 per day.
k Among the business visitors from
$ Garske in the city on Mondy of this