The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1922-05-26
FARM lA LABOR SURVEY
Of AMERICAN RIDGE
Made by a Kendrick High
School Student

This survey was made on South
American Ridge and includes seven
teen farms. 1t is In cooperation
with the economies class Of the
kendrlck High School and was made
to ascertain the condition of the
average farm labor.
Of these seventeen farms, have
classed them to the best of my abil-
ity. OF the, five farms containing
three hundred acres or more, three
hire one man the year round. This
is generally a local worker and they
hire about four transient laborers
during the summer months. These
men are paid about three or four
dollars per day and work from ten
to thirteen hours. The local worker
gets from fifty to seventy-tive dol
lars straight thru and he works
about eight hours IN winter time.
These three have bunk houses
which are we'll constructed and are
lighted by gas or electric lights.
On these farms there are electric
lights IN the barns of two and gas
in the others. The other two farms
keep two men for four or five sum-
mer months. These men sleep IN
the house. have we'll lighted barns
and many conenlences not found on
some farms. They receive from
eighty to one hundred dollars per
month and work on an average of
eleven hours per day.
Nine of these farms have from
one hundred and sixty to three
hundred acres. Of these nine, seven
keep one man during the summer
months. He is generally local
worker, sleeps in the house and is
treated as one Of the family. He
receives from seventy-tive to ninety
dollars for ten to twelve hours OF
work. They have all of the machln-
cry handy and in good shape, and
they also have good horses. The
barns are all lighted by kerosene.
The men usually are spending their
time at home on Sunday.
The three others have from so to
160 acres and do not hire men ex-
cept in haying and harvest time.
These men are generally migratory
workers and are only kept for about
two weeks at a time. They are
paid about seventy-tive to ninety
dollars and work from ten to twelve
hours per day. They sleep in the
barn as these people are renters and
make no preparation for housing
their help for so short time.
All of the farmers interviewed,
agree that it is easier to procure e
and keep help when they have
things fixed up pretty we'll. They
all say that the local workers can
be depended upon the best but that
the migratory workers are more
,, often at home on Sundays to do the
chores, because the local workers
are more acquainted with the local
lty and they like to go home on Sun
days.
2 Of the seventeen farmers, four
r teen directly boss their farms and
: three have foreman. On these
J farms where one man is placed in
! charge, he must be good man and
2. his wages are from ninety to one
g hundred and ten dollars, varying
: with the season. He gets to drive
t the car and works from ten tc
z twelve hours in the summer. These
n farmers say it is harder to hire mer
! when they have foreman.
e These farms with the foreman. are
D all big ranches from 80 to 600 acre:
v and when the foreman runs {
ranch for while he thinks he own:
/ the place. This makes it necessary
n to change foremen occasionally
:. Walter May.