The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1923-08-16
FARMERS
HARVEST HANDS
STATE-FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT
BUREAU BEING OPENED
IN GREAT FALLS.
Montana Needs 5000 Additional Men
to Help With Harvest; Wage $3.50
and 81, Board and Lodging; Coun-
ty Agents to Help.

a similar one in Bainville will be
the basis of a campaign for harvest
II labor for Montana. These plans
were made at a conference in Great
Falls recently between George II.
Tucker of Kansas City, field di-
rector for farm labor for the fedeT-
al labor bureau; @. d. Greenfield,
Jr., state employment director, and
J.. @. Taylor of Bozeman, county
agent leader.
The Great Falls employment offic'
is open under the direction of a rep
resentative of the federal bureau
Another representative of the bureau
will be stationed at Bainville and ont
or two field men will be engaged tt
handle temporary and local labor
problems. The basis of cooperation
of state and federal departments viii
be for the state to provide office
space and furniture, as we'll as the
current expenses of such offices
while the federal bureau will provide
the men to handle the offices.
Advertising for labor outside the
state of Montana will be q purely
state enterprise. The greater part OF
this advertising will be lone in cities
to the west, the experience Of the
state officers have been that virtual
ly all of the labor open to be re-
cruited for Montana comes from that
J.---4s-- ITTs%l %Is- -, roS1I n6u0r
Using for harvest hands will be CEN
tered in Spokane, Seattle and Port
land.
Labor needs for Montana are esti-
mated in the neighborhood of 5000
harvest hands by Mr.. Tucker. Of this
number, Mr.. Greenfield estimates
that between 5000 and $500 must
come from outside the state. The
number of outside workers needed
would be less were it possible to turn
all unemployed of the cities to the
harvest fields. In Great Falls, Bill
ings, Helena and Butte there are sew
eral hundred unemployed who will
not accept jobs on farms.
The county agents will act in CO.
operation with the federal-state en-
service in making known
labor needs and distrib-
uting labor as a surplus develops in
any communities.
The going wage in Montana so far
this season has been $3.50 and 81 a
day for harvest hands, board and
room being provided. Mr.. Greenfield
said. Northeastern Montana will be
provided in part by labor from the
east. Western Montana has its sup
ply from the west, but central Mon
tana is in the center between the two
and suffers in case of a general labor
demand, Mr.. Greenfield pointed out.
Fergus at Disadvantage
The situation in Fergus county and
the Judith Basin is especially bad,
it is not on direct east and west
railways and means a roundabout
course for incoming labor. The new !
will center largely in assuring
/ flow of labor to these districts. A
higher wage may have to be
paid in that district in order to turn
abor in that direction, Mr.. Tucker
said.
The work under MI. Tucker in the
bureau is largely with the en-
,loyment of seasonal farm labor, in
he cotton, wheat, apple, potato and
beet districts. The aim Of the de-
,artment is to keep labor distributed,
meet unemployment conditions and
'ecruit labor where needed.
There is a shortage of farm labor
Ill over the country, Mr.. Tucker
aid. Eighteen months ago there
we're from 5,5O0,00O to 100000 un-
employed. Today there are hardly
to meet the demand, industry
built up during the last year
o almost the point of s~aturation for
abor. Railway extensions, improved
in the steel business and
.llied industries have been largely re-
ponsible for this, he said.
"The number of laborers going,
rom the farms to the Industrial CEN
ers has almost doubled" said Mr..
tucker. 1.-THE reason for this is not
to find. Farming has been
differing a depression. Farm labor
as been seeking out fields in which
here is a better market for its SER
ices.
"Of the 100000 people in the
'ulIcu OtdIoS ouSdScu III ldUUT, IL,
10000 are farm laborers and 6,500,-I
90 are 'dirt farmers" to be classed !
18th these. That means that about s
alf of the labor of the United States {
) normally employed on the farms.
When this supply is short, it affects i
he whole country. II
Bureau Doubles Work 4
"The federal bureau has assisted in /
andling the labor situation in the 1
arrest from Texas to the Canadian /
ne. The bureau has doubled it's t
rganization this year and has open
d new offices for directing the labor I
a
"a large part of the labor recruit {
has been among the white workers
{ the south, Industrial development 1
/ the southern states having been {
over there. In meeting the labor t
tuation, 10000 workers have been \
rought in from outside, 10000 of q
lese into Kansas" :
Mr.. fuckers estimate for Montana :
MAIDS rya-o q nm - 60 %h1