The Colorado statesman., 1924-06-28
CENTENNIAL STATE ITEMS


dltions are on an upward trend, partic-
ularly indicated in building, general
construction, manufacturing and agri-
culture, according to recent report
made by the U. S. Employment Serv-
Ice of the U. S. Department of Labor.
Resident labor of nearly all classes is
quite fully employed, with slight short
ages of building mechanics, expert
enced metal miners, and efficient farm
hands existing; there is, however,
moderate surplus of common labor.
Sugar beet field work is affording en-
| ployment to several thousand workers
and approximately 100 additional beet
workers are needed in the Sugar City
| district Increased demand FOR general
farm hands exists in Boulder county.
Metal mining and developments con-
| tinue fairly active; n sufficient supply
of common mine labor is available in
all metal mining camps. Skilled min
ers can find employment in practically
every mining camp in this state. Oil
| developments in the Fort Collins and
Craig districts are slowly proceeding
| and surplus of labor for this class of
work exists. Construction on the six
mile Moffat railway tunnel is pro-
crossing rapidly and affords employ
ment to about 400 workers at the pres
| ent time. Almost all industrial plants,
other than seasonal, continue running
at capacity, more particularly those
manufacturing building materials,
| steel, iron, and sheet-metal products,
and mining machinery. A great num-
ber of men are engaged on highway
construction contracts for eleven ad-
ditional miles of surfacing and paving
were let during the past thirty days.
Railway shop employment is steady,
and additional labor for track work is
being employed by the railroads.
Fountain.-Fountain dedicated its
new S55,000 high school with appro-
pirate ceremonies for the laying of the
| cornerstone in which the grand lodge
of Colorado Masons participated.
Among those present were E. p. HUFF
ferd, L. w. Cunningham and the Rev.
Raymond b. Norton. Hufford acted
in place of the grand master, Judge
Wiley of Del Norte, who was unable to
be present. The Rev. Mr.. Norton was
the orator for the occasion, speaking of
the relation between Free Masonry
and education and the support the Ma
sons have always given to institutions
of learning. There were several hun
dred persons in attendance, including
representatives of the grand lodge of
Masons from Denver, Colorado Springs
and Pueblo.
Fort Morgan.-A plague of grass
hoppers is causing damage to farm
crops in some parts of Morgan county.
The recent warm weather has brought
out a horde of young hoppers, which
are now thicker in some parts of the
county than has ever been known be-
fore. North of town they have at
tackled the alfalfa chop and unless
| something happens to halt their work
an intensive poisoning campaign will
be necessary Near Orchard the hay
has been cut to save 1t from the raw
ages of the swarms of hoppers. Fred
Liebsock, near Orchard, reports the
loss of thirty-three acres of beets and
William Van Pelt of the same neigh
borhood reports the loss of eight acres
of sugar beets.
Fort Morgan.-A government study
of the costs of irrigation and its re-
turn to the farmer, made with the view
of determining the exact extent TO
which the government can afford to re-
claim arid lands by means of irriga-
ton, is being made in the Riverside
Irrigation district by three government
experts working under the direction of
II. 2. Teele, agricultural economist of
| the bureau of agricultural economics
| of the U. S. Bureau of Agriculture. Mr..
Teele's associate In the work are B. o.
Weitz of Washington, d. c., connected
| with the bureau of public roads of the
Department of Agriculture, and p. A.
Ewing of the bureau of agricultural
economies of Berkeley. Calf.
Denver.-Although the forest fire
which was started by camp fire care
lessly allowed to continue burning
after campers on the Berthoud pass
had departed, was entirely surrounded
| by trenches danger of spreading is
not yet over, according to word re-
ceived in Denver from John McLaren,
in charge of the work of putting out
| the fire, by Allen S. Peck, district for
ester for the United States forestry
service. The fire had burned over
more than $500 acres of forest land
| to the southeast of Idlewild station
and south of the west portal of the
Moffat tunnel. Approximately 100000
damage was caused by the conflagra-
| ton.
Colorado Springs.-The body of H.
p. Talhelm, Rocky Ford taxi driver,