Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1925-09-18
Our Labor Problem

labor of not less than Is per
cent in Sumter county, according
to several authorities-men in
position to know, men who are
in daily contact with many farm
ers from every section.
This labor shortage already
has cost our farmers a huge sum
Of money, roughly estimated by
Judge ]. A. FIixcn and others
at not less than 100000. The
loss is occasioned by damage
to the staple from rains and in
the absorption of moisture from
the staple occasioned by the long
hot days through which the
staple has been forced to remain
on the stalk when it should have
been picked. 1t could not be
picked because of the shortage
of labor on most farms in the
county. Some cotton has been
blown on to the ground and this
adds to the loss.
Sufficient labor to cultivate
the 1926 crop can be gotten by
starting now. IF we wait until
next year, the chances are we
will experience then what is a
fact today,
Discussing the labor problem
recently Judge Hixon said.
ttc4 ,,,r+ CON produca
10000 bales of cotton and that's
not an idle statement. But to
do this we must have labor-ne-
gro labor-and that labor is OBJ
tainable Because of labor short
age this year the county has lost
not less than 100000. The same
will be true next year unless we
get busy now.
A revolving sum of $4,000 will
get us all the labor we need and
the fund can be returned to those
advancing after the labor is Sc
cured. We could send represen-
tatives into those sections where
there is now a surplus of labor.
They can be told of the need
here and they will come. AS they
come in they can be placed on
the farms and the farmer secur-
ing the labor should then pay
whatever the expense for that la
Dor may have been.
In this way this revolving
fund can be used from year to
year and it won't cost any of US
anything except the farmer who
actually secures the labor.
1t will take some thought, some
planning and some one to handle
the details but the scheme is
practical and essential, but there
is no use to wait until next
spring. Now is the time to get
ready.
This year Sumter farmers
through no fault of their own
have been forced to take long
gamble. If we had had a long
protracted rainy spell a few
weeks ago, there is no way of
estimating the damage. 1t might
have cost this county half mil
lion dollars. There was a pos
sibility of producing $4,000
bales of cotton this cotton year.
That today would have been
worth around three millions.
Figure a 10 per cent or a Is per
cent damage to such crop and
we find the figures astounding.
To take such gamble as this
is the height of foolishness. 1t
is a reflection on the ability,
mental and physical, of the men
of the county.
Probably no other county in
all the South has an equal rec
ord for crop productions. So far
as we can learn there has never
been an absolute failure of all
crops in Sumter county in any
one year. We are told that
back in the days of the Indians
the Red Man came to this sec
ton to plant his maize because
he knew that here he was uni
versally successful in providing
for his winter $ supply.
In some counties the boil wee
vii simply Frustrated the coun-
ty, but here we succeeded-in
the worst year-in producing
crop that was not to be despis-
ed under the circumstances.
The crying need of this coun-
ty is farm labor - white and
black. There are thousands of
acres of rich land which have
not seen a pillow this year or the
year before. If we would place
good, honest, hard-working
white farmers on these lands,
Americus and Leslie and Plains
and evArv other section of the