Smyrna times., 1941-09-18
WASTE DUE TO
LABOR CAUSE
Delaware's Valuable Tomato
Crop Going to Waste Due
to Labor Shortage
PRICES TAKE A DROP

Much of Delaware's valuable to-
mato crop is going to waste be-
cause of labor shortages on farms
and at the canneries, it was learn
ed last week. Dry weather and the
simultaneous ripening of early and
late crops, putting an extra load
on canneries since the latter part
of last week, are also to blame for
what one spokesman declared "has
transformed what promised to be
Delaware's greatest tomato can
ming year into a condition result
ing in disgruntled farmers, low
prices, and spelling tomatoes" !"
Clarence E. Ocheltree, Greenwood,
chairman of the State Farm De-
tense Board which had asked grow
ers to plant extra tomatoes this
year for Lend-Lease needs, said "a
deficiency in help at canning hous-
es is forcing these establishments
to work far below their capacities.
Because of the labor shortage one
cannery reports that it is able to
produce at only 25 per cent of ca
pacity, although it would like to
be packing tomatoes at 100 per
cent. l am paying 40 cents an
hour myself and can't get help.
The same situation prevails pretty
generally throughout Sussex Coun-
ty, the center of the tomato indus
try in the state" Mr. Ocheltree,
who went to Washington last week
to confer with Department of Ag-
riculture leaders on the "glut"
said that every effort had been
made to obtain workers in the to-
mato district. He declared that
Civilian Conservation Corps en-
rollees at Georgetown, who are
paid $50 a month had been offered
work at 40 cents an hour during
the current tomato emergency and
that of the 20 men approached
only eight or nine Volunteered. A
state CCC official said that he un-
derstood the camp men had been
offered 80 cents an hour. He add
ed that while the government al
lows men to take work in individual
enterprise it stops their salaries for
the duration of this employment
and is not responsible for their
food or lodging. A man taking
such a job, he said, would have to
find a place to sleep and eat and
such places are scarce in the toma-
to-packing district. Mr.. Ocheltree,
declaring this years crop was but
80 per cent of normal, said that
the labor shortage resulted from
two conditions, the draft and the
fact that many farm employables
had gone to the cities to take de-
fense industry jobs. In some plac-
es Wednesday, Mr.. Ocheltree said,
farmers were getting only 10
cents basket for their pickings.
This, he explained, left them no
profit if they were renters and very
little if owners, because it cost
about five cents a basket to pick.
In Laurel there was a movement
by farmers belonging to tomato
growers association to petition the
government to peg the basket price
at 25 cents. But fear was express
ed that any such move would not
bring quick enough results in the
case of so perishable an item as the
tomato. Added to the peak toma-
to hrvest and the widespread dis
content among farmers is the rip
ening of the lima bean crop in low
er Delaware. Weather conditions
are responsible for the lima bean
situation. Beans are usually plant
ed so they will ripen at intervals,
allowing the Gamers to pack at a
steady pace. But this year, all
beans are ripening within a short
span of time.
ANNOTrNCE CONCERT SEPTES