Evening star., 1942-06-23
Farm Boy Labor Plan
Gets Week Trial
In Montgomery
$50 Youths Leave Today
For Camps After County
Votes Limited Fund

approximately $50 high school
boys from the District and nearby
areas today wefe assured OF at least
a weeks work on Montgomery
County farms today As a result OF
the decision of the County Agri-
cultural War Board to open four
labor camps" to house the youths.
The boys are scheduled to report
by O'Clock this afternoon at the
Maryland State Employment once
in Silver Spring and will be taken
to the camps, located In four county
high schools, In school buses.
The Agricultural War Boards ac-
tion was taken amid bitter criti-
cism of the county commissioners,
who yesterday approved the appro-
priation Of an amount not to ex-
ceed $500 to defray expenses Of the
program through June 80. The
question of an additional appro-
priation will be considered at their
regular meeting next Tuesday.
Works Starts Tomorrow.
Commissioner Robert w. Farmer.
Odorion w. Roby. Walter johnson
and Thomas E. Hampton voted for
the appropriation, with Commits
sioner John Oxley not voting. Both
the commissioners and the war
board met in executive session.
While we feel that we can hardly
prove the worth Of the program in
such a short time" County Agent o.
w. Anderson declared, we are going
to open the camps because we owe
the boys as we'll as the farmers an
obligation"
Most of the farms on which the
boys will work are already lined
up" Mr. Anderson said. and the
youths will start work tomorrow.
Board members commented that
"if the Commissioners really wanted
this program to go through, they
would have appropriated sufncient
funds to carry it through the sum-
mer months"
Organizing Held Need.
1t also was pointed out that at
least a week should be devoted to
organizing the camps" and "orien-
tating" the boys.
Mr.. Anderson had presented
budget TO the Commissioners call
ing for an appropriation Of $4,000 for
the four camps for a l0-week period.
The estimated weekly expenses at
each camp totaled 1924.
The camps" will be set up at the
Poolesville, Gaithersb0rg. Damascus
and Sherwood High Schools. Direc-
tors OF the camps will be Herbert
Price, Poolesville: Abel Norris,
Gaithersburg; Albert Warthon, Da-
mascus. and Owen Knight. Sher-
wood. Each director will receive SIS
a week.
The remainder of the weekly ex-
penses at each school was estimated
as follows: An assistant director,
SIS: a cafeteria manager. $25;
cafeteria helper, $40; bus driver, $l4;
bus operation allowance, SIS, and
contingent allowance. $40.
Replies to Critics.
In reply to criticism that approval
of the program meant that the COM
missioners would be subsidizing one
class of citizens, Mr. Anderson said:
you might just as well say that
the civilian defense appropriations
are subsidizing one group Of citizens.
This farm program is tied up di-
rectly with the war effort and does
not affect only one class
Joseph A. Cantrel, counsel to the
commissioners, agreed with Mr.. An
derson that the program was part of
the Nations war effort and that an
appropriation would be legal.
A. last weeks meeting of the
commissioners Mr.. Cantrel recon-
mended against an appropriation of
public funds, taking the view that
the money would be used to the
benefit of one group-the farmers.