The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-09-25

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report for Sept. farm labor es-
Inmates lis million employed, as
against ia million O year ago and
o peak l942 employment Of ll.9 on
Oct. !. That indicates half q mill
lion more farm workers are needed
to equal last years figures.
The office Of Labor in the War
Food Administration estimates that
in the past three years, the number
Of adult male farm workers Inigrat-
ing from the farm to the city was
Ia million, while another IL mil
lion have taken employment in war
industries, though still living in ru-
raj areas.
MIGRATION
That makes q total Of 81 million
experienced farm hands withdrawn
from farm labor, and 1t does not In
clude the women and children who
have accompanied their nlenfolk In
this war migration. In addition to
that over 1.25 million farm lads have
gone into the armed services, so
the total reduction in farm labor
force over the past three years Is
better than 4.36 million men.
In the face Of figures like these,
the recent confusing statements at
tributed to War Monpower Commits
sion experts-that there are now
million surplus farm workers who
could be transferred to the armed
services Of war production-look
just little silly.
Behind this VINO reasoning, how
ever, there is a bit Of interesting
background. Last February, at the
request Of Senator John H. Bank
head II, OF Jasper, Ala, county agri-
cultural agents were asked by the
Department Of Agriculture to make
O survey Of what they thought farm
production would be in 1943. At the
time Of the survey the farm pro-
gram and the rnanpower thing were
In even worse messes than they APP
pear today, and the county agents
came back with reports that 1913
paintings and crops would be from
10 per cent to 90 per cent less than
what they had been in the bumper
crop year Of 1912.
FARM BLOC ACTS
On the basis Of these discouraging
reports, the farm bloc congressman
went to work to get what they
thought agriculture needed for the
war food program. They got farm
machinery quotas nearly doubled,
though not In time to do much good.
They got greater ALLEGATIONS Of fer
tilizer. They got the farm boys de-
clared essential workers and defer
! red from the draft. They got q $26
| million appropriation to recruit and
place farm labor to make up Tor
shortages.
But now comes the 1913 harvest
and, In spite Of everything-floods,
dry spells, frosts, lack Of machin-
cry. gasoline and men-it looks as
though the 1913 crop would be as
big as that Of 1912 In all but few
commodities. so, reasoned the man
power experts, what the heck? II
the farms can produce as much this
year as they did last year, in spite
Of all the handicaps, they must have
million spare men around that
could be used in the services or es-
sential industries. And that, APP
parently, is how the myth about the
million extra farm hands got start
ed.
The farmers record Of producing
this year crops which compare Ia
yorably with last years and in a
much less favorable growing sea-
son, has been due to main strength
and awkwardness. The farmers
workday has been increased to a
national average of over IL hours.
Farm wage rates are nearly 40 per
cent above year ago. Women and
children, whom the social workers
were all trying to save from strenu-
Gus farm labor five or 10 years ago,
/ have been put to work. Machinery
has been kept going "a hours a day
in rush seasons. Peak wages, IN
Montana, have been 81 an hour IN
fair weather, board and room when
it rains.
Somehow, they'll all get the job
done.