The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-04-21
Michigan ill~
Washington
BY Esther Van Wagner rufty

by esther van wagner 1ufty
The general Of the Women's
Land Army, Miss Florence Hall
comes from Lansing a Mich.
gan State College graduate, and
proud of il
Like every justcrowned Wash
ington personality, she is basking
in the bright limelight Of puhlici-
~. Reporters are bounding her.
News photographers force her to
don the kind OF clothes approved
for the career woman. Already
she is in demand to speak on plat.
forms or on the air.
It's heady stuff. especially since
within the department another
woman. Mrs Julian Friant, was
slated for the Job. This may ex-
plain why her appointment was
not announced by the War Food
Administrator, Chester Davis
but by VI. l.. Wilson. head of the
L. 5. Extension Service of the De-
partment OF Agriculture, for which
Miss Hall has worked since 1921.
It's logical that the head of the
Land Army should be chosen from
this service since this division of
the Department Of Agriculture Is
TO administer the Womans Land
Army program OTIS also pleasing
TO the farm bloc, I'm told)
BWe-eyed Miss Hall, who is
fortyi sh with trim figure, used TO
be a Themian at Michigan State
and later taught in the Ian
sing High School in 1856 After
that she went to Pennsylvania and
did home demonstration work dur
ing the war. In 1921 she came to
Washington and launched the milk
for health campaign. Since that
time she has been connected with
the Department OF Agriculture
Her loyalty 10 the Michigan
State College has continued
and she has been very active in
the alumni organization in the
nations capitol. She even has
served as president OF the society
and prides herself on never
missing meeting
uniforms for the women's land
army on the hanger down at the
Department OF Agriculture. The
overall Is navy and the blouse light
/ blue. More cans be described
/ yet since they're still in the
stage Of being approved but
! can tell you they will be credit
/ 70 Vogue
Miss Hall, who will be tho Cen.
] cral' without the rank. is proud
10 show this uniform of rts up
/ TO her TO get 10000 women in
] America into this Uniform q.
/ and quickly. They must be over IS
+ and physically able to pick cotton
/ or run a threshing machine q.
or anything necessary TO raise the
/ crops which will keep the hest
fed army in the world that way
She compares the farmerettrs OF
World War | with her new army
! Of World War H. This time" she
says. THE women farmers will be
| tied together into one army" But
she quickly adds, "Of course. VIC
will be deccntralized as far az
administration goes. II will be
done through the States Extension
| Service"
Training centcrs are already be-
ing setup so that the Women S
Land Army will be trained army.
Miss Hall has background OF
farm lore that ranges all the way
from her native Michigan to 10
| European countries She went
abroad in 1887 10 observe foreign
farm schools and cooperative sys-
tens for the Department Of Agri-
culture
Her tour took her TO Germany,
Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium. lin.
land. England and several other
countries There was a major dir
ference between Germany and the
other countries, she recalls today
the German young people seem
ed TO be marching constantly.
though FOR wha, purpose then she
could only imagine.
! Her Office In the Agriculture