The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1944-12-21

SONS contributed greatly 10 X
the most efficient use of labor, the
task could not have been accomp-
lished without the closely coordin-
ted teamwork of all concerned, start
ing with the producers and workers
themselves and going up the line
through state and national agencies
set up to help get the job done,
Bodley said.
Through the emergency farm labor
program a total of 20, 184 placements
of workers on farms and ranches
was made in 1914, he said. In the
sugar beet harvest alone more than
1000 workers were employed, in
Guiding 3,021 Mexican nationals, 210
Jamaicans, 161 Japanese, and 2,525
German prisoners, all brought into
the state to augment local sources
of help.
To make it possible to obtain the
large amount of labor needed to
handle the nations crop, congress
enacted the necessary legislation in
February, Bodley explained. Under
this act the war food adminiStra-
ton, consisting of the agricultural
extension service and the office of
labor, was assigned the responsible
ity of carrying out the farm labor
program. Extensions task was to
determine the needs for workers,
then recruit, place and train, trans
port, supervise and furnish neceS-
sary subsistence enroute of all intra-
state workers. With the exception of
transportation and medical care, eX-
tension had the same responsible
tiles in the case of interstate work
erS. To the Office of Labor was as
signed the task of recruiting foreign
workers, transporting them, provid-
ing subsistence enroute, furnishing
medical care, and handling much of
the payroll work for both foreign
and Interstate workers.
Heading up the national program
in Washington. D. c., were M. L.
Wilson,, director of the extension
service, and General Bruton Of the
office of labor. In Montana, j. G.
Taylor, director of extension, was re-
Sponsible for extensions part in
the program, and he in turn named
state supervisor. william
was in active charge of
the office of labor's part of the
program. In the counties, extension
agents and representatives of the Of
flee of labor worked directly with
producers and professors.
In addition, Bodley said, the state
labor committee composed of
representatives of farm organiZa-
and various state and federal
agencies dealing directly with agri-
and with Albert Kruse, state
commissioner of agriculture, as
chairman. did much in assisting with
overall policy making and securing
workers. Helping, too, were Mon
members of congress and Gov.
sam C. Ford.
On the firing line in the counties
we're county labor committees and
sponsoring associations, the
consisting of actual pro-
ulcers and agency representatives
md the latter made up entirely of
and ranchers.
Nor should the help given by Mon
ana schools, school youth, adults
towns, farm families them
ielves and others who went into the
fields be overlooked, he said.
The first foreign workers to be
brought onto the state were $50
Mexican Nationals to assist with the
ipring livestock operations. Beet
thinning followed and in this work
i-178 Mexican nationals and $50
prisoners of war were used.
After thinning was completed many
If the Mexican workers ere shifted
county sponsoring associations in
IS different counties for haying,
,ean hoeing, irrigating, grain har-
and other general farm work.
Assisting also with the grain harvest
we're 1876 semi-skilled workers
in from Oklahoma.
When in d-September it be-
anne apparent that the number of
Mexican nationals and other free
workers. available would not be