The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1945-01-04
washington I{:235
Victory Volunteers Proved [
Satisfactory Farm Hands
Most of 100000 Young People Made Good,
Quickly Learning Agricultural SkllS,
And Working Hard and Long.
WNU Service, Union Trust Building
WASHINGTON. D, C..
By BAUKHAGE
Netos Analyst and Commentator.

WNU Service, Union Trust Building,
Washington, D. C.
World War II has taught the world
that it is one thing to raise an army
and another thing to feed it--feed its
mouths and feed its guns.
II didn't take the United States
long after Pearl Harbor to realize
that it was easy enough to find
enough sailors and soldiers If you
didn't have to worry about finding
the civilians to take care of them.
AT present, 10 men out OF every
100 are deferred from military serv-
ice because industry needs them. ID
out of every 100 because the farmers
have to have them. Thirty-slx out OF
every 100 men now in the armed
forces were working in shops or
factories in 1910. Twenty-three out
of every 100 were on farms three
years ago.
Industry has charged that con-
gress has been kindlier to the farm
ers when it came to deferring. their
helpthan it has been to them. How
ever that may be, you won't hear
any farmers complaining about hav-
ing too much help. One thing, how
ever, according to the reports that
have come into the department OF
agriculture, the farmers are not
complaining on one score that lot
of them thought they were going to
have to complain about-that is, the
help they get from the Victory Farm
Volunteers OF the U. S. Crop corps.
Many farmers who came to scott
remained to pray for more of the
same.
Not all Of the young folks who
worked on farms this summer were
perfect. II is estimated that there
may have been some TOO, 900 Of these
young people, half we're provided
through the Federal Extension serv-
ice of the War Food administration,
as many more probably found jobs
for themselves. Under the leader
ship of the State Extension service
and with the active support Of the
schools, the youth-serving agencies,
civic organizations and farm lead
ers, these Victory Farm Volunteers
were assembled. Most of them
made good.
Their story makes an interesting
chapter in the history Of American
youth.
A Huge Task
1t was no little job to launch the
project. Forty-three state farm la
Dor supervisors and some 5000
county farm labor assistants, under
the guidance Of the county extension
agents, worked out the plans and
procedure based on the local needs.
They worked with state, county and
often local labor committees.
OF course, training was necessary
The boys and girls were carefully
selected and many specially trained
and supervised, and the farmers
themselves learned that they could
train better il they had little train
ing in the art of teaching themselves
This was provided.
Most of the young workers llvec
at home and were transported tx
the farms. This was done in schoo
buses, trucks or cars. Teachers
ministers, youth leaders, acting a.
supervisors, often accompanied tht
workers right into the fields.
In some places, boys lived il
camps, but $4,000 boys and girl!
lived right with the families where
they worked and many soon became
part Of the family, joining its activ
tiles, church, grange meetings
dances, picnics. Some liked the lift
SO well, especially those from tn
big cities, that they stayed RICH
through the winter, attending the 10
cal schools.
Of course it was natural that th'
farmers were skeptical at first a
the idea Of letting these strange kid
overrun their places. But tn
majority changed their minds Whei
they found how well the experiment
worked, The young folks couldn'
rival a trained farm worker, bu
some we're able to do much Of tn
. work as we'll, and in some cases
even better. Many farmers al
ranged to keep the same worker
the next year.
| talked to one farmer who too
on an utterly green city boy 1t wa
| late summer when saw them botf
They were going to part and | ca
tell you both were pretty blue. Schot
time had come and the boys parent
thought he better come home. H
told me that he was going to be
farmer when he grew up and | b.
lieve nothing will stop him.