The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1945-08-17
More Than Half Will
Work for Wages Again;
800 Going to School
BY WALTER A. SHEAD
WNU Washington Correspondent


ficers and enlisted men in the Unit
ed States army have definite ideas
about what they intend to do "when
they get back horne" Another 20
per cent have rnode tentative plans
for their postwar work. A survey
by the research branch Of the IN
formation and education division OF
the army shows that:
Fifty-two per cent, roughly
4,0OO,O 900 men, plan to work for
salary and wages;
Seven per cent, or about hall
million men, intend to go into
small businesses, retail and
service trades mostly, for them
selves;
Ten per cent, or more than
100000 men, plan to operate
farms;
Eight per cent, or about 600,-
600, plan to 60 to school. The
remainder have made only ten
tative decisions or are unde-
cided.
The army, however, points out
that at least three factors must be
taken into consideration in interpret
ing the results of the survey: Cd
the length of the war; (2) economic
opportunity after rehabilitation;
(3) an increasing percentage may
seriously consider attending full
time school, opening business or
buying a farm under Gil. Bill OF
Rights provisions.
One interesting feature of this sur
vey reveals that 80 per cent Of the
white enlisted men plan to return to
the states in which they lived be-
fore entering the service. This
leaves 20 per cent who may migrate
to another section of the country.
AS matter of fact, 10 per cent, or
about 100000 men, definitely antici-
pate moving to another state, the
other 10 per cent being still unde-
cided. This ratio is heavier in the
Negro enlisted personnel where only
about two-thirds expect to go back
to the same state in which they re-
sided in civilian life.
\. Young Men Going West.
The great majority plan to mi
crate to the Far West. Among the
Negroes, the greater shift is from
the South to the northeastern states.
If the indicated shifts materiallze
among these returning servicemen
they may happen as follows:
Ia rapid expansion to the Pa
cific coast states.
2.-In-migratiOn, but on a much
smaller scale into the industrialized
east north central states.
3.-No net movement, lingo bal
ancing Out-go in the New Eng
land, middle Atlantic and mountain
states, and,
"A heavy out-migrati0n from
the highly agricultural areas rum
ming from the west north central
states through the entire tier Of
southern states.
If the plans for per cent of our
soldiers to enter business for them
selves materialize, it means crea-
ton of a little more than half mil
lion new firms in the small bust
ness field, or just about the number
which went out of business in the
two-year period following Pearl
Harbor. A great majority of these,
about 81 per cent, will enter the
retail trade radio stores, filling
stations, shoes, hardware and gen.
eral merchandise outlets. About Is
per cent plan to 60 into the service
fields, 8 per cent into wholesale
and small manufacturing, per cent
into transportation and public utili-
ties, 6 per cent into construction,
the other per cent being spread
over all other industries.
Of the three-quarters of a million
men who plan to take up farming
either as owners or farm workers,
the survey shows that 9 out of 10
have had at least year or more Of
full-time farming behind them. Only
about 2 per cent have had no farm
ing experience at all. Even the men
with relatively vague plans for
farming have had considerable pre-
vious farming experience. One out
Of four of those who seriously plan
to farm, already owns farm. These
men are the least inclined to mi
CRATE, this survey shows, and the
great majority of the prospective
farmers plan to return to the same
region from which they entered the
army. By and large, they expect to
60 back to the same type of farm
ing with which they are familiar.
These three-quarters of a million
men who plan farming as career,
are, roughly equivalent to the total
who were farming just prior to in
duction, although induction records
show that more than a million and a
half men have been taken from the
farms. These, however, included