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/ Woman’s Land Army GrowingIt was as a war emergency measure that the Woman's Ladd Army was i started in the spring of 1918. Its gen-f eral plan was to increase war time productiveness by placing units of girls in self-sustaining groups where their labor in seasonal farm tasks would be available to groups of farmers in all parts of the country.In the first summer of* the land army's existence as many as 900 units and training camps were organized in 21 different States, and a total of 15,-000 farmerettes, or land workers, enrolled for farm service. The women in these units were drawn from both the collegiate and the trade world. The groups were divided approximately, college women, 60 per cent; professional women 25 per*cent; trade workers 11 per cent; 'and women nonwage earning, 3 per cent.The land army supplied the farmers and fruit growers with practically every kind of farm labor. The women did plowing, planting, cultivating, and harvesting. They stacked corn, rye, and wheat, and performed every phase of silo work; They worked on the big western farms and orchards, on commercial farms, dairy farms, truck farms, private estates, and in home gardens. The/ did poultry work, dairy work, beekeeping, and teaming. They learned to handle tractors, harvesters, and other farm machinery, and in slack seasons they scythed brush and stacked wood.When the season closed, the land army became affiliated with the United States Employment Service and the recruiting and placing of women on the farms is under Government direction. This fact, according to Mrs. Wiliam H. Hubert, Federal director of the Woman's Land Army, will immeasurably advance the opportunities of women in agriculture.It is estimated that there, are already about 273,000 women farmers in the United States. Of these the largest number are engaged in poultry* farming; the next largest in horticulture; and the third largest in dairy farming.* With the impetus given to out-of-door life by the stfecess attending this innovation, it is expected that women will go Into agricultural life more and more permanently from now on.The Federal organization *of the land army, under the direction of Mrs. Hubert, plans to place as many women as may be needed on the farms during the coining season, in units, * or in groups. These women will be trained as fully as possible in agricultural colleges and in land-army* training camps. Under the camp management committee such questions' as sanitation, recreation, diet, health, hours of work, and contracts with employers will be taken up. Carefully considered standards and conditions of work will be recommended by the committee, after consultation with experts, and the work of women on the land will be thoroughly standardized. ITo be a successful organization the land army recognizes that it must guarantee two things. First, that farm labor will prove physically helpful to women, otherwise they ought not to go into it; second, that ic will prove economically ‘worth while, otherwise they will not go into it.Physical examination before entering upon farm work is one of the requirements of the land array. An examination card is filled out when the candidate begins work, and she is examined again after an interval of sev-eral months, to ascertain what the effect of the work has been. A third ex-amintaion Is taken at the close of her term of work, and these records are tabulated and kept for future reference.A the time of emploment an effort is made to have an agreement enterec into by which girls will be assured of employment for a certain time. Also it is planned that wages J are to he adjusted on a sliding scale. That is, the experienced woman willreceive a wage equal to that received by men doing the same kind of work, while even the “green hand” will receive something while she works. It ■S not the intention of the land army to introduce women in farm work at a wage which would undercut the menfarm hands, and so possibly deprivemale labor of necessary jobs.In the matter of hours, the land army has always stood for the 8-hour day with certain modifications made necessary by the peculiarities of farm work. “Light seasonal tasks may be continued overtime as noeded to save crops, the extra work being paid for by the hour.Certain types of farm work for women will not be recommended bythe land army. Chief among these arethe constant riding of tractors and heavy plowing. But in many farm activities women are even better fitted than men. Contrary to the general belief, it has been found that women are on a par with men in the handling and management of horses. In Earnessing, driving, or caring for the animals! their work is particularly good.Notice to RotariansThe Rotarians of the city are' cordially invited by the officials of the Broadway M. E. church to attend the farewell service given their fellow Rotarian, Dr. Wirt Lowther, next Sunday evening at 7; 30 p. m. The Ushers request Rotarians to meet in the corridors at 7:15 and to be seated in a body. Rotarian Fred Landis will speak for the fellow members.WARD BROWN, Sec.Edwin Dempsey has returned to his home in Chicago after visiting in the city.Mrs. Neff and Miss Hazel Borders, of Walton, were in the city yesterday.
Newspaper Details
Logansport Daily Tribune
Logansport, Indiana, US
Fri, Mar 28, 1919
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
TX, USA 20 Apr 2020
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