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Show SHORTAGE OF LABOR ON MISSOURI FARMS Reduction Of Production in State Placed at 30 Per Cent. That Missouri farmers are being forced to readjust their farming operations opera-tions so that all or most of the work can be done by members of the farm family, Is indicated by the labor survey-conducted survey-conducted by the Missouri Farm Bureau Bu-reau federation. Leading members of the farm bureau In Missouri believe that this readjustment Is bringing about a reduction in the production of approximately 30 per cent. Replies from the questionnaires sent out by the state federation have been received from every county farm bureau bu-reau In the state. In every county with the exception of Phelps there Is a decided shortage of labor. There Is a general feeling throughout through-out the state that the reduction of the production caused by the readjustment and the shortage of labor will work out for a benefit to the farmers. It Is pointed out that every farmhand that leaves the farm for the cities becomes a potential consumer and adds to the demand for farm products and at the same time lessens the production, to some extent. The survey taken by the Missouri Farm Bureau federation covered every section of the state and as many as a dozen replies were received from most of the counties. The conclusions arrived ar-rived at from this survey can be taken ns about as authoritative as It Is possible pos-sible to get. In the northwest section of the state the wages range higher than In any other section. The prevailing scale there Is from $40 to $00 per month. The average paid over the state Is about $35 for married men and about $40 for single men. Many concessions are offered to married men, however, Including house, garden, cow and chickens chick-ens and In some cases they are furnished fur-nished with meat. In many cases the farmers will bid higher than ordinary In order to secure a good and reliable hired hand. The counties on the east side of the state appear to suffer because of tbelr proxlmlly to St. Louis. That has a tendency to boost the wage scale, but It apparently helps some for the sliort-age sliort-age In that section appnrently Is not so acute as In other regions. The situation In southeast. Missouri Is different from any oilier section In Hie state. Most of the labor In Ibat section Is of the "common" variety. The prevailing wage seale there Is from $l.?.ri to $l..ri0 and In some cases $'2 Is paid. Tenant fanning In that region Is going on In such a large scale that their "hired-help" problems are nltogetber different. The .Missouri Farm Bureau federation federa-tion Is doing all In lis power to aid the farmers In this situation. A free labor exchange has been started In the olll clul paper of the slate organization. |