Show ten per cent of army veterans want to be farmers seven per cent hope to start small businesses half will work for wages once more 8 3 going to school by WALTER A SHEAD washington correspondent seventy ive five per cent of the officers and enlisted men in the united states army have definite ideas about what they intend to d do when hen they get back home anoche another r 20 per cent have made tentative plans for their postwar work A A survey by the research branch of the information and education division of the army shows that fifty two per cent roughly men plan to work for salary and wages seven per cent or about a half million men intend to go into small businesses retail and service tr trades a des mostly tor for themselves ten per cent or more than men plan blan to operate farms eight per cent or about GOO plan to go to school the remainder have made only tentative decisions or ari are undecided the army however points out that at least three factors must be taken into consideration in interpreting the results of the survey 1 I 1 the length of the war 2 economic opportunity after demobilization 3 an increasing percentage may seriously consider attending full time school opening a business or buying a farm under GI bill of rights provisions one interesting feature ot of this survey reveals that 80 per cent of the white enlisted men plan to return to the states in which they lived before entering the service this leaves 20 per cent who may migrate to another section of 0 the country As a matter of fact 10 per cent or about men definitely anticipate moving to another state the other 10 per cent being still undecided 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 resided in civilian life young men alen going west the great majority plan to migrate to the far west among the negroes the greater shift Is from the south to the northeastern states it if the indicated shifts materialize among these returning servicemen they may happen as follows L 1 A rapid expansion to the ra pacific coast states 2 in migration but on a much smaller scale into the industrialized east north central states 3 no net movement ingo in go balancing outgo out go in tile the new england middle atlantic and mountain states ands and 4 A heavy migration out cut from the highly agricultural areas running from the west north central states through the entire tier of southern states it if the plans for 7 per cent of 0 our soldiers to enter business for themselves materialize it means creation of a little more thant than a halt half million new firms in the small business 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 52 per cent will enter the retail trade radio stores filling stations shoes hardware and general merchandise outlets about 16 per cent plan to go into the service fields 9 per cent into wholesale and small manufacturing 8 per cent into transportation and public utilities 6 per cent into construction the other 9 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 a year or more of full time farming behind them only about 2 per cent have had no farming experience at all even the men with relatively vague plans for farming fa have had considerable previous farming experience one out of four of those who seriously plan to farm already owns a farm these men are the least inclined to migrate 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 go back to the same type of farming with which they are familiar these three quarters of a million men who plan farming as a career are roughly equivalent to the total who were farming just prior to induction although induction records show that more than a million and a halt half men have been taken from the farms arms these however included fan youths who were in school and were not classed actually as farmers or a not room for all on land according to the army the chances are that the nations farms will not be able to ab absorb all of the men planning to return to them in spite of the current shortage of a milli million f farm a rm workers the army says that rural areas normally produce more young men and women than can be efficiently utilized on the farm the problem may very well become acute considering the afie wartime increase in farm production achieved by more efficient use of labor on fewer farms A little more perspective on the this group definitely plans to seek governmental jobs the federal government now is by far the larl largest 1 om employer in the country and the monthly report of the civil service commission es as of may 1 the latest report shows paid employment in continental united states totaled of which were in the war agencies of this number only are in washington while war cutbacks are expected to decrease this number somewhat government work Is e peeled expected x to maintain the upward tr trend end which has prevailed since the last war state and local governments normally employ more than twice tivice as many persons as does the federal EXPECTED POSTWAR POST WAR PATTERN OF WHITE ENLISTED MEN OF BAR represents of ALL ANTS FROM NORTH 39 TO W 13 L 22 0 TS 4 1322 4 17 FROM sou N T OUT problem may be had by a further analysis of the intentions of these men definitely planning to farm in the first place the survey makes it clear that a much larger proportion of the men want to become farm operators by either buying or renting than were farm operators before the war A majority say s ly they can count on returning to a tract of land which they or their families own or they already have in mind a specific piece of land they expect to buy or rent however one out of every three indicate they will need to locate a farm to rent or buy after leaving the army so if the plans of all these prospective spec tive farmers materialize there th ere will be thousands of veterans looking for farms in the postwar period and they very well may come up against a shortage of good land I 1 which may too be selling at much higher prices than before the war so there Is fear on the part of the army that many of these men may be forced to settle on cheaper land the army points out that relief would be possible on this score r a if large sections of public domain or reclaimed land becomes available about one out of six veterans said they would be willing to move on such tracts of land the same thing is true with respect to the farmer serviceman as with the prospective business man most of them are thinking of investing investing sums ranging up to this may be compared with the department part ment of agriculture estimates of t to as the average cost athe of the family sized farm not counting necessary tools equipment livestock etc so these prospective farmers will also need financial help how many will actually end up on the farm will depend on this aid and on the comparative opportunities tuni ties offered by industry and agriculture ri after the war in conjunction with the american historical association the armed forces institute has prepared a booklet entitled shall I 1 take up farming which is available at the government printing office washington 25 D C most will work for wages of course by far the greatest segment of the armed forces plan to work tor for wages on their return two aspects of the plans of these four million men are noteworthy first fir st only one third of the white enlisted men who were employees before induction and plan to be employees after the war definitely expect to go back to their former employers another one third say they may return but are not sure this leaves another million men who will either migrate L ld id i d move to other jobs or who hav ned new trades and expect 1 afferent Jiff erent work As a i of tact fact the tendency among a 0 percentage of these servicemen a to aspire for work calling for a higher level of skill and in general the proportion who plan to pursue their prewar occupations declines as one proceeds along the occupational scale five per cent of government and the five years immediately med lately following the war are expected to see more than a million and a quarter lobs jobs opening in this field favorable employment opportunities and special considerations for veterans are expected to draw probably 10 pet pa cent of the 52 per cent who plan to work tor for wages and i salaries al arles into this federal state and local government field many returning to school veterans counting on going back to toll full time school after the war Is nearing the mark that most of 0 these will enter college Is indicated from the fact that more than 9 in 10 are high school graduates the army points out that this war has brought about the first large decrease in college enrollment roll ment since the turn ot of the century and that nonmilitary non military enrollments in colleges and universities dropped 44 per cent after the first two years of war civilian college and university students in 1843 1943 numbered smaller than 20 years ago the deficit of college trained men particularly acute in the liberal arts and teaching fields will continue to accumulate as the war goes on in view of these facts it is interesting to note that the two most popular courses picked out by servicemen are engineering and architecture and the liberal arts and sciences engineering most popular other courses mentioned include bus business iness administration pre medic medicine and dentistry agriculture law education journalism and theology in general about one man in five lve is considering courses of study which can be classified as liberal arts and sciences and the remainder are thinking in terms of professional and technical specialization with engineering leading the field another point of particular significance ance Is that this full time school course will take these men out of the labor market about half a million of them but the same thing cannot be true of another large group about 18 per cent additional or about who plan to attend part time school that Is work il and nd go to school agthe at the same time three fourths of these students desire a trade and business school c courses these also are in an older group and about one third are married there is cale ape more mor e section oi of veterans which the survey classified these were a group of about 3 per cent about who said they definitely plan to stay in the army up to more than 10 per cent who would consider re enlistment under certain specific conditions two major considerations which will gov govern eo the actions of this segment are 1 the terms under which re enlist ments will be offered including re of rank choice of service duration of enlistment and opportunity for commissions and 2 the kind and opportunities for civilian jobs which will be available after the war REGIONAL distribution OF MEN HEN PLANNING PLANKING TO FARM FULL TIME per cent t of men with definite finita de pi plans n Nort N northeast orth beast east sooth souta 0 unclassified 6 40 1 l 1 8 1 X ta r D west vest s north nor th central cen trel residence Kesl dence prior 14 to induction 1 35 j w expected expect d residence dence X M 1 alter er tte wr war |