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Show Ten Per Cent of Army Veterans Want to Be Farmers; Seven Per Cent Hope to Start Small Businesses farm youths who were in school and weie not classed actually as farmers. farm-ers. Not Room for All on Land. According to the army, the chances are that the nation's farms will not be able to absorb all of the men planning to return to them, in spite of the current shortage of a million farm workers. The army says that rural areas normally produce pro-duce more young men and women than can be efficiently utilized on the farm. The problem may very well become acute considering the wartime increase in farm production produc-tion 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 largest larg-est employer in the country and the monthly report of the Civil Service commission as of May 1, the latest lat-est report, shows paid employment in continental United States totaled 2,897,077, of which 2,001,186 were in the war agencies. Of this number, only 252,054 are In Washington. While war cutbacks are expected to decrease this number somewhat, government work is expected to maintain the upward trend which has prevailed since the last war. State and local governments normally nor-mally employ more than twice as many persons as does the federal Half Will Work for Wages Once More; 8 Going to School By WALTER A. SHEAD WNU Washington Correspondent Seventy-five per cent of the officers of-ficers and enlisted men in the United Unit-ed States army have definite ideas about what they intend to do "when they get back home." Another 20 per cent have made tentative plans for their postwar work. A survey by the research branch of the information in-formation and education division of the army shows that: Fifty-two per cent, roughly 4,000,000 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 trades mostly, for themselves. them-selves. Ten per cent, or more than 750,000 men, plan to operate farms; Eight per cent, or about 600,-000, 600,-000, plan to go to school. The remainder have made only tentative ten-tative decisions or are undecided. unde-cided. The army, however, points out that at least three factors must be taken into consideration in interpreting interpret-ing the results of the survey: (1) the length of the war; (2) economic opportunity after demobilization; (3) an increasing percentage may seriously consider attending full-time full-time school, opening a business or buying a farm under G.I. Bill of I Rights provisions. EXPECTED POST-WAR MIGRATION PATTERN OF WHITE, ENLISTED MEN (WIDTH OF BAR REPRESENTS PERCENTAGE OF ALL WHITE MIGRANTS) 1 FROM SOUTH TCf SOUTHv-UWV One interesting feature of this survey sur-vey reveals that 80 per cent of the white enlisted men plan to return to the states in which they lived before be-fore entering the service. This leaves 20 per cent who may migrate to another section of the country. As a matter of fact, 10 per cent, or about 750,000 men, definitely anticipate antici-pate moving to another state, the other 10 per cent being still undecided. 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 resided re-sided in civilian life. Young Men Going West. The great majority plan to migrate mi-grate to the Far West. Among the Negroes, the greater shift Is from the South to the northeastern states. If the indicated shifts materialize among these returning servicemen they may happen as follows: 1. A rapid expansion to the Pacific Pa-cific coast states. 2. In-migration, but on a much smaller scale into the industrialized east north central states. 3. No net movement, In-go balancing bal-ancing out-go in the New England, middle Atlantic and mountain states, and, 4. A heavy out-migration from the highly agricultural areas running run-ning from the west north central states through the entire tier of southern states. If the plans for 7 per cent of our soldiers to enter business for themselves them-selves materialize, it means creation crea-tion of a little more than a half million mil-lion new firms in the small business busi-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 52 per cent, will enter the retail trade . . . radio stores, filling stations, shoes, hardware and general gen-eral 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, utili-ties, 6 per cent into construction, the other 9 per cent being spread over all other Industries. government, and the five years immediately im-mediately following the war are expected ex-pected to see more than a million, and a quarter jobs opening in this field. Favorable employment opportunities opportuni-ties and special considerations for veterans are expected to draw probably prob-ably 10 per cent of the 52 per cent who plan to work for wages and salaries, into this federal, state and local government field. Many Returning to School. Veterans counting on going back to full-time school after the war is nearing the 600,000 mark. That most of these will enter college col-lege 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 en-rollment since the turn of the century cen-tury and that non-military enrollments enroll-ments In colleges and universities dropped 44 per cent after the first two years of war. Civilian college and university students in 1943 numbered num-bered 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 business administration, pre-medic, medicine and dentistry, agriculture, law, education, journalism and theology. the-ology. In general about one man in five is considering courses of study which can be classified as liberal lib-eral arts and sciences, and the remainder re-mainder are thinking in terms ol professional and technical specialization, speciali-zation, with engineering leading the field. Another point of particular significance sig-nificance is that this full-time school course will take these men out of the labor market, about half a million mil-lion of them. But the same thing cannot be true of another large group, about 18 per cent additional, or about 1,300,000, who plan to at- problem may be had hy 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 propor-tion of the men want to become farm operators, by either buying or renting, than were farm operators before the war. A majority say 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 in-dicate they will need to locate a farm to rent or buy after leaving the army. So if the plans of all these prospective pro-spective farmers materialize, there will be thousands of veterans looking look-ing for farms in the postwar period . . . and they very well may come up against a shortage of good land, 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 sub-marginal sub-marginal land. The army points out that relief would be possible on this score 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 re-spect to the farmer-serviceman as with the prospective business man . . . most of them are thinking of investing sums ranging up to $4,000. This may be compared with the department de-partment of agriculture estimates of $5,000 to $3,000 as the average cost of the family sized farm, not counting count-ing necessary tools, equipment, livestock, live-stock, 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 oppor-tunities ofTcred by industry and agriculture ag-riculture after the war. In conjunction with the American Historical association, the Armed Forces institute has prepared a booklet entitled "Shall I Take Up Farming?" which is available at the Government Printing Office, Washington Wash-ington 25, D. C. 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 farm-ing experience at all. Even the men with relatively vague plans for farming have had considerable previous pre-vious 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, mi-grate, 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 bacjc to the same type of farming farm-ing with which they are fumilinr. These three-quarters of a million men who plan farming ns a career, are, roughly equivalent to the total who were farming just prior to Induction, In-duction, although induction records show that more than a million and a half men have been token from the farms. These, however, Included tend part-time school, that is work and go to school at the same time. Three-fourths of these students desire de-sire trade and business school courses. These also are in an older group and about one-third are married. mar-ried. There Is one more section of veterans vet-erans which the survey classified. These were a group of about 3 per cent, about 225,000 who said they definitely plan to stay in the army. Up to more than 10 per cent who would consider rc-enllstment under certain specific conditions. Two major ma-jor considerations which will govern the actions of this segment are (1) tho terms under which rc-enlist mcnts will be offered, Including re tention of rank, choice of service, duration of enlistment and opportunity opportu-nity for commissions, and (2) the kind and opportunities for civilian jobs which will be available after the war. Most Will Work for Wages. Of course by far the greatest segment seg-ment of the armed forces plan to work for wages on their return. Two aspects of the plans of these four million men are noteworthy. First, 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, re-turn, but are not sure. This leaves another million men who will cither minrnte and move to other jobs or who have learned new trades and expect to do different work. As a matter of fact the tendency among a large percentage of these servicemen is to aspire for work calling for a higher level of skill and in general, the proportion who plnn to pursue their prewar occupations declines as one proceeds along tho occupational sen-le. Five per cent of REG I OHM DISTRIBUTION OF HEN PLANNING TO FARM FUIL-TIME (Percent of mon with definite olansj Nortbonnt Koulh line lnss I f 1 oil ill ': North ContrAl "0t , ;. Hon Uvncp piior , ' '(...ir 1 tMWiW-: r,,, 10 induction vj: . i1. , : ,t .. ) i , -; : ; y ' :X::-,; -Rpicl,l rcldnc |
