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Show I Accidents Claim More Farmers Than Battlefield Toll In War Each year accidents claim half again as many farmers and rural people either killed, permantly disabled, or temporarily injured as the total battlefield toll of World War 11 1,700,000 farm people compared to 1,100,000 mil-itray mil-itray personnel. These are the cold figures. And the tradgedy is that most if not all of the farm casualties can be prevented. In addition, the annual loss of farm property by fire and lightening averages close to 5100,000,000. And much of this loss, too, can be prevented. Because these losses reduce farm output, to say nothing of the unnecessary loss of life and property, every effort needs to be expected to prevent them or at least keep Ihem to a minimum. mini-mum. Stepping up farm safety and thereby preventing waste re sulting from accidents is particularly par-ticularly important this year when food is needed so badly by millions of starving . people throughout the world. It is for this reason that the third annual Farm Safety Week has special significance this year. President Truman has proclaimed the week of July 21 and 27 as the week when national attention will be focused on the prevention of farm accidents. Farming is one of the most hazardous of all occupations. Farm workers are largely on their own without the aid of safety supervisors to continually warn against unsafe practices. The traffic hazards on the open highway are just as great for rural people as for those from the city. Hence the most fruitful field for promoting farm safety is education-Farm education-Farm safety education must begin in the home, be taught in the schools and Kept alive by all agricultural workers who are in touch with farmers. |