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Show Shortage of Farm Labor in U. S. Growing shortage of farm workers work-ers call for special attention by local Selective Service boards when considering claims for occupational oc-cupational deferments, Major H. A. Rich, Acting State Director of Selective Service for Utah announced an-nounced today. In this connection, Major Rich cited a recent warning by Secretary Secre-tary of Agriculture, Claude R. Wickard, who said : "The national defense program has drawn heavily upon the supply sup-ply of farm labor and maintaining maintain-ing an adequate supply of farm workers for production of essential essen-tial foods required for national defense is becoming a serious problem." , Outlining conditions in various sections of the country, Secreary Wickard stated that the problem of agricultural production already al-ready is very serious in some areas. There has been a reduction in the supply of available farm labor, he said, in the major geographic geo-graphic divisions of the United States between April 1, 1940 and (Continued on page 5) NYA DEFENSE JOBS TRAINING TRAIN-ING (Continued from page 1) April 1, 1941, by the following percentages: New England, 25.1 percent; Middle Atlantic States, 25.9 percent; per-cent; East North Central States; 21.6 percent; West North Central . States, 16.1 percent ; South Atlantic At-lantic States, 18.4 percent; East . South Central States, 11.6 per-' per-' cent; West South Central States, ; 13.5 percent; Mountain States, 15.7 percent; Pacific States, 19.3 percent. The decrease for the 1 United States as whole during this period was 17.8 percent. Secretary Wickard also said that while decline had not caused farm labor shortages in some areas owing to the surplus supn'.y existing in the spring of 1940, they have produced serious shortages short-ages in other States and sections. . The most acute shortages are in the New England and Middle Atlantic States. Shortages in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, center largely around defense activities, while in Ohio, Indiana, Southern Wisconsin Wis-consin and Illiois and appear to be acute in the dairy and truck crop areas adjacent to defense activities. In view of these conditions. Major Ma-jor Rich requested all local boards of Utah to give serious consideration consid-eration to the requests of farm laborers for occupational der-ments der-ments in the interest of national defense. |