18 

 after that I cut the following clipping from one of their 



papers : 



"The agitation to have the North Yakima High School close 

 so that the students may help relie've the labor shortage and save 

 the apple crop still continues but does not gain much ground 

 v-ith the School Authorities. Such action has been taken by the 

 Wenatchee School Board and many of tlie High School students 

 at Walla Walla are out to help with the harvest. Superintendent 

 Davis (he was the School Superintendent there in North 

 Yakima) is opposed to closing the schools unless the emergency 

 in greater than appears. The apple crop was heavier than an- 

 ticipated and the season a few weeks later. The rush of picking 

 find packing is on and the need for holj) very urgent." 

 That was on the 14th. Then on tlie l!)th this item fn>m 



Hood River : — 



"Hood River fruit growers have circulated a petition asking 



the business men to close their stores and the school to permit 



the clerks and students to pick apples. Rancher Wilson Fiske 



alone lost 3,000 boxes of apples on account of the labor famine. 



The business men promised to contribute automobiles to convey 



the volunteers to the orchards. Unless the emergency is met the 



ranchers face staggering financial losses." 



Now, just imagine the Hampden Comity Improvement 

 men going to the buiness men here in Springfield and asking 

 them to close up their stores in order to help Mr. Bird to 

 liarvest his apples, and not only that liut to furnish automi>- 

 liiles to take the help out. 



The wages that they were paying did not seem to :ue 

 imduly high. The average wage ran about $2.50 as a rule 

 for their i)ackers, but generally somewhat lower than that for 

 graders. That rather surprised me because I think a grader 

 requires more brains than a packer, but that was the way 

 they were running. In a great many cases they used women 

 MS graders. In a very few cases did I find women as 

 [^ackers ; but in a great many cases they used them as grad- 

 ers. In a great many cases they paid by the box for pack- 

 ing, and the prices were fairly uniform throughout the see- 



