MOBILIZATION OF HIGH SCHOOL BOYS FOR FARM 



WORK. 



Stephen R. Dow, Federal State Director, of the Massachu- 

 setts Division of the United States Boys' Working 

 Reserve. 



Massachusetts has the reputation of being first in every 

 'great national crisis. Governor McCall appointed the first 

 Committee on Public Safety. Massachusetts also had the 

 first relief train on the way to Halifax following its recent 

 disaster. We also had the first sugar shortage, also the first 

 coal shortage. 



The Committee on Public Safety early last April realized 

 that the farmers of Massachusetts were facing a shortage of 

 labor and a sub-committee was appointed and given this im- 

 portant matter for its attention. With the co-operation of 

 the school officials, this committee placed 1600 high school 

 boys on farms throughout the State. Every state in the 

 Union has now undertaken similar work and the Federal 

 Government, under the statutory power of the Department 

 of Labor, has recognized this important work by organizing 

 the United States Boys' Working Reserve. This coming 

 summer the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety, 

 through the Committee on School Boys for Farm Service, 

 will conduct the work in Massachusetts in co-operation with 

 the United States Boys' Working Reserve. 



The success of our country in the war depends not only 

 on large and efficient fighting forces, but on our ability to 

 create such a supply of food that the needs of our fighting 

 men, our Allies, and our own people may be met. 



With thousands of men called away from our farms to 

 fight or to work in factories, our country is suffering from 



