Vht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
77 
The Hired Man Question 
Far Back to the Land 
Referring to “Back to the City for 
These,” page 1476. December 24, 1021, 
I can sympathize with the hired man's 
wife, because T have had a similar ex¬ 
perience, except that I can't get back to 
the city, and T happen to have a farm 
of my own. When we lived in the city 
we had a two-story modern house on the 
boulevard, two blocks from (lie park, and 
nnr income was Considerably more than 
$100 per month. We also had Saturday 
afternoon and Sunday free. I never be¬ 
lieved in using cigarettes, but we did enjoy 
going to theatre every so often, and every 
Summer we took a trip to tin* country, 
from two to four weeks, for a vaeation. 
(Of course I received my salary while on 
vaeation). After 18 years on the farm 
I atn enjoying my second vacation nurs¬ 
ing a dislocated knee, and the other vaca¬ 
tion was spent nursing a mangled hand. 
We have no more Saturday afternoons 
nor Sundays off, because the chores must 
be done oij Sunday. During these 18 
years we have been to the theatre three 
times. 
Evidently tbe perfectly charming em¬ 
ployer, of whom the hired man’s wife 
speaks, must have inherited the farm, or 
else have some business on the side that 
pays bettor than farming, in order to 
have running water in the barns, flower 
garden, etc. We also work from 12 to 
16 hours per day, and always put up the 
damaged or unsalable fruits and vege¬ 
tables for OUT own use, because the city 
dweller is afraid it Is not wholesome, or 
else it takes too much time to prepare it. 
During 1020 I realized 10V, cent* per 
hour for tny labor, which was about one- 
fourth as much ns I made in the city. 
I think the lured man’s wife sets forth 
. very plainly why the children leave the 
farm and go to the city. Why arc these 
farmers so hard-hearted towards their 
employees and their families ns not to 
furnish them the salaries and living con¬ 
ditions ns those enjoyed by the city 
dwellers? I believe that it is because 
the farmers do not get cost for their 
products, and I venture to say that 00 
per cent do not even know the cost of 
their products, because they do not keep 
cost accounts. I am informed that the 
average Incorue per farm in this Stale is 
about $800 per annum. Now after pay¬ 
ing the hired man $600, T wish his wife 
or anyone else would show me how the 
farmer can pay his taxes, live and in¬ 
stall all modern conveniences the same 
as in the city, because 1 would like to 
have them the same as T had in the city. 
I believe that if we would educate all 
the farmers to keep daily cost accounts 
of each product the methods of farming 
would soon he revolutionized, and if all 
the tax laws, of which we read so much, 
would he repealed, except certain import 
duties and the income tax. so graduated 
as to place the burden on those best able 
to carry it, it would not be many years 
until tbe farmers could compete with any 
other industry so far as wages are con¬ 
cerned. and living conditions on the farm 
would become such that you could not 
drive the children nor the hired man 
away from the farm. Some people tell 
me my plan would not work out. T wish 
some of the renders of Tub R. K.-T. 
would tell me tr)n/ this plan would not 
work out. and if so, tell ns how to remedy 
these conditions instead of complaining 
about them. _ n. J. WEiiNEH. 
Pennsylvania. 
As an Employer Sees It 
In his item of December 3 Paul Wood- 
nutt hits the nail square on the head, 
hut he does not hit hard enough. Every 
word he says is true; we hear of the 
armies of unemployed, but where are 
they? Try to get a man and see whal 
you will run up against. The first ques¬ 
tion asked is, ‘‘What will you pay?” 
Efficiency is not important. That does 
not count. The only thing is short hours 
and lug wages, and give as little in re¬ 
turn as possible. If ilie boss is one who 
works himself he may get a man who 
will follow for a time, part of the way, 
hut will not stick : will try to find an 
easier job. 
The papers are full of advertisements 
of men looking for jobs. Answer these 
advertisements, enclose an addressed, 
stamped envelope, and one might possibly 
get a reply, hut no results. The greater 
portion of these applicants are looking 
for positions such as estate managers, 
superintendents and farm managers. 
There are not jobs enough of I his des¬ 
cription to go around; so what will the 
boss do for a real farmer, one who knows 
how to go on and get results on a small 
farm where hut one or 'two men are em¬ 
ployed. and the owner absent much of 
the time? 
Page 1176. “Hired Man” states that 
the majority of farmers are not consid¬ 
erate. I believe he is just a little iu 
error in this statement. If he is not. the 
farmer might better sell his farm. The 
hired man should have good comfortable 
living quarters, with conveniences as far 
ns possible. A man with five children 
should have more than one quart of milk 
a day; he should have six quarts. If lie 
is furnished wood for fuel, lie should be 
permitted to get it on the farmer’s time. 
Tf he is in the barn at 5 a. m. milking, 
he should be done with all work and 
chores at 6 at night, unless he has some 
hay out that might get wet by leaving. 
Should have a good garden and time to 
work it ; have all the vegetables lie is 
able to use. and plentv of fruit as far as 
possible. I believe there are plenty of 
legal holidays if the man is disposed to 
take them, and should be allowed a day 
off to attend the county fair, and take 
the family; certainly lie should he al- 
lnwed the use of a horse and buggy to 
town when necessary for shopping. 
1 believe if the hired man will give the 
farmer the very best there is in him. the 
farmer will show bis appreciation iu 
many ways, to such an extent that the 
hired man will not be looking for another 
job. 
Concerning the statement of the “Hired 
Man’s Wife,” page 1 176. If this man 
had such a job as described, lie had no 
reason to look for a job on a farm, as 
most farmers would he glad to have such 
n place. Tt would pay better than the 
fvn. A farmer cannot pay such wages 
and grant the privileges. Tt would be 
next to impossible to furnish ice cream 
every day. and cigarettes would be out of 
the question. With a pretty cottage on 
a modern farm there should he running 
water, the same as at the barns. The 
rusty pump might he helped to some ex¬ 
tent with a cloth dampened with kero- 
sen,'. Arid a Charming employer is cer¬ 
tainly most desirable. The hired man's 
wife who 1ms a good paying office job in 
the city could hardly be considered more 
than could the colored washwoman with 
the bank account. This man and woman 
should have weighed tin* matter wall be¬ 
fore they ever took a lob on a farm, and 
I wonder that they stayed the year out. 
If there is any real old-fashioned hired 
man, who will take an interest in his 
work anil work for the best interest of 
the boss, there will be plenty of good jobs 
for him any time. T'nless the farmer can 
find such men he will be obliged to give 
tip farming. W. W. 
Massachusetts. 
Hired Help vs. Partnership Help 
Your fir*-t editorial, December 18 issue, 
asks for articles on hired help. T submit 
this to your readers. The tenant-partner 
we have now, in a house within call, one 
Summer was unable to hire or borrow a 
neighbor to help “save his crop," so he 
hung a lantern around his neck and 
worked until midnight, and was up before 
sunrise and in the field. This he did for 
about 10 days. IJo is “getting on." The 
hired man instance noted was of n farmer 
In Howard County, Maryland, near 
Washington, who had a field of pea or 
Hover hay ready for carting. A storm 
was coming tip. The men, having done 
their eight hours, were about to take the 
wagon to the barn about three hours be¬ 
fore sunset. The farmer asked them to 
finish. They refused. He got his wife 
and daughter to help him finish carting, 
while the three men. at $4 a day. sat on 
the fence and growled because supper was 
to he late. Now which would you rather 
have, a partner-helper who has an in¬ 
terest iu his Crop and yours, or a hired 
man who is only interested in eight hours 
a day and $4? The eight hours can be 
slighted as much as he dares, hut the $4 
must have 100 cents in every dollar. 
This partner-farmer has his house 
rent, wood, garden and a parr of the 
crop. It is his crop, to work as he likes, 
unless he actually neglects it. The better 
he tends it. the more he has. This farmer 
1ms a horse, so he has a larger share 
than if he had only liis bare hands. His 
farm crops likolv will clear him $1,000. 
and he is an independent American, hav¬ 
ing no hoss. Another important product 
for the. tenant is poultry, nil his own, to 
which he feeds his own share of the grain. 
This tenant’s wife has a Tiiiv flock of 
Anconas. And yet the farm press seems 
inimical to the tenant system, and it is 
seldom a word in its favor is allowed to 
be printed. ei.kert wakeman. 
Maryland. 
Powers of Administrator 
A woman living in the State of New 
York, and owning real estate in Now 
Jersey, dies, leaving a hushtlud. but no 
children. In case the husband is ap¬ 
pointed administrator of the estate, has 
ie the right to sell any of the property 
at any time, or for any price that he may 
see lit. without the knowledge or consent 
of the other heirs, and '>•«* a good deed 
and title for the property? Does a deed 
have to la* signed in the presence of a 
commissioner of deeds to be valid? 
IT. Tt. T.. 
An administrator of the goods, chattels, 
and credits of a deceased person has no 
riHtt to sell real property, except for the 
payment, of debts, fttuorrl expenses or ex¬ 
penses of administration, and then only 
by order of the court. If the real prop¬ 
erty* in question was in the name of both 
the husband and wife as joint, tenants or 
tenants bv the entirety, the real property- 
passed to the hnsbayd without any process 
ot law whatever, and he may sell the same 
after her death. Deeds may he executed 
before any officer authorizd by law to take 
the proof and acknowledgment of deeds. 
N. T. 
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