100 years ago in the Record
Wednesday, July 3, 1918
Rensselaer County Sheriff Buddington Sharpe is hunting down idle men of draft age so they can be put to useful work under the provisions of the new anti-loafing law, The Record reports, but it’s not clear so far how useful they can be. The new rule requires unemployed men to find jobs or be drafted into the military, while men who have jobs may have to change employers in order to be more useful to the U.S. war effort. In Rensselaer County it’s expected that idlers will be put to work on local farms to replace workers who’ve joined the military or taken better-paying jobs in war-related manufacturing. Unfortunately, Sheriff Sharpe tells our reporter that “nearly all who have thus far registered are out of the class that would be of use on a farm, and but few have qualifications for service above ordinary manual labor.” The sheriff takes tips from citizens who wish to report idlers. In one case, a Troy man denounced his own 18 year old brother, complaining that “He won’t work and says he will not work and I want something done with him.” Sharpe relayed the information to police chief Charles A. Goerold, who orders the “alleged delinquent” brought in for registration.
Janitors of Schools Engage in Farm Work
If the county’s alleged idlers aren’t exactly promising farm material, Troy’s public school janitors will take up the slack. The Record reports that “the entire force of janitors has enlisted for farm work under a resolution of the board of education.” They’re technically eligible to take any war-related work they can find until they report back to their schools on August 15, but “with probably two exceptions the janitors have elected the farm as the field for service.” Many of the janitors have farm experience and are considered “the kind farmers are glad to get at good wages…. They will have healthful life in the country and good pay while at the same time rendering patriotic service. “If other cities will follow the example of Troy, the difficulty in securing good farm help for harvest time will be materially relieved.”
Prize-Winning Essay
Emily S. Stafford, an eighth grader at School 16, has won a $10 gold piece from the Sons of the Revolution for the best essay on the wartime alliance of the U.S. and Great Britain.
“One tongue they speak, one air they breathe, and have always breathed for liberty, happiness and growth,” Stafford writes, “To the people of these lands, one the queenly mother and the other the fair daughter America, shall surely come a closer kinship through uniting.”