100 years ago in The Saratogian
Wednesday, Dec. 5, 1917
Citizens of Saratoga County are trying to raise $500 in order to retain the services of Alta J. Emerson as county food conservation agent, The Saratogian reports.
Emerson is a federal official, but the county is responsible for her travel and incidental expenses. Those expenses have been covered through “subscriptions” or pledges so far. Organizers of the current fundraising campaign believe that $500 will cover Emerson’s expenses for the whole of 1918.
The work of the food conservation agent puts her on the road a lot. Since August, Emerson has held 54 meetings in different parts of Saratoga County with more than 3,000 women.
“Miss Emerson’s work is by no means confined to the canning of foods and instruction in cookery,” a reporter writes, “Her most important work, perhaps, is being on hand to meet any food emergency which may arise.
“In case of a shortage of one kind of food, it is the duty of the county agent to instruct housewives in the selection and preparation of substitute foods. Since the close of the canning season she has been holding meetings in various parts of the county for instruction in the baking of war bread and the preparation of meal substitutes.
“Those who have been following Miss Emerson’s activities most closely during the past months urge the necessity of continuing this work of conservation in Saratoga County.”
The $500 Emerson is expected to need on top of her salary is equivalent in buying power to approximately $9,000 in 2017, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Lawyers organize
Men between the ages of 21 and 30 who have registered for the wartime military draft will receive a questionnaire in the mail later this month. The booklet must be filled out and mailed back to the local draft board within seven days of its arrival.
The federal War Department has determined that “it would be a difficult, if not impossible thing for the layman to correctly and promptly answer these questions.” Local lawyers have been asked to provide assistance in filling out the questionnaires.
County Judge Lawrence B. McKelvey is chairing an advisory board to provide assistance to draft-age men in Saratoga County. The board’s main task will be to appoint committees to do the advisory work in “the more important cities and villages of the County.”
The county’s two draft districts will cooperate with the advisory board by enclosing a notice with the questionnaire informing recipients of where and from whom they can get assistance. The questionnaires are expected to arrive shortly after December 15.