Oklahoma by CHAS. L. COLLISON

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 25, 1912

Oklahoma

By CHAS. L. COLLISON

In looking over the yearly report of the colporteurs who canvassed for subscription books in Oklahoma during 1911, we find some interesting facts. The first prominent item of the report is that it took 23,095 hours to take the orders and deliver the $25,179.35 worth of books. This makes $1.09 worth of books delivered for each hour put in, or a wage of 54 cents an hour,—$4.32 for an eight-hour day. Surely the Lord of the harvest paid the colporteurs well for the seed-sowing.

The question may arise, Why did any of the colporteurs come short? There are at least two reasons for this. There were in all 58 canvassers who did this work, and the average time put in was only 398 hours each, or ten forty-hour weeks.

Those who worked more hours received higher wages for the time put in. Twenty of the above-mentioned colporteurs put in 14,075 hours, or 18 forty-hour weeks, on an average. These twenty received $25,575.58 worth of orders, and delivered $18,529.85 worth of books. This was an average of over 72 per cent delivered, as against a little over 70 per cent delivered for the whole State. They averaged an actual delivery of $1.31 for every hour put in during the year. This was a wage for them of over 65 cents an hour, or $5.24 for an eight-hour day.

There were some who did better than this. Several students delivered more than $2 worth an hour for every hour they worked during the vacation. I can not forbear to say in this connection that of those who received the highest wages for a per hour canvassed ten or twelve hours a day.

There were 16 Oklahoma colporteurs who each received over $1,000 worth of orders during the year 1911. Seven of them received over $1,500; five, over $1,800; two, $2,146.50 and $2,268.35, respectively.

To the Lord be all the praise. The harvest truly is ripe, but where are the reapers?

CHAS. L. COLLISON.