VOL. 28 At press Migratory Labor Report JANUARY 1961 time The lives of most migratory farm workers "are characterized by lack of adequate empolyment, low wages, poor housing, lack of education, lack of health and welfare services, and in some cases, unsafe vehicles for transportation," according to the Second Report of the President's Committee on Migratory Labor, issued in November by Secretary of Labor James P. Mitchell. Simultaneously with the release of the report, President Eisenhower announced that he had signed an Executive Order formalizing the President's Commitee on Migratory Labor. Besides the Secretary of Labor, who serves as chairman, other Committee members are: the Secretaries of Agriculture, Interior, and Health, Education, and Welfare, and the Administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency. Although a great deal remains to be accomplished before there will be any significant improvement in the economic position of migrants and their families, he Committee believes that several important advances have been made since 1956. Among them are: 1. Extension of Social Security benefits to many migratory farm workers. 2. Issuance of safety regulations governing the inerstate transportation of migrant farm workers in privately owned trucks and buses. 3. Establishment of migratory labor committees by 21 States, bringing the total number of States that have such committees to 28. 4. Strengthening of the Labor Department's reguations governing the interstate recruitment of farm workers through the U.S. Employment Service. No. 1 5. Adoption of migrant housing laws or regulations by several additional States. Approximately half the States now have such laws or regulations. 6. Expansion and improvement of the Annual Worker Plan which attempts to provide more continuous employment for agricultural migrants. 7. Strengthening of the administration of the Mexican Farm Labor Program-Public Law 78-to prevent adverse effect to U.S. workers, and to protect the interests of Mexican workers while they are in the United States. 8. Expansion of the public health services available to migrants and their families. In the report, the Committee listed 16 recommendations for action by Federal and State Governments. Summarizing the work of the Committee since 1956, Secretary Mitchell said: "I believe that the most important accomplishment of the past 4 years-even surpassing the tangible improvements that have been made is the public interest and concern that has been generated in the migratory labor problem. Migrants may still be considered 'excluded Americans,' but they can no longer be considered 'forgotten Americans.' What is needed now is persistent followup action by all groups, both private and public, that have an interest in the welfare of migrants and their families. President Eisenhower's establishment of the President's Committee on Migratory Labor by Executive Order should do much to assure such action in the future." White House Conference on Aging EARLY in the new year-January 9 to 12-Washington, D.C., was the scene of the first White House Conference on Aging. Some 2,800 delegates from the 53 States and Territories, and 308 nonprofit organizations-labor, business, professional, religious, fraternal-attended. President Eisenhower was principal speaker at the opening session. Official guests from foreign countries, as well as Members of Congress, State Governors, and other public officials were in attendance. The delegates were divided into 10 groups, 20 sections, and more than 100 work groups. Broad policy statements, as well as specific recommendations in each subject-area of aging, were formulated by the sections, 936 1 |