Senator PASTORE. This is the paradox of the case. Senator HILL. This is the end of the string. Mr. KEENAN. If the 69 people that we would have to lay off all the drew full benefits allowed them this amount would have to be increased by $54,000 just to take care of our 69 people. Mr. GOODWIN. That is all we had on that one. MEXICAN FARM LABOR PROGRAM APPROPRIATION ESTIMATE "Salaries and expenses, Mexican farm labor program: For expenses, not otherwise provided for, necessary to carry out the functions of the Department of Labor under the Act of July 12, 1951 [(Public Law 78)] (65 Stat. 119), as amended, including temporary employment of persons without regard to the civil service laws, [$2,125,000 $2,683,000." Activity 1. Determining Mexican labor requirements Decreases.-House action will eliminate the 1 additional position requested and $7,500. The elimination of 1 position and $7,500 will make it impossible to review the 25 more area ceiling requests and the 50 more farm labor supply and demand reports that will be required as the result of the 62,000 more Mexican nationals that will be needed to protect the American farmer from crop losses; the Bureau will not be able to give State agencies requested technical assistance in the preparation of labor supply-demand reports; we will not be able to develop improved techniques for validating shortages of domestic workers; the amendments to Public Law 78 (August 9, 1955) requiring the interviewing of farm employers and workers regarding future domestic labor supply and demand increased the Bureau's workload without an increase in personnel; the Bureau will not be able to revise the agricultural reporting area directory used for setting Mexican worker ceilings; and we will not be able to carry out the study of past and future factors influencing the number of Mexican nationals needed in an area. Increases.-The increase of $2,800 will provide for the mandatory cost of contributions to the civil-service retirement fund. Activity 2. Supplying Mexican labor requirements Decreases.-House action will eliminate 25 additional full-time positions, 7.9 man-years of temporary employment and $211,700 requested for 1958. The 25 foreign labor service representative positions and $188,000 in the regional offices were requested to carry out our responsibilities under the international agreement with Mexico and the work contract. The Bureau will only be able to make 6,800 of the minimum of 10,000 housing and facilities inspections that should be made each year. More than 23,000 units will not be inspected at all. Some of the housing and facilities furnished Mexican workers does not meet minimum decent standards; for example, of 3,237 units checked during the first 3 months of calendar year 1957, 50 housing units had only dirt floors, 36 had no beds, 1,703 lacked sufficient toilets, and 97 were altogether unfit for human habitation at the time of inspection. Prompt action is absolutely necessary to protect the health and safety of both the workers and the community where the workers are employed. We will not be able to make the contacts with employers and workers that should be made to explain and interpret the terms of the international agreement, the work contract, and the law, to reduce and eliminate causes for complaint. The elimination of 8.4 man-years of temporary employment and $22,600 will seriously curtail the Bureau's ability to contract the additional 62,000 Mexican farm workers through the reception centers and the migratory stations in Mexico and may cause costly delays in getting workers for growers. Increases.-House action will provide 3.9 man-years of temporary employment and $77,300. The $16,000 will provide for a reduction in lapse from 10.9 percent to about 4.2 percent on 1957 regional office positions. $13,800 will provide 3.9 of the 12.3 man-years of temporary employment at the reception centers and migratory stations needed to contract 62,000 additional Mexican agricultural workers. $47,700 will provide for the mandatory cost of contributions to the civilservice retirement fund. Activity 3. Determining compliance with contract provisions Decreases.-House action will eliminate the 28 additional positions requested and $205,300. The elimination of 24 regional office positions and $181,850 will make it impossible to accomplish contract extensions, terminations, and recontracting at the site of employment; it will also make it impossible to schedule investigations while work is being performed. The best time and most economical way to handle grievances and complaints is at the site of employment while all parties are present and all records are available. That is, while contracts are being extended or terminated, or while workers are being recontracted to other employers. The cost of settling complaints is greatly increased and much prolonged when the complainant has to be dealt with after his return to Mexico or when working at some other location. The Mexican Government has been persistent in requesting that complaints be investigated on a current basis. Delay in investigation of complaints has been a cause of irritation between the two Governments in the past. The elimination of 4 positions in the headquarters and $23,450 will sharply curtail our ability to assist State agencies in making wage determinations to cover areas dominated by Mexican nationals. Sixty-two thousand more Mexican nationals will be contracted and used in 20 additional crop-wage areas in 1958. It will make it impossible to analyze wage trends in 20 more crop-wage areas as a guide in making wage determinations; we will be unable to analyze the additional 100 wage reports from the 20 new crop-wage areas; we will be unable to prepare technical materials and conduct training sessions on wage survey procedures; and we will be unable to prepare the supplement to the crop-wage area directory. This reduction will severely limit the ability of the Secretary in making prevailing wage determinations and in discharging his obligation to prevent an adverse effect on domestic wage standards. Increases.-$19,200 will provide for a reduction in lapse from 10.9 percent to about 4.2 percent on 1957 regional office positions. $18,800 will provide for the mandatory cost of contributions to the civil-service retirement fund. Activity 4. Farm-labor analysis Increases. The increase of $1,400 will provide for the mandatory cost of contributions to the civil-service retirement fund. Activity 5. Management and administrative services Decreases. House action will eliminate 3 positions and $15,400. The elimination of 3 positions and $15,400 will make it impossible to prepare and disseminate forms, program materials, information leaflets for operation and regulation of the program and will eliminate the maintenance of necessary records of employers, workers, and foreign labor service representatives' activities. These positions are essential to keep abreast of the increased workloads in the reception centers, migratory stations, and regional offices and to maintain accounts on the 500 more individual employers and 20 more associations who will be contracting workers in 1958. Increases. The $11.000 will provide for the mandatory cost of contributions to the civil-service retirement fund on 1957 positions. Activity 6. Field direction Increases. The increase of $8,600 will provide for the mandatory cost of contributions to the civil-service retirement fund. To Office of the Solicitor__. Revised 1957 base_ 1958 appropriation request__ Net change requested---. $2,125,000 -15,800 -27,500 +15.700 2,097, 400 2,677, 000 +579,600 PREPARED STATEMENT Senator HILL. I believe your next item is the Mexican farm labor program, Mr. Goodwin. Mr. GOODWIN. Yes; the last item we have is on the Mexican farm program. We have a statement on that also, which I am submitting for the record. Senator HILL. Very well. That will appear in the record in full at this point, and you may proceed as you wish. (The statement referred to follows:) STATEMENT Of Robert C. GOODWIN, DIRECTOR, BUREAU OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, ON EFFECT OF HOUSE ACTION ON THE 1958 REQUEST FOR MEXICAN FARM LABOR PROGRAM, BUREAU OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY For the administration of the Mexican program we are making an amended request of $2,677,000. This is an increase of $579,600. Of that amount, $471,300 is requested for contracting 62,000 more workers than were provided for in our 1957 appropriation, and for better compliance with the terms of the international agreement, $110,300 is for our contribution to the civil-service retirement fund and $4,700 is for the working capital fund. The amended request reflects a decrease of $6,700 for nonrecurring items of other contractual services. The House approved $2,236,200 of the $2,677,000 requested. The increase of $138,800 will provide for mandatory retirement and working capital fund contributions and $13,800 for a small increase in temporary employment at the reception and migratory centers to contract 62,000 more workers. The reduction of $440,800 eliminated all of the 49 new Foreign Labor Service representative positions, 8 headquarters positions, and $21,100 additional needed for the 8.4 more man-years of temporary employment at the reception and migratory centers. There were approximately 32,000 employers who contract through 368 different associations, and 12,500 individual employers, who used Mexican contract workers last year. These workers were used in 27 States. To make on-the-job assurances of compliance with the international agreement and assure protection of our own workers as required by the law, we had an average in 1957 of 1 Foreign Labor Service representative to 566 employers and 5,625 workers. With the 1958 request the ratio would be reduced so that 1 representative would serve 348 employers and 3,828 workers. While many groups of employers have pledged their cooperation in observing the terms of the basic law and agreement, these same employers have stated they cannot take over the responsibilities of the Department of Labor in compliance. Recent field trips I have made sharply emphasize our inability to fulfill our responsibilities in a satisfactory manner with our present staff. I refer particularly to our responsibilities with respect to housing of Mexican workers and assuring that they receive wages which do not undercut the wages of domestic workers. With reference to our responsibility to assure Mexican workers suitable housing accommodations, we felt it necessary to make a major effort in this area of responsibility beginning early in January. A partial summary of inspection reports for the period January 1 to March 8 is of interest. In the 3,237 housing units inspected 97 were found totally unfit for human habitation. Of the remaining 3,140 units, we found 30 without water fit to drink, 50 with dirt floors, 120 without provision for heating water for bathing or laundry, 386 where major building repairs were necessary, 36 units where no beds of any kind were being provided, 516 units without heat in the sleeping quarters, and a total deficiency of 1,703 toilet units. I do not wish to leave the conclusion that all housing being provided under this program is bad. On the contrary, the above figures indicate that most of the units inspected were satisfactory, but there are enough cases where deficiencies were found to require continued emphasis on the housing inspection program. Later in the year when more braceros are in this country for planting and harvesting work our Foreign Labor Service repesentatives will be adjusting complaints, explaining to employees and workers their responsibilities under the program recontracting and terminating workers employment, and carrying out other duties in connection with the program. It is absolutely necessary that we |