FARM LABOR PROGRAM BY PROJECTS The CHAIRMAN. Governor, you propose to take care of the crop year of 1943; this is your 1943 crop year program? Mr. TOWNSEND. That is right. The CHAIRMAN. And you propose to cover 4 months in the fiscal year 1943 that is from March to June-and 6 months in fiscal 1944; in other words, the calendar year 1943. Mr. TOWNSEND. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. You are asking for that purpose $65,075,000, in six projects. The six projects are: (1) Farm-labor transportation. (2) The establishment, maintenance, and operation of farm-labor centers. (3) Mobilization of local labor resources, nonfarm youth, and women for farm labor. (4) Investigation of farm wage rates. Does that include the recommendation for the fixing of minimum farm wage rates? Mr. TOWNSEND. No. We have only two obligations concerning farm wage rates. One is the wage rate for the Mexicans and the other is for domestic labor. We feel an obligation to arrange for the wage rates with the employer, so we can tell these people whom we are trying to mobilize what they may expect. The agreement would be between the employer and employee. The CHAIRMAN. Your fifth project is farm jobs simplification and your sixth is administration. This outline of the projects may be made a part of the record at this point. (The matter referred to is as follows:) (1) Contemplates transportation, medical care, subsistence, etc., (b) Year-around labor-contemplates movement of 17,000 hired hands be- Total, project 1. 2. Farm labor centers: (a) Operations, maintenance, and management: Operation of 250 new Total, project 2.. United States Department of Agriculture, farm labor program—Continued 3. Mobilization of local labor resources, nonfarm youth, and women for farm (1) Youth from cities over 25,000 population: On-farm supervision; Total estimate, Mar. 1, 1943, to Dec. 31, 1943. NUMBER OF WORKERS TO BE TRANSFERRED The CHAIRMAN. Your purpose, then, is to move something like 400,000 men to replace men on the farms. You expect to move them and get them into operation between the spring of 1942 and the spring of 1943. How many do you propose to move? Have you given us a figure there? I am a little uncertain. Mr. TOWNSEND. I will ask Major Walker to answer that question. The CHAIRMAN. Just give me an estimated figure to go on. Major WALKER. Approximately 350,000 seasonal workers will be moved. Approximately 110,000 will be moved between March 1 and June 30, 1943, and about 240,000 between July 1 and December 31, 1943. The CHAIRMAN. But they are to replace something like 400,000 men lost from the farms between the spring of 1942 and the spring of 1943? Then you propose, as I get it from your justification, to move 350,000 seasonal workers; 42,000 year-round laborers? Mr. TOWNSEND. That is right. The CHAIRMAN. Two hundred thousand youths from the cities and towns to the country; and how many women? Mr. TOWNSEND. The women and children are put in one group. The CHAIRMAN. Are they included in this figure of 200,000? Major WALKER. No, sir; they are included in the total farm mobilization. It will represent about 3,200,000 except for a limited number of women that will probably be recruited in connection with the Women's Land Army in certain areas. We have no figure on what that will be. The CHAIRMAN. Roughly, how many would you say will be in this Women's Land Army which you propose to move? Mr. WILSON. Around 10,000 for year-around farm work in 1943 with a somewhat larger number, possibly 50,000, for crop season work. The CHAIRMAN. You propose to move, then, 600,000 men during this calendar year; that is, 600,000 laborers during the calendar year, is that correct? Major WALKER. Except that most of those women will not be moved very far from their home, Mr. Chairman. The CHAIRMAN. But they are nonfarm women and you expect to put them on the farm? Major WALKER. Yes, sir. TRANSPORTATION, ETC., OF SEASONAL LABORERS The CHAIRMAN. These 350,000 seasonal workers whom you expect to move, you are providing a total cost of $30,691,000. That includes transportation, medical care, and so forth. Those are the workers that you refer to as having worked in California? Mr. TOWNSEND. Yes. The CHAIRMAN. Those are workers, as I understand, who service what are called flash crops? Mr. TOWNSEND. Yes. They would be moved from area to area, up the coast, up the Mississippi Valley, and through the Plains States. Those are the ones for whom the cost of moving will be high. Those are to take the place of the normal migrant laborers that did move when there was a labor surplus. TRANSPORTATION, ETC., OF YEAR-ROUND LABOR The CHAIRMAN. You also propose to move 42,000 year-round workers. That would make a total of 392,000 at a total cost of approximately $37,000,000. DISTRIBUTION OF RECRUITED LABOR Geographically, how do you expect to distribute these laborers? Mr. TOWNSEND (indicating on chart). These dots represent the farm-labor centers we hope to establish. The crosses represent the centers that have already been established. You can see that they cover three general areas across the United States. The CHAIRMAN. That is the Atlantic seaboard, the Mississippi Valley, the Great Lakes; the Atlantic seaboard being the first area, then the Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes the second area, and the Pacific and the Great Plains the third area? Mr. TOWNSEND. That is right. The CHAIRMAN. In what proportion do you expect to move them in those three areas? That is, how many in each area? Mr. TOWNSEND. It is estimated we will move up the Atlantic seaboard, between March 1 and July 1 about 31,000; and between July 1 and December 31, 94,000; in the Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes between March 1 and July 1, 14,000; and between July 1 and December 31, 41,000. The CHAIRMAN. A total of 55,000. Mr. TOWNSEND. Then in the Pacific and Great Plains area, we propose it move between March 1 and July 1 65,000 and between July ant Decen.ber 31, in that area, 105,000. The CHEM.IN. That is an over-all of 170,000 in the Pacific and Great Plains area? Mr. TOWNSEND. Yes, sir; 170,000 in the Pacific and Great Plains arer is right, Mr. Chairman. The CHAIRMAN. By moving, you mean that you intend to supply them? Mr. TOWNSEND. Yes, sir. Tue (FIRMAN. And from what source do you expect to secure them? Mr. TOWNSEND. I will have Major Walker answer that. SOURCES OF RECRUITED LABOR (See p. 6) The CHAIRMAN. Take first the Atlantic seaboard. Where do you expect to secure those 127,000? Mr. TOWNSEND. The Atlantic seaboard, within the area, and from Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana. The CHAIRMAN. This labor is now engaged in doing what? Mr. TOWNSEND. This labor, most of which we call underemployed, partially employed The CHAIRMAN. Is it in the city or the country? Major WALKER. We have been getting them from both places, so far. Mr. TOWNSEND. From cities, towns, and some from the country. Mr. TABER. All colored? Major WALKER. Most of them from that area are colored. The CHAIRMAN. Will that discommode the farmers in that area who have been accustomed heretofore to rely on that labor, that you are moving out? Major WALKER. A lot of the labor from that area has moved backward and forward constantly in the whole migratory movement. They would move themselves now, if they had any means of transportation. We try to recruit so as to keep from taking too many from one area. The CHAIRMAN. What is the attitude of the farmers in that area, in the areas from which you are taking this labor toward this removal of labor from their vicinity? Major WALKER. In some areas they have not had any objection. In others there has been very vigorous objection. Mr. TOWNSEND. Has that always been the case, even when there was a plentiful supply of labor? Major WALKER. Yes; I think that was true. But at that time the Government was not involved. The CHAIRMAN. It has never been attempted before on this scale? Major WALKER. No, sir. The CHAIRMAN. The Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes: Where do you propose to secure those 55,000? Mr. TOWNSEND. Within the area, and in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Oklahoma. The CHAIRMAN. Will the removal of men from Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Oklahoma in any way militate against the interests of employers of labor in those States? Mr. TOWNSEND. Of course, you understand that those areas have their harvest season much earlier than the harvest season farther north, and many will have completed their farm work in those arcas before they will be transported north. The CHAIRMAN. But the planting season is also much earlier; will you return them in time for the planting season? Major WALKER. We are returning them now. As an illustration those who were moved north to New Jersey last year are now being returned to Florida. We will be recruiting labor in Florida in June and July for areas of need in the North. METHODS OF RECRUITMENT The CHAIRMAN. We have had complaint, and rather urgent complaint, from Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama that their labor is being moved over to Florida, and that it interferes with their planting season, which is beginning in the near future. We have had protests from individual farmers down there and from two of the farm organizations to that effect. We were given a typical circular that is being distributed down there. It reads: FARM LABOR WANTED-WAGES $3 TO $5 PER DAY Spend the winter in Florida. Help the United States Government save fruit and vegetable crops needed to win the war. Return home next spring in time to make your own crop. The Government will pay travel expenses for workers and all members of their families to and from the Florida jobs. Wages are set by the Government at not less than $3 per day and 4 days' work per week is guaranteed. Housing is free and medical care if needed. All jobs are under Government contract. Most of the work is on piece-rate basis and good workers can earn $5 per day and up. Regular employed farm workers between 18 and 45 many get exemption from the draft. (See Selective Service Release No. 168.) Farm workers so exemps. from the draft are free to go anywhere in the United States to work on farmt producing crops needed for the war effort. Workers and their families going to Florida should carry with them enough clothing, bedding, and cooking utensils. Each person can carry up to 75 pounds of baggage free. Every man of draft age must have his draft card. Everyone must have sugar and other ration books. Each worker, whom we sent out, is required to take out a membership card in the Migratory Agricultural Workers Union. The initiation fee is $1 and monthly dues are $1 per month while employed (paid-up members of the regular S. T. F. U. locals are not charged initiation fees. Dues paid in advance are adjusted.) There are no other charges made for the protection the union offers. We cooperate with the War Manpower Commission and its operating agencies, the United States Employment Service and Farm Security Administration in recruiting and placing farm labor. Mr. LUDLOW. Who put that out? Mr. TABER. The Farm Security Administration? The CHAIRMAN. No; I think this is by an organization that is trying to get members to join, but it is done under the activities of the Farm Security Administration. Now we are told that essential labor needed in these States is being drawn off to Florida and that they will be in Florida at a time when the planting season begins, and will interfere with putting in a crop in those States this spring. Are you familiar with that situation? |