Federal laws relating to veterans' benefits, (2) the customary flow of nonagricultural labor into short-period harvest jøbs, and (3) the employment in industry of agricultural workers who are underemployed parts of the year." This revision is suggested for the same reasons as given for the revision of section 2 (e) above. 10. Section 7 (a), page 6, beginning with line 3 and continuing through line 9, delete entire paragraph. This deletion is suggested since authority for making such loans is contained in legislation authorizing the establishment of Federal land banks and banks for cooperatives.

11. Section 7 (b), page 6, delete the letter "(b)".

12. Section 7 (c), page 6, beginning with line 17, through page 7, line 11, delete entire paragraph. Since it is not contemplated in this act that the government shall continue to own and/or operate farm labor supply centers this activity should be discontinued at the expiration of Public Law 229 (78th Cong.), as amended and supplemented.

13. Section 8, page 7, line 14, delete, "designated agencies in the". Page 7, line 18, delete, "agencies designated under this Act," and in lieu thereof add, "extension service".

14. Section 9, page 7, beginning with line 19 and continuing through page 9, line 2, delete entire section. The reason for suggesting the deletion of this section is that under the ninth proviso of the third section of the Immigration Act of 1917, the Attorney General now has authority to permit the entry of foreign workers for agricultural employment. Foreign workers are now working in the country under regulations issued by, and applications approved by, him. It would appear that existing legislation is entirely adequate to care for the kind of emergency situation contemplated in this section.

15. Add as a new section 9, page 7, the following, "Funds appropriated pursuant to this Act shall be available as employer contributions in the manner authorized by the Act of March 4, 1940 (7 U. S. C. 331) with respect to any person whose salary is paid in whole or in part from funds apportioned to the several States." This addition is suggested so that farm labor funds allocated to State Extension Services may be used by them to pay the employer contribution required for personnel to participate in State retirement systems. Other grant-in-aid Federal funds allocated to the States are used for this purpose under the authorization in the act of March 4, 1940.

16. Section 10 (c), page 9, line 9, delete, "nationals of the United States and aliens", and substitute, "lawful residents of the United States who perform agricultural labor whether hired or self-employed." The reasons for suggesting this change are that three-fourths of the persons performing agricultural labor are self-employed. They as well as hired workers should receive the benefits of the act. The definition of agricultural labor contained in the Internal Revenue Code refers primarily to hired workers. The term, "lawful residents of the United States" includes aliens who enter the country under the ninth proviso of section 3 of the Immigration Act of 1917 as well as other aliens who have legally entered the country.

The CHAIRMAN. The first witness we have is Mr. Tolbert, executive secretary, Oregon State Farmers Association, representing the National Farm Labor Conference.

STATEMENT OF W. H. TOLBERT, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, OREGON STATE FARMERS ASSOCIATION, REPRESENTING THE NATIONAL FARM LABOR CONFERENCE, PORTLAND, OREG.

Mr. TOLBERT. My name is William H. Tolbert. I am executive secretary of the Oregon State Farmers' Association. I am representing the National Farm Labor Conference here today.

The CHAIRMAN. How long has that been organized?

Mr. TOLBERT. It has been kind of a loose organization. It has been working together ever since the beginning of the war when we got up against it for farm labor.

We have been meeting and working together pretty much ever since then.

The CHAIRMAN. You cover a pretty considerable territory, do you not?

Mr. TOLBERT. Yes, sir.

If I may, I will read this statement. I think it will explain a great many of these things.

I have the honor of representing the National Farm Labor Conference, an unincorporated group of farm organizations and farmers representing more than two-thirds of the producers of crops which require large numbers of seasonal workers for production and harvesting. The men who make up this conference are farmers, speaking for groups of farmers, or representatives of farm organizations. These organizations reach into practically every agricultural producing area in the United States.

The association which I represent is more or less typical of these groups. I am executive secretary of the Oregon State Farmers' Association, made up of nine local farmer groups that produce a majority of the peas, canning crops, apples, pears, cherries, plums, hops, and fresh vegetables in the State of Oregon.

There is similar representation from 38 of the 48 States in this National Farm Labor Conference. In addition to myself, Messrs. Gardner, Bunje, Seabrook, and Pearce will also speak for this group.

The three major farm organizations, the Farm Bureau Federation, the National Grange, and the National Council for Cooperatives, and the National Cotton Council of America, have advised with us constantly, and I understand will present their views to the committee later on.

The bill being considered by the committee is to establish a permanent farm labor program in the Department of Agriculture. It is to provide a method of helping farmers to help themselves.

In the middle 30's a program was started to construct farm labor camps to house farm laborers in the areas of greatest concentration. Since the construction of these camps they have been maintained at the expense of the Federal Government.

We believe these camps should be maintained as housing for farm labor, but at the expense of the farmers. This is one reason for supporting this bill since it provides for the orderly disposal of these camps to farm organizations and farmers to continue them as farm labor housing, but not at the expense of the Federal Government. The CHAIRMAN. You think the farmers are agreeable to that proposition?

Mr. TOLBERT. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Those that support the organization?

Mr. TOLBERT. Yes, sir.

At the outset of the war it was found necessary to augment the supply of farm labor. Congress in its wisdom preferred to transfer the placement duties of the United States Employment Service to the Department of Agriculture, which was in much closer contact with the problems and needs of agriculture, thereby able to serve agriculture more efficiently. The principle as set forth in this bill we believe should be continued, and the farm-placement work remain in the Department of Agriculture.

At the same time this transfer of responsibilities to the Department of Agriculture was made it was realized that the farm labor force of

America must be augmented. Provisions were made by the Congress to recruit, import, and supervise foreign nationals at the expense of the Federal Government.

This was done only as an emergency measure. The unprecedented demand for the production of food and fibre has outlived the war and carried the emergency of farm labor shortage far beyond the cessation of hostilities.

We believe that the authority for the importation of foreign nationals to do agricultural work in times of emergency should be continued, but not at public expense. Therefore, we support the provision in this bill which grants such authority at the expense of the farmers who I will use the workers.

There are two periods in connection with farm labor which are very vivid in the memories of all farmers. The first period was during the early 30's, when literally millions of people were unemployed and there was more than one man of every farm job.

The second period was the months immediately preceding the passage of the first emergency farm labor supply bill in 1943, Public Law 45, when there were more jobs than men.

This situation continued and was relieved only through the emergency farm labor program.

We believe that a simple system of supplying information to workers as to where work is available and to farmers as to the sources of surplus labor supply is an answer to the problems presented to farmers in both of these periods.

Under the present provisions of law if no legislation is passed or devised, the farm placement activities and program are to return to the United States Employment Service and the State employment services at the end of the extension of the present emergency farm labor act.

Should this program return to the United States Employment Service it would be an additional activity for an already existing organization. If it remains in the Department of Agriculture, as provided in this bill, it will be an added activity to the Federal Extension Service and to State extension services.

In both cases the lines of authority are very similar. The Federal Extension Service and the USES are both Federal organizations. The State extension services and the State employment services are both State administrations. There is one big difference. The USES and the State employment services were created and are staffed to serve industry and industrial workers. The Department of Agriculture was created and is staffed to serve farmers.

We believe that the functions of farm labor should remain in the Department of Agriculture. I would like to submit to the committee the proposition that any organization that has complete knowledge and is fully aware of the problems of the people for whom they serve can do a much more efficient job for less money than one not familiar with the problems and with knowledge and information obtained second-handedly.

H. R. 3367 and S. 1334 afford the basis of considerable assistance to both employee and employer. Agricultural production and harvesting of necessity is a seasonal operation having very heavy peak loads. The varying seasons over the United States and the differ

ent crops, not only require peak loads of labor, but at the same time, permit longer employment than would be possible if workers were employed only in one area or by a single agricultural crop.

It is generally estimated that agriculture in this country requires from 12 to 2 million nonlocal workers. In order to avoid unemployment and having a surplus of workers in one area, while at the same time there is a shortage in other areas, accurate information is required.

The Department of Agriculture with its knowledge of agricultural production which varies even from season to season and day to day is best equipped to have this information and to transmit it to both workers and farm operators.

This proposed legislation very properly provides no authority for governmental agencies to direct workers as to where they must work, for whom they must work, or to direct wages or other terms of employment.

Employers and employees are left with complete freedom to negotiate all of these essential matters on a fair and equitable basis. The legislation would permit factual information to be given to farm people and farm workers which will enable them to perform better service and improve their efficiency and working conditions.

The Agricultural Extension Service who has handled this program for some years, has already done substantial work in this field as a part of their general adult educational program.

The representatives here from agriculture fully recognize the importance of reducing governmental expenditures to a minimum. It is our opinion that the provisions of this bill would be administered at an expense of not to exceed $500,000 by the Department of Agriculture and that the state agencies could carry out their functions with an annual expense of not to exceed $5,000,000.

There can be no question that agriculture, including agricultural workers, are entitled to this service just as industry is at the present time, and if the functions of this bill were carried out by any other governmental agency, the cost would be equally as great, if not greater than if the functions are performed within the Department of Agriculture.

That Department is now equipped to assemble much of the information and is constantly aware of changing conditions which require more labor in any given area.

A frost may substantially reduce labor requirements overnight for harvesting a given crop. Immediately the Department of Agriculture is alerted to this fact and can find employment for such workers in other areas and in other crops where they are needed. Such information is not readily available to other governmental agencies.

In the transfer of farm laborers from one crop to another, the skills and temperaments of workers can be correlated by those who have an intimate knowledge of agriculture. Government officials who work primarily with industrial groups cannot have this detailed information.

The recognition of the problems ahead in the production of foods and fibers and the recognition of the fine services which have been performed by the Department of Agriculture during the past four years in aiding both agricultural workers and employers leads us to

urge the early enactment of legislation involving the basic principles in H. R. 3367 and S. 1334.

It is our firm opinion that the enactment of such legislation will have the full support of all agriculture interests-both employee and employer.

Senator AIKEN. Are you opposed, Mr. Tolbert, to having the USES having the right to place agricultural workers?

Mr. TOLBERT. Yes, sir. That is what we support in this bill. Senator AIKEN. If they have no right to require them to take a job, how would you prevent them from going on unemployment compensation?

Mr. TOLBERT. Senator, you will recall at one time for a period of some 5 or 6 years, the Employment Service had the placement of agricultural labor through their Farm Placement Service. We were presented at that time with the problem of how to place industrial workers in agriculture and at the same time reduce the rolls of unemployment compensation.

It did not work. They just did not get the job done. In fact, they would take agricultural workers from agriculture and place them in industry rather than make the flow reverse itself.

Senator AIKEN. Under this bill, is anyone required to take agricultural work if it is available before going on unemployment compensation?

Mr. TOLBERT. No, sir. Quite frankly, Senator, we did not know how to do it, nor what to do on it. We certainly are sympathetic with you and your point of view that there should be some way of taking men on unemployment compensation who have agricultural backgrounds and bring them into agricultural work, but there is something basically wrong with the unemployment compensation law that would have to be worked on by Congress to make it posible for that to happen. Senator AIKEN. There is the problem that some men would prefer to collect $20 a week unemployment compensation rather than go to work on a farm.

Mr. TOLBERT. We agree with you; that is right.

Senator AIKEN. I have not studied this bill. I have not looked at it until this morning. I will admit that.

Do you believe under this bill the small farmer who requires only from one to five hands for seasonal work would have as good a chance to get them as he now has under the present law?

Mr. TOLBERT. Well, it is our opinion, Senator, that this bill is primarily to help the smaller farmer in obtaining his labor.

The large farmer is certainly financially and physically able to recruit his own men and bring them in, which is done quite often. The major part of the labor supply is not what the large user will use. It is the mass used on this farm and on the next farm and so forth. That makes up the mass of the labor supply, and it is our opinion this bill would supply that demand.

If the larger farmer has to recruit in large numbers and goes across the next State line or somewhere else to get his men, he is able to do that.

Senator AIKEN. Under the present law, the Government can bring in Bahamans or Mexicans or Newfoundlanders and guarantee them work. If they are not placed within a few days as I understand it, they are guaranteed a minimum by the Government.