Mr. DAWSON. I do not know a great deal about that. Mr. COOLEY. We fixed a definite deadline for the sale and disposition of these properties. What I am anxious to know from someone is what has been done in that direction. Mr. DAWSON. I don't know what steps have been taken definitely to liquidate them, because that hasn't been part of my recent studies. However, I would like to say this: as I understand this bill, provision is made for growers and farmers to take over these facilities. I see no good reason why the communities, States, and local governments, or cooperatives, or the people doing the work, should not be able to take them over. The experience with growers' housing hasn't been any too encouraging. Mr. COOLEY. I agree with your statement with respect to the disposition to farmers, because, as you pointed out, you had experience. I think they should be made public institutions and maintained by either the county government or the State government, or the municipality. Mr. DAWSON. I would be in favor of doing everything we possibly can to get that done. Mr. COOLEY. Or better than that, as you pointed out, to sell it to somebody with a family and permit the family to settle down there and live there. Mr. DAWSON. Often cooperative groups are not organized under the laws of the United States. I am not in favor of making it just a growers' proposition. Mr. HILL. I would like to go back to what you said before. Am I to understand you to say we should provide these medical and health facilities to all our people and that doesn't lead to socialized medicine? Mr. DAWSON. No, I do not necessarily have that in mind. In fact I do not know the answer to how we are going to get the universal medical service. We are going to get it one way or the other, because we have to, and there is probably more than one way of getting it. Mr. HILL. That is not what you meant in your statement? Mr. DAWSON. No, I do not have reference to that. I think in these labor camps under the present conditions, and the way they were during the war and the depression, certainly there is some of the medical service that will have to be provided through the Public Health Service. Of course we know certain aspects of it have always had to be done that way. Mr. HILL. We have done it to a considerable degree in our territory. Mr. DAWSON. I would like to see financial provisions made for cooperation with State and local health departments in working out means of getting health services. One study that was made at Hidalgo County, Tex., showed 43 percent of all the live births were dead before they were 18 years old, and 15 percent before the age of 1 year, and 40 percent of those who died under a year's age died without having the attendance of a physician, which is a pretty bad situation. Mr. HILL. I would like to ask this question: How much of this should we plan to leave to the local communities? I agree 100 percent if the city would take it over, or the municipality. I am referring to these camps we were talking about. Mr. DAWSON. I think the legislation ought to authorize whoever is administrator of it to take the maximum steps to get local communities, counties, or municipalities in cooperation with the States, to do this job, but it takes advice and some stimulation, and somebody has to be looking after it. Mr. HILL. If the Government did the all-over planning and the direction of this work, could not the carrying out of the order or the plan be done through the local community? Mr. DAWSON. I think it could be worked out, but I don't believe it will be, except at some places, without the administrative machinery and encouragement that could be offered through this type of legislation. Mr. HILL. Of course the communities do not have the same type of leadership. A community which has the right leadership can take over a camp and conduct it in the American way and provide homes for boys and girls and see that they go to school. Mr. DAWSON. That is right. Mr. HILL. I don't mind telling you I get tired of folks always telling me you can reform a community, you can reform a municipality or State, and you can even go to heaven by just passing a law. Mr. DAWSON. I agree with you. If you don't do all that, you miss the objective, but one thing that could be done with this type of legislation is to have the means by which we could build the leadership. If it is just going to be wholly paternalistic, I agree with you, but I still believe in setting up the machinery, in creating the opportunities for self-help, with whatever regulations are necessary to control the recalcitrant, the people who just won't do what they ought to do. Mr. HILL. Our State has been doing some wonderful work on county nurses all through the rural schools. All you have to do is to come to my county, or a number of counties in my district, and I will show you where the school nurse examines the boys and girls regularly. Mr. COOLEY. Mr. Dawson, this committee has considered this problem year after year for many years. We definitely set the deadline on December 31. Don't you think it might be a good idea if you and the others interested in this problem would have a conference while you are in Washington with the Administrator of the Farmers Home Administration, to find out just what he has in mind in regard to the disposition of these camps, and then concentrate your efforts to see that these camps go into the hands of those who rightfully should own them and operate them? While you are here, will you get in touch with Mr. Lasseter and his associates? Because, just as the chairman pointed out, the possibility of passing this legislation, or any legislation of this kind, is going to be very difficult. The CHAIRMAN. The committee is going to have to adjourn. Mr. DAWSON. I hope, Mr. Chairman, the committee will give serious consideration to modifying some of the provisions of this bill along the ideas that I have presented in my statement. I think this is a very important thing to the welfare of several hundred thousand children. Mr. COOLEY. Whether we modify the provisions of the bill or not, under existing law the things you want done can be done without the cooperation of the Federal Government. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will adjourn until 10 tomorrow morning. (Whereupon, at 12:10 p. m., the committee adjourned to 10 a. m. of the following day.) PERMANENT FARM LABOR PROGRAM WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 1947 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, The committee met at 10 a. m., Hon. Clifford R. Hope (chairman) presiding. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. The Chair might suggest, while he does not wish to limit the questions on the part of the members of the committee because we want to get all the information necessary, if the members of the committee will forbear a little and not take too much time in the questioning of witnesses we can proceed, a little more expeditiously. We will be glad to hear you at this time, Mr. Anderson. STATEMENT OF F. A. ANDERSON, DIRECTOR, AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICE, STATE OF COLORADO Mr. ANDERSON. Mr. Chairman, and members of the committee, my name is F. A. Anderson, Director of the Agricultural Extension Service in the State of Colorado, and chairman of the farm labor committee of the Association of Land-Grant Colleges and Universities. Other members of the farm labor committee are L. R. Simons, Director of Agricultural Extension Service in New York, representing the Eastern States; Aubrey Gates, Associate Director of Agricultural Extension Service in Arkansas, representing the Southern States; W. W. Clark, Associate Director of Agricultural Extension Service in Wisconsin, representing the North Central States; and F. L. Ballard, Associate Director of Agricultural Extension Service in Oregon, representing the Western States. This committee was created by the Extension Service Section of the Association of Land-Grant Colleges and Universities at its last annual meeting for the purpose of formulating suggestions as to what shoul dconstitute a permanent farm labor program in the event that such legislation should be enacted by Congress and the administration of the program assigned to the Cooperative Agricultural Extension Service of the United States Department of Agriculture and the Land-Grant Colleges and Universities. The suggestions for a permanent farm labor program formulated by this committee have been concurred in by State extension directors and the executive committee of the Association of Land-Grant Colleges and Universities, provided that legislation enacted by Congress is not in conflict with the statement of policy adopted by the executive committee of the Association on February 11, 1947. These suggestions are as follows: In converting our present Emergency Farm Labor Program to a peacetime basis in keeping with postwar conditions, a careful and constructive job should be done, based on all of the experiences of earlier years and the needs of the years ahead. The factors entering into the production of agricultural products can be grouped into three major classifications: (1) Land, seed, fertilizer; (2) power, machinery, buildings; (3) labor. Much work has been done in the past in fitting our land to production needs through drainage, irrigation, conservation practices, and so forth. Likewise, much has been done in the development of new and improved varieties of crops and fertilization practices. The development of sources of power and improved machinery has made the American farmer the most efficient producer in the world. But only during periods of labor shortages has much attention been given to the hired agricultural worker, the efficient use of his service, and the welfare of himself and members of his family. In the future more attention must be given to the human aspects of production and the welfare of hired workers. In 1939 it is estimated that about 4,000,000 different persons worked for wages in agriculture. The hired agricultural worker and his family must be recognized and accepted as part of our agricultural population and given full opportunity to benefit from the various services and assistance available to other people engaged in agriculture. Basically, a program of a permanent nature should be broad and inclusive, covering the problems of growers on the one hand, the needs of workers on the other hand, and both in the best interest of the public. The most satisfactory program will be one which grows out of a proper balance of interests expressed by the various groups concerned. It should be a program in which private initiative and organization is used to the maximum, and governmental assistance kept at a minimum. The program should recognize that "adequacy," from any point of view you want to consider it, involves a healthy coordination of the functions of research, education, organization, service, and regulation. RESEARCH The soundness of any program will be largely determined by the factual material available on which to make current operational decisions. A continuous analysis of farm labor needs and supply is essential to efficient utilization of the resources available. The amount of labor required will also depend on the work methods, equipment, and management practices followed by farmers. Studies are needed by which the easiest and most economical ways to do a job can be searched out, developed, and put into use. The specific needs for housing, health facilities, and insurance for workers are matters which must first be determined before intelligent action can follow. A farm labor program should provide for getting the background needed to make the program most constructive and worth while. EDUCATION If the program is to draw heavily on private initiative and resort to direct governmental assistance only when necessary, the program as a whole must include well-integrated educational activities to develop the understanding of problems that will result in intelligent action. Education, as it is thought of here, also includes the informational efforts essential to get acceptance of and compliance with the action program itself. It is difficult to separate education from action. They go together and the latter is usually quite dependent on the former. Educational activities would therefore include everything from developing a knowledge of the local labor situation to getting an understanding of major national policies affecting farm labor; from the efficient use of labor on the farm to efficient utilization of the total labor supply; from getting participation in a local campaign to coopeartion among neighbors in utilizing labor from outside sources. ORGANIZATION Farmers as individuals can do a good job of operation on their own farms. They have found, however, that they must work together in buying, selling, and financing. Cooperative farm labor associations have proved their worth during the war years. They should have a place in the years ahead in helping farmers solve their farm labor problems in much the same way that they have used them to solve problems of marketing, purchasing, and obtaining credit. So, again, if the farm labor program is to capitalize on private initiative, the program should help farmers set up the machinery necessary to carry on their part in recruitment, housing, training, and placing of farm labor. An organization of sufficient stability to contract with out-of-State groups or government, and an organization with financial responsibility is needed in each area requiring labor from outside sources. Considerable assistance would need to be given farm groups in perfecting such organization, and in developing contacts with worker representatives. SERVICE The actual service of obtaining employment for a worker or obtaining help for a farmer is more than an office procedure, although that is the part which is visible. Knowledge of local farm conditions, confidence of farmers, respect of workers, and judgment in making day-to-day decisions are essential. A placement service should involve the sizing up of the entire local situation before turning to outside sources for workers. The local farmers' organization should participate in an allocation of workers among farmers in the area in accordance with production needs and work opportunities. Effective placement requires much field work, contacting farmers and workers during periods of employment to handle problems and improve employer-employee relationships. Service to the farm worker in guiding him to proper employment or in getting employment when workers are over-plentiful is a problem which must be worked out jointly with those familiar with nonagricultural opportunities as well as agriculture. Work experience on a farm for city youth may become as important to general welfare in the years ahead as securing youth to help farmers has been during the war years. |