El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-05-30
State Labor Commissioner
Says They Are Necessary
For the Farms.

form of unskilled labor, such as is
now represented by the japanese Is
| essential for the continuance ana as
| velopment of the specialized agrlcul-
| tural industries of California
This is the broad conclusion Oh lhe
kreport Of the state labor commissioner
| lust submitted to the governor, on the
| japanese in California, which was pre-
pared after over year of careful IleId
! work by a corps of special agents
| among the farms employing japanese
! The Investigation was authorlzeu ny
| act Of legislature just after the anu
! Japanese agitation in California In
| 190S-1O. and the report consists of over
200, 900 words exclusive of a mass Oh
| tabulated statistics.
Oriental Problem Discussed.
| The socalled oriental problem IN TINS
| state is thoroughly discussed III nc
! report and after searching inquiry lnto
all economic and social conoltIonS'
| finds that some form of farm LABOR
| capable of independent subsistence
quick mobilization and entailing no re-
| sponsibility upon the employer IoI
| continuous employment Is aDSoIuIeIy
| necessary to CALIFORNIA; field orcharu
| and vineyard industries II these vast
| enterprises are to be perpetuated ana
| develoDed. The report is of the opinion
that the Japanese who now perform
| slightly more than so percent Oh inns
| labor, are second only to the Chlhese
| in meeting these requirements.
Regarding Complaints heard asalnsI
Japanese in districts in which they are
| largely employed the repoIl -
/ theft arise from the Japs attempts 10
secure higher wages. The rough aver
age wage in the fields, orchards eno
| VINEYARDS is given at approximately
ST. so per day Under the contract sys7
| tenn, laborers make from S4-VV 10 S'-OV
I per day. From this they nave paSSeu
| to a more liberal form OF contract
worrying together on shares; TO grow
| ing crops on ground held by them un-
| der cash rental. and in comparatively
| isolated Instances, TO actual ownership
| of the land.
! ...Japanese ambition says the re-
port, TO progress beyond mere ser
Witty TO the plane OF the Detler ci1s
! Of American workmen, TO own d nome,
| % operate industries, TO be master ana
not slave, is of the same quality as
! that of the Italian, the SWISS the
Portuguese, the Russian, with whom
| he completes. and is in line with the
ambition of that type Of American VINO
will not compete with him. The mo-
ment that this ambition is exercised,
the japanese ceases TO be an loeal
Iaborer.'
Conflict of Opinion.
The report finds a conflict OF oplliIoH
throughout the fruit growing ulstIict
regarding the japanese. Whlie MANY
growers are opposed TO then' aiiotHeI
Element declares them essential ana
eo1-s the probIern will require mOdl-
fication of the Chinese exclusion law,
with the admission of the japanese and
Chinese on equal terms in restricted
numbers.
or the character of the Japanese
laborer and his desire for an AneTican
education, the report speaks III "e -
terms OF the responsibility ana re-
liability of Japanese contractors, SUP
bosses and Iaborers, the report states
they do not compare unfavorabIy win !
white men on the same stations AS u
the individual japanese laoorer' Com
pared to the typical class OF Whi.e
iaborer now in the field and sva1laole
for the work, the report gives the |
higher standard to the Japanese.
.JeD Becomes Americnnized.
The investigators found the land
owning Japanese desired 10 make MS
home in this country; adopting amer
lean customs and closely following ms
American neighbor in many ways me ,
agents invariably reported courteous
treatment and hospitality when visit
ing these men.
The report states il is not within
lis province to offer suggestions as 10
the solution of the labor problem pre-
scented, bur merely TO present the facts
after rigid scrutiny of japanese life IN !
California
The Summary.
With this data before them, and !
with the daily reports of the agents /
and thousands of interviews with en-
ployes and others financially interested !
in the problem at hand. the investi- !
gators prepared the following sum-
mary Of farm labor conditions in the !
state:
L That the relationship existing |
between the farm laborer utilized at /
present in the great industries OF the |
orchard, vineyard and field and the IN !
dustries themselves has been developed !
along lines of revolutionary character |
and is practically impossible of modi- |
fication in any material degree
2. That the problem of solving the !
situation by drawing from the present
available white farm labor supply by |
any known method will afford no
practical or material relief.
3. That the creation of an ideal
Intelligent class Of white farm labor
TO be drawn from at the sources within |
the confines of the United States is
practically an impossibility for the
reason that such an effort would entail |
an entire and radical readjustment of /
economic conditions and the relation
ship that now exists between the grow
and the system of transportation,
distribution and marketing.
Agricultural Activity.
4. That the perpetuity or continued
development Of these great and highly |
specialized forms of agricultural &C
tivity must largely depend upon
supply of labor coming from without
the United States of such a nature
and character as 10 conform TO the
condition resulting from the applica-
ton of that law to the agricultural de-
mands.
s. That the transition from the
cereal growing period of development
of specialized agriculture increased
the ratio of temporary help required
by the farming districts beyond the
normal available supply within the
state during period of largely in