Arizona republican., 1913-10-24
NATIVE LABOR SHOULD
 BE USED ON s. R. '. FARMS
Production of Long Staple Cotton and Sugar Cane Now Passed
 Experimental Stage.


 The production of cotton in the Salt river valley has now passed the experimental stage. There is no longer any doubt but that cotton, at least the long staple Egyptian cot ton, is well adapted to the climate and soil of this section. Sugar cane has also been experimented with enough to show that it. also, is one of the valleys products that will at tract much attention in the future both of these crops will be planted on a large scale in the future, and as natural consequence, will demand an immense amount of labor to both cultivate and produce, and it is the question of labor that will confront the producer of both cotton and cane as well as other crops in the near future, and it is the country that can furnish it's own native labor that is most liable to succeed in the prOduc ton of any large amounts of farm products. Arizona is well supplied with labor that until now has hard lV been touched. There are thou sands of the native Indians on the different reservations within the bor- ders of the state. These people are as d rule a law abiding, peaceful people, who when trained to work either in the cotton or cane fields will do the work as they are in structed and make both cheap and efficient labor. and their employ rnent will mean tWofold advantage to the valley, from the fact that they will accomplish the same labor that an outsider could accomplish, and as they are natives, their earnings will
 
 ing up our business interests to that extent, and as this native labor be- comes more and more in touch with the world, to that extent will their wants be multiplied and to that eX- tent will they contribute to volume of trade in the various cities and towns. Many of these young In dians are well educated and intelli- gent, and are making good citizens, each working out in his own way, to the advancement of his people along industrial and educational lines. This year, besides the local members of the Pima and Maricopa tribes. there are seven hundred Papago Indians oIking the cotton fields near Mesa. These people. while they are new in the business, are not only satis- fled with the work they are doing, but they are giving universal SatlS- faction to their employers. Edward Santeo, who for many years was connected with the Phoenix Indian school, has charge of them and is looking after their interests and giV- ing them the necessary instruction to pursue their labors. In this way there is opening up to the Salt river valley a mass of labor that will in every way be more satisfactory than any foreign labor that can be i'm ported. It will forever settle the question of labor strikes, or short age of labor for any particular emer- gcncy, as these people are close by and can be had when wanted, while, when there is nothing for them to dc they will return to their homes. The government has for years been working along this line and it looks now as if the future of the Indian and the solving of the labor prob lem in this section has been accom- ranchers that have been interviewed. state that the work of the Indians in their fields is very satisfactory. They pick their cotton clean and are willing workers. and next year, no matter what the acreage of cotton or cane that is planted in the valley. there will be, if properly managed, a sufficient supply of native labor to handle it.