The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1918-01-10
Admission of Chinese Farmers is
Under Consideration.

| WASHINGTON, Jan. q 1918. AT the
| instance of Republicans in the Senate
the Committee on Agriculture Of that
body has been directed, by unanimous
resolution, ''to make careful investiga
ton into the ACCESSIBILITY of recommend
ing legislation that will permit the i'm
portation of Chinese farmers into the
United States" for the duration of the
war The resolution was no sooner
adopted than enthusiastic endorsement
of the idea began to be heard from all
parts of the country, especially from the
Pacific Coast.
The Board of Trade of the city of Pas
adena, California, has passed a resolution
favoring the proposition, the 5Oth An
nual Convention of the California State
Fruit Growers Association has taken
similar action; and the press of the State
is giving wide and favorable publicity to
the movement. Letters and kilograms
from individuals also attest to the i'm
pending disaster to our food supply II the
labor shortage is not met before the next
| harvest season.
In the East the matter is being taken
up and the press of New York City is
giving it prominent notice. Word has
come from Connecticut that that State
has been positively combed clean of
laborers of every description, and thou
sands of valuable farms in that section
of the country are lying idle as conse-
quence
1t is not the intention of the propo-
nents of the resolution SO to amend our
immigration laws as to permit the i'm
portation of what are known as COOLIES,
but to admit only farmers. The efficiency
of the Chinese farmer is of the highest.
1t is said they can raise more produce
from a given area of land than any other
people in the world, and their general in
tellgence is far above that of the coolie.
Cuba and France already have drawn
upon China to relieve their labor short
age, and it is reported by the Congress-
men who recently visited the war zone,
that there are in France at the present
time, or en- route to that country, about
100, 900 Chinese farmers. They receive
a daily wage of twenty cents and their
board.
Official figures show that already the
| TO
about 1920 Chinese farmers, 100 of
whom own their own farms. About
IL, 900 of the number are in the State OF
California, and have so favorably i'm
pressed the agricultural interests of that
State that they are anxious to have the
number increased.
1t is not anticipated that the move
ment will excite the antagonism of the
labor interests, as the Chinese, if .brought
to this country, will be sent only to those
places where there is no labor of any
kind to be had. They will be kept here
probably not longer than six months af-
ter the close of the war, and then return
|
our soldiers who will have come back to
their homes ready to resume the tillage
of our farms.
The importation of Chinese labor can
not be undertaken under our present
laws, which must be abrogated in some
way by Congressional action. That adj
ditional farm labor is one of the great
needs of the nation is alarmingly true.
Prompt action is needed if we are to get
Chinese labor in season to do the country
any good this year. With the utmost
haste it will be hardly possible to get the
laborers here before April, when plant
ing and sowing will be well underway in
! many States.-Ed.