Greenwood daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1919-1926, 1920-02-26
LABOR CONDITIONS
NPORTO RICO.
A Living Wage and DEVELOPMENT of
Industries on Large Scale Is
Urged by Joseph Marcus.
Associated Press

wage and development of industries on
a large scale is needed to Danish the
"most intolerable conditions" under
which the immense landless popula-
tion of Porto Rico have labored for
centuries, Joseph Marcus, special ag-
ent of the United States Employ
ment Service, declares in a report
issued by the Department of Labor.
The investigator reported that lack of
employment for a large part of the
people, intermittancy of occupation
and small wages have brought about
critical situation on the island
The Porto Rican laborer looks to
the United States with it's enlighten-
ment and leadership in humanitarian
ideals to rescue him, the Marcus re-
port stated. Both the government and
the American Federation of Labor are
being appealed to, it was explained.
But before the industries can be ex-
pected to enter the Porto Rican field
shipping facilities must be increased,
with fast steamers in service; a bran
ch of the Federal Reserve Bank must
be instituted in the island, and there
must be more independent, land-own-
ing farmers, according to the report.
Then, with big export business, work
may be provided for all at fair wages.
Now when a laborer is working he
and his family share a breakfast of
only black coffee, luncheon of rice
and beans, rice and Goldfish, or cod
fish and plaintains, and a dinner the
same as luncheon, it was stated.
The Porto Rican is beginning to de-
mand better living conditions, Mr..
Marcus reported. Strikes organized
and supported by the Free Federation
of Labor which is affiliated with the
American Federation of Labor, take
place Frequently"
In Aguadilla, one of Porto Rico's
principal towns, characterized as the
''strike breakers district" and the
poorest section of the island" in
stances abound where families eat on
ly once day and have meat but
once in a year, the report said, add
ing that about 80 per cent of the pop
ulation in the district have tubercu
losis. Hookworm and other tropical
diseases abound throughout the en-
tire country.
Describing the "jibaro' or noun
tain dweller and principal factor"
in the labor problem of Porto Rico,
since he constitutes nearly 80 per
cent of the population, the Marcus re-
port sums up the situation as fol-
lows:
"This jibaro is still living in the
same environment under which his an
cestors lived one or two hundred
wears ago. He builds his little shack
on land that does not belong to him,
and he works, when work is to be had,
on the nearest cane, coffee or tobac-
co plantation. His dress consists OF
a pair of white trousers "a white shirt,
and straw hat. His wife and chill
dren are clad as poorly as he is; and
none of them wear shoes.
sonal, and it lasts seven months at
the most; so that for five or six
months he has to do the best he can
for a living. Bananas and other tro-
pical fruits are plentiful and in many
instances the landowner for whom he
works during the season permits hlm
to eat his bananas gratis. Some re-
ceive with their little huts patch OF
ground and raise some foodstus dur
ing the dull season, but such cases are
not common. How he pulls through
the slow season is mystery.
1.-THE jibaro is exceeding courteous,
especially to Americans; good-natur-
ed, ready to render favor at any
time, and, though poor, accept no com
pensation; he is even cheerful and
fond of music But he is sick man
Uncinariasis (hookworm disease), an
emia, ETC., are very widespread. Dur
ing the fiscal year 1917-18, 2O.59O
hookworm patients were treated by
the health authorities. Those figures
however, must fall far short of the
actual number of people afflicted
since the difficulties in getting to
dispensary or a private physician are
numerous.
"The principal food consumed by
the Porto Ricans is made up OF rice
beans, Goldfish, coffee, and bread. O1
these five articles of diet only cot
fee is not imported. There are some
mountain rice and beans raised on th'
island, but the bulk of the other thre'
commodities and the entire consump
tion of Goldfish are imported from 9th
er countries, chiefly from the Unltet
States. excepting Goldfish which i
brought from Canada.
"Undernourishment makes the Ia
borer an easy prey to disease and un
fits him for hard manual labor; M
endurance is undermined and he can
not stand the strain of 10 to II hour
work IN the fields. This fact IS no
unknown to employers, for some ex
psxanents il connection with prcperi!