The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1920-07-22
FOREIGN LABORERS
BROUGHT TO IDAHO
DEPARTMENT is
WORRIED BY SITUATION IN
IDAHO BEET FIELDS

Invasion of Idaho by foreign lab
orers is causing the department OF
labor and immigration much con
cern. The sugar beet industry OF
the state is responsible for bringing
immigrants from Canada and Mexi.
co under a special ruling by the de-
partment which permits these labor.
ers, although ineligible to remain ii
the United States, to come here fol
the purpose of doing agricultural
work, only. This arrangement was
made at the request of United States
senators from Washington, Oregon
California and Idaho, where sugar
beets are grown extensively.
Governor w. J. Mcconnell, i'm
migration and labor inspector fol
Idaho, has just returned from the
, southern part of the state where he
was called to investigate conditions
in respect to these immigrants. Dur
| ing the past three years several
thousand Mexican poems were
brought into southern Idaho to work
in the beet fields.
During the past year number OF
Russians have been brought from
Canada and are located near Paul,
where there is large sugar factory
and beet growing is the chief in
dustry. The latter are said to be a
dustrious, clean and splendid workers
and they are in demand. The sugar
companies contract with farmers to
raise beets, the company agreeing to
supply the labor necessary to cultl-
I, of tho
Russians have large families and all
work in the fields.
Complaint was recently made that
three Russian families had deserted
from the work for which they were
imported and Governor Mcconnell
was asked to make an investigation.
He found that one family consisting
of man and wife and six children, had
been sent to one of the beet farms
and were given hen house in which
to live They rebelled and sought
and secured employment elsewhere.
The special ruling under which the
the country temporarily, provides
that they must not engage in other
than agricultural work and cannot
come into competition with American
labor. AS American laborers refuse
to work in beet fields these foreign
laborers are needed to save the
sugar beet industry, and the labor
unions do not protest against them
working the the beet fields and sugar
factories. But when the people de
sert" from the sugar companies and
90 to other lines of work the depart
ment hears a protest from organized
labor.
Governor Mcconnell has made his
report to the department and natur-
ally declines to state what his find
ings are, but he says the Russians
brought in are a desirable class and
would make good citizens. "They are
a fine lot of people," said he. "You
would have difficulty going among
the Americans and picking the same
number of families that would appear
as we'll, be as Industrious and gen
orally good as these people. They are
Lutherans and have built Lutheran
church at Paul and are doing splend
id work The department has made
a ruling that all of these people, ad
mitted under a special ruling, with
he proviso that they must be return
cd to the country from which they
came when their work is done, may
remain in the United States if they
Are eligible to become citizens. This
shuts out the Mexicans
who are poems and cannot read or
write. But the Russians may be per-
nitted to remain. The latter will not
stand for the treatment the Mexi-
.ans put up with, and demand better
than the poems get
The latter are not accustomed to
rood Accommodations in their native
and put up with anything"
Much complaint has been made
hat the Mexicans have deserted and !
scattered out into other lines of |
work. Labor unions protest against |
his. Governor Mcconnell has been |
,usy trying to locate these desert :
RS" who have gone to other places
md scattered pretty well over the
Iexicans were admitted to the Unit
d States requires them to work only
n the beet fields but as there are
of several weeks between
'lanting and cultivating and again
'etween cultivating and harvesting,
he Mexicans are thrown out of work
much of the time and have difficult
y in living on the wages secured
yhen idle large portion of the year.
Governor Mcconnell says the sugar
eet crop in south Idaho is the best
n the history of the industry, and
he acreage is also larger than ever
efore. He says all crops in the
outh part Of the state are the best
e has ever seen and he placed their
at 20 per cent above that of
rops in north Idaho, which are the
est in many years. "Crops would
aturally have to be better there than
ere, because of the added cost OF
under irrigation and high
r land Values" he said.
Governor Mcconnell visited Twin
'alls, Pocatello, Shoshone, Minidoka,
aul and Boise, on his trip and made
close study of conditions in each
,cality.