Bogalusa enterprise and American. (Bogalusa, La.) 1918-19??, 1922-03-09
fRILD AND ALIEN LEN.
labor IN BEETS
,...I.an Farm Worker Not Pro-
l'' acted by Sugar Tariff.
~ WAGES ARE BEING PAID
Not Wanted" Say Field
T''' g.nassrs In Colorado and
Michigan
Nv \. z. MILES,

naI.' sollcitude, put forward by
~ tariff politicians, when an up
p ~ .rIsIon Of the tariff IS In order.
Iaa sss always been true and is now
Il congress In connection with eff
1as y ! enact the high rates in the
s ,.s y so-calIed Permanent Tariff
\. farmer as well as the worker
l has come to realize that any
10 may derive from an eXorbl-
~, ,.rIF levied in the name Of pro-
al w. IN an article which he pro
a.. e more than Offset by the
w. W.. which he must pay On art-
ll.', rblrb he consumes but does not
49, ~, e q good example Of how this
~ u. On, with reference to the farm
~ M American beet sugar industry
Z .asrsd under a protective tariff Of
I.'. IN mound on Cuban raw sugar.
a. Emergency Tariff Act increased
- n nor cent. One Of the arguments
,-.sca5 for this tremendous increase
mn the beet sugar industry need
,bls protection In order to protect
4. american farm laborer engaged In
slspg sugar beets.
unfortunately for this argument
A.,ols very little American farm labor
\ ~ beet sugar industry as the rec
y, N the Department Of Labor and
N ropartment Of Agriculture show.
Snear beets are raised and harvested
.Inof entirely by the cheapest grade
a,nable Of foreign labor. contracted
\, Il The sugar manufacturers and
v,Ded over to the beet growers.
MA bosses in the beet sugar Sec
m, have indeed frequently told in
gdIrs.ors that American labor is not
wuie5 because "a Yankee can't stand
b hard work"
Child Labor In Majority
NJ only Is the larger part Of the
M SUGAR labor this low priced for
IN lAboF which we are warned
,Hns but even a larger part are the
sldfen OF these foreign families.
Il Colorado alone, one of the most
rpotant beet sugar states, the Ma
sna Child Labor Committee found
1000 children between the ages Of six
I'D aiseen years, practically all of
ilen parents, regularly engaged in the
EltYaton Of sugar beets.
From the time the beets are In the
ncand until they are delivered at the
1gtoy the hardest kind Of manual la
bW Is required And much of this Is
Done By small children. These children
spend ong, hard hours on their hands
aHd hees wedding and thinning the
bets Then when the beets are full
gon they spend more long, hard
i1urs lifting the heavy roots to their
hess and with a wide sweep Of a dam
RDusly sharp knife cut off the tops.
The Federal Children's Bureau made
q ltensve study Of the Colorado sit
udon OF LOTT included in this study
Nen.tehths were the children Of con-
tact laborers. Over one-fourth of
ben we're under ten years old, a small
Etentage under eight. Less than
aeafth were as much as fourteen
mars old. Considerably over a half
HEgad from nine to thirteen. From
9 70 50 per cent, according to the
pntess In which the child was engag-
4 worked nine hours or more a day.
nm One-seventh to one-thIrd, again
ugIng with the process, worked
seTen hours or more a day. The
uenge working day for all processes
YES usually between nine and ten
huH
Evil Effect on Children
postural defOrmities and malposl-
Tons we're found in 20 per cent of the
children examined by the Bureaus
hIHieans. Another serious effect is
n Interference with their educa-
loa Among $50 children from
lle 70 sixteen years Of age for whom
Saool records were obtained over 40
a cent we're from one to seven years
sg8 me normal grade for their age.
iae general study Of the National
e.l Labor Committee in Colorado
M Michigan indicates that these con-
ssloas held generally throughout the
ia raising sections. A farmer who
.sA or leases land contracts with the
M company to furnish a certain
-.4oe' OF acres on which beets are to
m s'oEn' The company agrees to fur
me hand labor. The company
" contracts with a laborer, usually
aaASan Jap or Mexican, to do the
IN % definite number Of acres.
lR number Of acres a laborer con-
49, Q care for Is based largely on
auaioef Of children he has.
4. ~ laoor employed in the Colorado
1elds Is practically all foreign la
NJ NJ, !, a.exlcan, Japanese and Russian.
ae1leans and japanese, however,
NJ work their children as much as
ue RussiaRs. The Russian chill
sa elIen begin work as early as four
I'VE years Of age.
Al ..lcllgan conditions are very sim
excepting that the nationalities
- workers are more diversified,
.ue'e are fewer Russians and Mex
~. and no japanese. They are
- ~ largely Of Hungarians. Slavs
g.. .ne small provinces, Polish and
ANS In Michigan, as in Cclora-
i,.1 u oeet people are exploiting the
ta laborer md his cbiIdrop