Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-05-21

the agricultural labor shortage In !
gressmen John N. Garner. Claude
g. Hudspeth, and others who are
maintaining close contact with
Mexican border conditions.
% The Johnson bill provides that
labor agents engaged in recruit
ing labor TO be taken from the
state Of Texas will be required to
pay state license fee OF 5 5000 and
q county license fee Of $500 for
each county in which they optrate.
These fees. 1t is believed. will prac-
tically prohibit their activities with
in the state.
Department of labor officials
assert that at least IS per cent Of
the agricultural labor that has
migrated from Texas to the North
and East has been induced by la
Dor agencies TO make the move.
The program now being formu-
lated by Garner and others who de-
sire TO aid the development Of the
agricultural resources Of Texas is
TO present az the regular session of
congress an amendment to the inn
migration laws extending TO agri-
culture the same privilege fiow
given skilled labor-to import labor
in event of an emergency.
The third provision of section 3
OF the immigration act Of February
5, 1917, provides: That skilled la
Dor, II otherwise admissible may
be imported In labor OF like kind
unemployed cannot be found in
this country. and the question of the
necessity of importing such skilled
labor In any instance may be de-
termined by the secretary of labor
upon application of any person in
terested, such application to be made
before such importation. and such
determination BY the secetary OF
labor to be reached after a full
hearing and an Investigation into
the facts OF the case
Extension Of this privilege 10
agriculture would prove an i'm
portant factor in THE solution Of
the labor problem of the border
country. is the opinion In Washing
ton. Proponents of the amendment
frankly admit that had Texas failed
- pass the bill to restrict activities
Of labor agents any amendment
designed TO relieve the South Texas
situation would have been doomed
to failure.
I'VE do not care how many Mex
lean laborers you have in Texas
but we do not want them in the
North and East to corsuete with
Ia knys 4Vn 4n1anr4~ = hoe Ennt4 tn~
stock argument of those who favor
application Of the quota. In other
words. they are not averSe to Texas
farmers securing necessary labor
so long as that labor does not
migrate to the industrial centers.
and IL Is believed the action Of the
Texas legislature will very effectU-
ally prevent tfat northward move
4 nent of Mexican labor which has
W erved 10 create in the minds Of
the residents of the North and East
hat such labor is a potential menace
TO American wages and standards.
The action of the Texas legisla-
ture will serve a dual purpose"
Congressman Garner said in dis
cussing the Johnson bill. 1T should
prove also OF great value in con-
serving the present supply Of labor.
and also will provide a basis upon
which we can ask for an amendment
70 the immigration laws which will
permit agricultural labor to be
brought aci IS the border when an
emergency exists. Heretofore such
labor as has crossed the border has
been considered the legitimate prey
Of labor agents. who, by attractive
offers. have induced thousands of
Mexicans to migrate to the North
and East where they are employed
In competition with other classes Of
labor. I believe that to the activities
OF labor agents from the industrial
centers may be attributed to a
great extent the present shortage