Imperial Valley press., 1933-01-10

| in the number of families and in
dividuals seeking aid of welfare
agencies, Imperial Valley will have
burden which residents will be
| unable to carry, said w. N. Cum
ningham, head of federal free en-
ployment service in the valley.
There are three times more work.
ers than are needed for all kinds
of work.
"As an example of the terrific
drain on valley welfare agencies, y
said Cunningham today, "thS Ell
Centro Red Cross alone furnished
aid to 597 families during the
month of December. Other agen-
cies in all parts of the valley nave
carried a similar burden.
welfare agencies cannot con-
tinue to function unless the influx
of families ceases. The burden is
too great"
In Imperial Valley at the present
time there are 300 transient fami-
lies all California residents, Cum
ningham explained. There are
lis families camped on one lot at
i Calipatria, 80 families on New
river at Brawley and others scat
tered about the valley. A conserv-
ative estimate of the number of
persons in each family is five.
There is no work for these fam
lilies and they are subsisting on
supplies obtained from relief agen-
cies. When spring peas are to be
picked in about three weeks, there
is hope that this situation may be
relieved, the federal agent said
These people are not trained fol
work in the lettuce and any work
secured in spring peas will depend
| upon the size of the crop and
market conditions.
1.-The situation never was more
satisfactory to federal and state
agencies as upon December 49," the
federal agent continued. "All these
families were occupied at tina.
time due to the unusually satisfac-
tory weather for a continuance O!
| pea picking. The pea crop a year
ago furnished employment fol
5000 persons. The situation, how
ever, changed overnight because OF
frosts and the natural ending OF
the crop"
Continued Coming
In spite of the fact that bulle-
tins explaining the lack of work Ii
Imperial Valley were placed in fill
ing stations and auto parks in al
parts of the state of Arizona anc
radio broadcasts urged workers tc
remain away from the valley, hun
dredS of persons continue to poul
into the valley from all parts ot
California, especially from the Sar
Joaquin valley, said Cunningham.
when we admonish these people
for having come here when there
is no work for them," said the fed
eral agent" they usually reply, we
always have come, the weather is
bad up north and 1t is warm ano
pleasant here
"The sad part of 1t is they are
unable to understand that the let
tuce acreage in the valley has beer
cut in half. So here they come
! with their families. They say
Here we are. Feed u.s."
This season there are exception
ally large numbers Of Mexican
field workers out of work due to the
decrease in the lettuce acreage
Local growers, said the agent, are
making every effort to cooperate
with local agents but the influx
from the outside is overwhelming.
A close check of new arrivals ,e-
vealS that in most cases Arizona is
willing to furnish gas and oil to
unemployed transients coming &c
California. AS yet, said Cunning
ham, but one case was found to
have been advised to come 10 I'M
perial Valley from the northern
part of the state.
Welfare and relief agencies re-
| port, said Cunningham, that they
are continually hampered in theil
handling of the situation by big
hearted but ill-advised individuals
who listen and sympathize with
i those who complain of the manner
in which relief is handled in the
valley. The big-hearted but poorly
informed individuals frequently
promise to "see that you get what
is coming to you" from the various
agencies and thus complicate the
situation.
welfare organizations in the val
ley are functioning 100 per cent
and are handling a bad situation
unusually well,' said Cunningham
"They understand the people witt
whom they have to deal and dc
the best they can in every case
Sometimes it is impossible to give
aid"
LAS a result of the constant vigi.