Imperial Valley press., 1934-06-26
RECOMMENDS INVESTIGATION
BY GRAND JURY OE ALLEGED
ATTACKS On W|R|N JOHNSON
Conciliator Urges Disciplining Of Harrigan,
Establishment Of Minimum Wage Scale
And Creation Of Small Farms

And Creation Of Small Farms
Recommendations to the federal government
made by General Pelham D. Gassford, appointed
labor conciliator for Imperial Valley, are embodied
in the following statement submitted by Gassford to
the supervisors of Imperial county. A copy of the
recommendations was received last night by B. M.
Graham, chairman of the board of supervisors who
released it to the newspapers of the valley today 1t
was not certain that the supervisors would take any
action today en- the recommendations budget mat
terS requiring their attention. although all members
of the board read the recommendations but withheld
any comment.
Before departing from Imperial Valley it is ap-
propriate that l submit to you certain recommend
aons deemed essential for the amelioration of labor
conditions The difficulties arising from alien labor
and its control present important considerations On
this subject am submitting recommendations direct
to the federal government.
AS result of my Investigations it appears that
the standard of living of Mexican field workers, at
the present tlme is based an average annual in
come of less than S400 With intermittent periods of
employment and the necessity for automobile trans
portatlon to seek work at widely scattered ranches
very few Mexican families of agricultural workers
are able to maintain decent existence Although
1t is boasted that melon pckers able to earn $5
or more day occasionally much S12) the number
Of days when such earnings are possible are compara
lively feW and melon pickers represent small per-
centage Of the field workers employed throughout
the year: On one ranch where melon pickers were
that their average daily earnings amounted to less
than Sl.5O per day. 1t may be true that alien Mexi-
cans receive higher wages and live better in Imperial
Valley than they do in their country, but this
cannot constitute an excuse for countenancing pov-
erty and squalor in the United States
To ameorate the living conditions of agricul-
tural field workers submit the following recommen-
datons:
Establish seasOnaly minimum wage
scale for all types of agricultural labor based
upon reasonable balance between profit and
labor cost
2-Reduce the unemployment aliens on re-
lief and the surplus of alien labor by inaugural
ing system of repatriation of alien Mexicans
such as has been accomplished successfully i'm Los
Angeles county.
3-PrOmOte the establishment of small farm
homes of One-quarter to One-half acre, to sup
plant the system of cOngested ranch camps thus
enabling resident workers to provide at little
cost large part of their subsistence require
ments
Difference in wages paid by different growers |
flnd to be one OF the most important of dis
content Although an agreement on wages and 9TH
er stpulatlons made March 9th for the pres
ent melon harvesting season, this agreement was not
sutfclenty inclusive, as to types of labor not strict
enforced and subject to variations depending upon
differences in Interpretation.
Likewise the necessary protection to growers by
withholding part of the wages until the end of the
contract, has not always been accomplished in con-
formity to the state labor laws. wide variation in
the amount withheld by different growers has been
source of serious discomfort