The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-10
F arm TOilers
Map Struggle
For Real Aid
Need fer Increased
Organization and
Militancy Cited

WASHINGTON, D. c.. Jan. g.
The first national conference of
agricultural workers organized to
discuss the problems of rural work
ers, assembled here yesterday at
Murray Hall, Tenth and U Streets
Delegates were present from local
unions of the American Federation
Of Labor, independent trade unions.
and from groups of unorganized
workers, representing thousands Of
toilers from the fields, the beet in
dustry, the cotton fields, fisheries
lumber camps, canneries, truck
farms and tobacco plantations
Small and middle farmers were rep
resented in addition to unemployed
workers from the rural communities
The conference was called to or
der by Oakley ODell Of the Onion
Pickers Agricultural Workers Union
of Ohio. A presiding committee was
elected and composed Of H. S. Nit
chell of the Southern Tenant Farm
ers Union of Arkansas, Tom Craw-
ford of the Agricultural and Can
merry Workers Industrial Union OF
New Jersey, Oakley ODell of the
Onion Pickers Agricultural Workers
Union, Jack Walker of the Citrus
Workers Union of Florida, John
Payne of the Colorado Beet Work
ers Association, Al White of the
Shsrecroppers Union, John Parker
of the Oklahoma Workingmen's Al
lance of the World, r. Urbite Of
the Unemployment Council of La
redo. Texas, and Don Henderson,
National Secretary Of the National
Conference Of Lumber annd Rural
Workers.
New Deal Outlined
The opening report by Don Hen
derson outlined the New Deal pol
icies as they affect the agricultural
workers and the poor and middle
farmers. He pointed to the worsen-
ing conditions Of the rural popula-
ton and the increased cost OF
foodstuffs to the urban population
as a direct result of the A.A.A pro-
gram of benefits to the large land
and plantation owners.
Rural relief, he said, is being used
to keep the agricultural workers
during the off-season at the barest
minimum starvation rates, while
during the crop season, 1t is being
Withheld to force the agricultural
workers to accept back-breaking
Jobs in the fields at wages of five,
ten and twelve cents an hour.
The main problem confronting the
rural workers today, Henderson
said, is the fight against the Roose-
welt attacks, for increased relief and
against any attempts to drive still
lower the living standards of the
agricultural workers.
During the course of the past two
years, he said, there have sprung
into existence large numbers Of
rural labor unions, many OF which
are under honest rank and file
leadership that is carrying on mill
tant struggles for the elementary
needs of the farm workers.
For Single Organization
I'VE now have the task of draw
ing UP plans of how best to coor-
dinate these groups into a single
organization Of larger numbers of
the rural workers, and to draw them
in as an integral part of the whole
labor movement" Henderson said.
A partial list of the organizations
represented at the conference in
cluded:
International Hold Carriers, Build
ing Trades, and Common Baborers
Union Local 1921 of Arkansas, "a.
F. of L.; Sawrnill and Timber
Workers Union of Kimball, w. Va.
CA. F. of Id; Colorado Beet Work.
ers Association; Sea Food Workers
Union of Biloxi, Miss; Florida Cit
rus Workers Union; Unemployment
Councils of Laredo, Texas; South
ern Tenant Farmers Union of Ar
kansas, Inc; Sharecroppers Union
Of Alabama and North Carolina;
Agricultural Workers Union Of Nc
Guffey, Ohio A. r. of L.; New Jer-
sey Cannery and Agricultural Work
ers Industrial Union; Unemploy-
ment Council of Charlotte, N. c.;
United Farmers League of New Jer-
sey, Connecticut, Minnesota, Wis
consin; Farmers Holiday Associa-
ton of Wyoming; Workingmen's AL
lance of the World and the Rocky
Mountain Beet Laborers Association,
Nebraska and Colorado.