Imperial Valley press., 1939-04-16
Taylor Advises
Against Increase
Of Labor Power
BY RALPH ii. TAYLOR
Executive Secretary, Agricultural
Council of California;

AT a time when organized labor
is at war in its own ranks, tying
up business and industry with juris-
dictional disputes and fighting bit
terly for supremacy in its own
household it is no time to give Ia
Dor leaders added power by enact
ment of special privilege labor leg
islation.
Likewise. with unemployment
still rampant and recovery still
far from achievement, it is no time
TO increase labor costs.
And any labor relations legisla-
tion which may be sought, setting
UP unfair labor practices, must ap-
ply equally to both sides-the en-
ployee, as we'll as the employer.
Such, in effect are the recon-
mendations Of the Agricultural
Council of California, representing
the states major farm cooperatives,
with regard to labor bills pending
before the state legislature.
Taking into consideration the fact
that California wages are higher
than wage scales in the nation at
large, the council also recommends
against any attempt to enact a
state wage and hour act at this
time And on the same score, 1t
has turned thumbs down on bills to
set up artificial food and drug
standards, which would put this
state-With its already highly stan
dardized, better quality products
at an economic disadvantage with
other states in marketing its COM
moditieS
With respect to measures design
ed to extend the states unemploy-
ment insurance program, the coun-
Gil recommends that no action be
taken to broaden its scope until the
state administrators have worked
out the intricacies of the present
law and established an efficient
workable program under it.
In addition to these recommends
tions, the council, at its semi-annua
meeting recently, voted unanimously
to oppose the Inauguration of
production -for-use program in Cali
fornia for persons now on the dole
The council took cognizance o
the statement of the state relic
administrator that the dole, as nov
administered, will bankrupt thu
state in 10 years-most of its mem
bers concurring in the statement
But it found, following careful sur
vey and study, that production TO
use experiments, wherever the,
! have been conducted in Californie
have been far more costly thai
direct relief or the dole. In fact
the relief administrator himsel
stated as much to the assembly re
Gently.
Analyses of state relief admins
tration operations by the state de
partment of finance, as of June 81
1898, reveal that 81 Of the self
help (production-for-uSe) barterin'
units have been discontinued ant
owe the administration SPOT ,565 .0G
And the 35 units still active as o
June 80, 1898, owe the administra
ton $181, ,823.73.
Throwing additional light on tn
economic unsoundness of the pro
duction- for-use program, the divi
sion of self help cooperatives, Il
reply to a letter asking for com
parative costs of self-help units ant
direct relief, reported that stud
of the period from April l to De
cember 81, 1887, showed the pro
duction -for-use projects cost $3l9,
214.42 more than it would have cos
to maintain the same number 0
persons on the dole.
Computing that it would hav
cost $40 per month per family t
support the same families on direc
relief, the division listed the com
parative costs as follows:
Actual cost on produc-
tion-for-use basis $690,8l44 A
Cost if direct relief had
been used ....................... 81 5000