The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1940-11-13

l
| under which four million people
hardly above the thin edge of dis
tress," were discussed here in a re
port to President Roosevelt by his
Inter-departmental Committee to Co
ordinate Health and Welfare Activi-
ties.
A copy of the report was submitted
to the President last June and he re-
ferred 1t to the senate civil liberties
committee, the house committee on
migration. and the members of the
national defense commission
1t was made public here November
z in the current issue of the Social
Security Boards bulletin.
| A third of the two million agricul-
tural and two million industrial work
ers on the road in search of jobs and
home are children, the report states
"It is they who suffer most and
longest from the hazards of migrant
| life," it says. "They lack the essen
tials of normal Childhood stable
home and the sense of security it
gives the chance to go to school reg
ularly, decent food and housing, neces-
sary health and medical care.
"A youth so blighted offers little
preparation or incentive for the fu-
ture. Yet these, like other children,
are citizen of tomorrow"
The reasons for the tremendous
growth of the number of people wan
dering about the country in search of
a job, the report contends, are the
increases and changes in population
shifts in work opportunities which
have left many parts of the country
with more men than jobs, changes in
agricultural and industrial methods"
The changes in agricultural and in
dustrial methods are said to be the
most important cause of migratory
workers.
work has always fluctuated with
the calendar but modern methods
have exaggerated this seasonal swing.
Without many men while the job is
on, large-scale harvesting or road
building would face disaster.
buL the rush lS SOUL over anu lHen
it is the men who face disaster.
"As result, whole sector of the
American people stands exposed-not |
to one or few but to nearly all of
the social and economic hardships of
our time-among them exploitation of
labor, unfavorable working conditions,
make-shift housing primitive santa
ton, malnutrition and illness, lack of |
schools and of health and welfare pro-
lection"
Even the meager protection given |
the jobless by states and local COM
munities is denied these people, the
report goes on, because of their lack |
of residence. But this legal obstacle |
cannot altar the fact that these fam
lilies come to the community honestly |
looking for work, often encouraged by |
the exaggerated promises of adver-
Using or of labor agents.
at cannot obscure, much less wipe |
out, the realities of want and suffer
ing"
The movement of industrial work |
ers in search of jobs is emphasized |
4
as being just as important as the |
of agricultural workers
whose plight has been called to pub
lie attention
THE unspectacular situation of
these industrial migrants is a tribute
to their capacity for maintaining
themselves against heavy Odds" the
report declares. NEED is no less,
however, because 1t remains incon-
spicuous. The nation is hardly justi-
fled in pursuing policy based on the
notion that what you don't know
doesn't hurt you"
The civil rights of the migrants is
briefly touched upon. 1.-THE chronic
and poverty of migrant
workers too often subject them to de-
malls of their civil liberties" the re-
port declares. Their less unfortun-
tie fellow citizens can protect them I
selves against such abuses but this
group is peculiarly defenseless."
Among the recommendations made
)y the committee is the proposal that [
transportation Of workers {
~ private employers should be con- s