The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-02-13

| for the winter They have been kick
ed around. literally and in litera-
ture. But along comes the war and
look how it may reach down to
change their vagrant existence:
In the first place, the rubber
shortage may get them. Picking up
| for their jalopies, an old casing
worn down to the fabric won't be SO
easy. Even the used cars themselves
won't be too plentiful. And the mi
grant families will have to scrape to-
gether enough to pay that S. year
automobile use tax. That's broaden
| ing the tax base for you, all right.
EMPLOYERS MAY
MOVE THEM
Anyway, with a transportation
crisis facing the migrants, their
problem Of moving from one crop
to another and one farm to another
Is something for the employing
landowners to think about. In the
truck farming and orchard districts
you may see employers being forced
to provide transportation for their
temporary. seasonal labor. The pic
ture Of the landowner sending his
trucks south to pick up his labor
and haul it right to his own prem
iSeS is one that may become COM
moner - If the employer, of course,
rides on rubber good enough to
stand such long distance moving.
Supplementing this there must be
considered the fact that an esti-
mated 5000 agricultural workers
have been drawn into other activ-
titles the Army or war industry
jobs. That means an increased de-
mand for farm labor. If this de-
mand must be met entirely by the
hiring of temporary labor, then
tremendous revolution will take
place in the pattern OF our civiliza-
ton as it has been in the past nine
Or ten years. Instead of the migrant
worker being merely endured and
put up with ana generally kicked
around, he will have become an eco
nomic necessity, and the mainten-
ance OF an effective and ample mi
grant labor force will have become
just as important as loan from the
bank, a roof on the barn, market
for the crops.
1t will probably be one of the most
ironical touches of the New Deal
program if all this solicitude the
government has shown for the I'M
fortunate migrant agricultural work.
ers should now bounce back and be
reflected in condition whereby this
"pampering" Of the Okies has re-
suited in the salvation, the keeping
intact of pauper class which will be
an important factor in harvesting
the food that will win the war. I'm
possible as such a situation may
seem, it is yet within the realms of
likelihood, so far-reaching are the
effects OF a wartime economy on
normal conditions.
HARVEST
NOW ON
There is as yet no real shortage OF
migrant farm labor. People In the
northern states may not realize it,
but the harvesting of the 1912 farm
crop has already begun. Citrus fruit
crops of Florida, Texas and Califor-
mia are on the market. Strawberries,
first of the berry crops, are begin
ming to appear in some quantity.
Early vegetables are being shipped
in carload lots
From now on until Maine potatoes
and Michigan and Washington state
late fruits are picked, there is
steadily swelling OF activity in the
farm lands which city jewellers, sit
ting down to their shortcake and
cream, seldom think about. Farm la
Dor scouts from the canneries have
been looking over the situation and
they report enough hands in sight
for this seasons operations. Not too
many, but enough.
Department of Agriculture's mar
keting service keeps an eye on this
situation, too. They report findings
in term OF index numbers which give
picture of the whole country. A
year ago, they put this surplus farm
labor supply at IS. Today is 1t "a.
A year ago, the demand for farm la
Dor was put at SO. Today it is 81.
The demand for farm labor has gone
up The despised and pitied Okies
are becoming an economic necessity