Imperial Valley press., 1942-06-17
CAPITAL TALKS
by
Peter
Edison

| old saw, WHAT WIN iOu Ooe Aoi
| Money!
on the one hand. Paul V. Nc
Nuts War Manpower COMMISSION
issues a couple of fancy directlVes,
one to the Farm Security Admini-
stration telling FSA to increase the
number of mobile labor camps in
order TO make available enough
farm labor to achieve the Food
for Victory objective, the second
directive to FSA and the Office
OF Defense Transports tion to as
sure adequate transportation facili-
ties to move migrant agricultural
workers.
On the other hand, FSA
comes back with the word that
il has no money to increase
its mobile labor camps, and
ODT makes il unanimous saying
that il has no money to move
the workers, even il FSA had
camps to put them in.
So, if anything gets done in the
| immediate future. 1t seems the
money will have to come out o1
that good old reliable kitty, the
Presidents emergency fund. The
policy committee of the War Man.
power Commission has passed
resolution to impress on Congress
and the Bureau of the Budget the
NECESSITY for allocating funds for
these migratory farm laborers, but
! resolutions aren't exactly 1olding
money, yet
Today's FSA has 95 migratory
labor camps on its books-45 per-
manent, 43 mobile and six being
set up. 1t has made surveys to in
dicate where $50 additional camps
might be located.
HIT BY REVOLT
The Bureau Of the Budget rec
| commended that for the year be-
ginning July /, S3.5 million>be Civ
en- TO FSA for migrator" labor
camps. The House of Representa-
tives. in revolt against FSA, COM
pletely elm mated the item. The
| Senate restored it, but put a limit
of sl.4 million on the amount to
be spent for camps. If the ceiling
stays at that level, FSA will not
only be unable to open additional
camps, but it will have to close
down over half of the 95 camps now
running If that happens, listen
/ TO the farmers yell and watch Con-
PresS do a magnificent about-face
! TO set up these maligned Ckle
/ camps once more.
tina tC
linding for the Office of De-
fense Transportation. Although
jt got this directive from the
Mann0wer Commission on May
2I, ODT hasn't done anything
about the situation for the SIM
ple re son that it couldn't.
ODT also has no money TO
spend on transporting migrant
workers. ODT furthermore Is
not in the transportation bust
ness. 1t owns no buses, no tires,
no gasoline.
When transportation crisis
arises, all it can do is clamp down
on some unnecessary transporta-
ton in some locality and direct
that the equipment thus made
available be used in some other
service. Thus, it put the sight-see-
ing buses into regular transporta-
ton channels, hauling war work
ers. But to expect ODT to step in
to eVery rural commun where
there is a farm labor shortage and
mobilize transportation to haul
farm labor around is too much.
FSA Administrator @. B. Bald
win has testified that there are
thousands and thousands OF farm
labo~ers available if they can be
rroved where they are needed.
HAPHAZARD JOB
Recruiting of farm labor has been
haphazard, Baldwin asserts, and
the resulting waste of manpoWer
on the agricultural front has been
costly. Somehow, the gasoline and
rubber and transportation situation
will have to be rationalized to meet
the issue.
Department OF Agriculture
field men report some tendency
on the part of farmers to re-
duce the acreage of some crops
needed i'm the Food for Victory
prOgr m because they fear
shortage of farm hands. That
kind of panic might be serious.
The points this issue emphasizes
are two. First, solving this farm
labor shortage, where it exists, is
local problem. Second, govern
ment by directive, where one
agency tells another to go do some
thing it hasn't the power or au-
thority to do, is simpl? glorified
buck passing and if the War Man
power Commission thinks 1t can
solve its problem, admittedly one
of the toughest assignments in the
war effort, that way, it is doomed
tn complete failure.
WASHINGTON
FUSS AND FEATHERS
US. is now producing cheese at
the rate of billion pounds year,
which is enough for the British,
the Army and Navy, and two pieces
with every cut of pie for yourself
Consumers Division of OPA adj
yises you should leave the ruffles
off Tour next pair Of new curtains.
Another war economy tip is to ord
er your winters coal now, hut
don't insist on immediate delivery
The Army needs more chaplainS.
Special approval must now be OBJ
tanned for an air trip of two hours
or less, if you cen get there by
train in six hours. Don't waste