Imperial Valley press., 1943-01-12
CAPITAL TALKS
by
Peter
Edison

When Justice Jimmy Byrnes, di-
rector of economic StabiliZation
handed over to the secretary OF
agriculture control over all farm
wages of less than $1,000 a year, il
! was kind of a joke, like telling the
average white collar worker that
his salary would have TO be linn
tied to under SGT 200, or $4,000 a
year net. For except in a few high
" intensified agricultural industry
j areas like the dairy farm centerS
around Los Angeles, there simply
aren't any farm workers coming
even close to making S2400 a year
Average farm wages in the
/ United States today is about 500
month. without board. From
1887 to 1S40 the average wage
was under $40 a month. The era
of highest farm wages was in
1920, when the average rose to
SOS a month. So the margin
between the going rate of $50 .
a month and the so-called cell
ing rate of $500 month leaves
the employers plenty of room.
Farm wage scales are therefore
the most unfrozen pay rates in the
country. and the maximum OF S24OO
wear to which farmers can raise
the pay of their hands without
asking the government for permis-
sion practically makes the sky the
limit.
This policy of untreezing farm
wages was deliberately adopted so
that farmers could pay whatever
rate was necessary to get labor to
take off essential war crops. The
farm labor problem is largely a
manpower supply problem, not a
wage problem.
Sooner or later, the secretary of
agriculture will have to issue GER
tain basic definitions or interpre-
tations of the farm wage order
Just to standardize practices.
1t will have to be determined
whether the $4,000 year limita-
ton applies to year-round employ
ment only, meaning that agricrl-
tural wage rates cannot go above
$500 a month, or whether seasonal
labor could be hired to say $400
month for six months.
Also, some standards will have
to be set up on whether or not
food and lodging should be included
in computing wages. and at what
rates the board and keep should be
calculated.
Thus far in the war the trouble
in regulating farm wages has not
been in fixing a ceiling over the
pay scales, but in raising the floor
under them. Farmers, and the
farm organization in particular,
are against any move that will tend
to set a minimum wage for agri-
cultural labor.
Secretarvs0f Agriculture Claude
Wickard, however, thinks that
farm wages are generally too low
and he has been doing every
thing he could to better the
standards of farm labor, raising
the farm wages and improving
the living and working conditions
of farm labOrers.
There is, therefore, definite
rrOce.Tt'e to set basic wares
for farm labor which must be
moved into an agricultural area
fur seasonal employment when
there is 4 farm labor shortage.
During the coming farm year, it
will be applied to some 100000
farm workers.
SuOposing it's a case of having to
move farm hands from Kentucky
or West Virginia to New York
state to pick apples as handled last
fall.
The secretary Of agriculture sets
up a wage board of four govern
ment officials in the apples area
of New York state. Two are from
the Department of Agriculture, one
from the War ManpoWer Commis-
sion and one from the United
States Employment Service. All
are officials from the local area,
familiar with labor conditions in
that region
FARMER CAN
HAVE HIS SAY
The wage board then holds hear
ings in the area to determine what
the going rate of pay for farm la
Dor in that area may be- ANY
farmer in the area can come IN ana
speak his piece, giving evidence
as to what the wage for the in
coming labor should be. Farm Ia
borers can come in, testifying the
rate should be higher. The wage
board Sits all this evidence, then
makes recommendations TO the sec
retary of agriculture.
The secretary then promul-
gates an order, establishing the