The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-11-26
Your Rowing Reporters
+
Manpower Shortage Chokes of Harvesting
OF Amazon Basin Rubber Crop, Says Heath
(U. S. Navy Photo From NEA)
WEATHER is HANDICAP

This Is an area Of intense arid
ity always, and periodically it Is
visited by devastating droughts
which result in great loss Of life.
Incomes are small at best. The
ordinary workman capable Of be-
coming a rubber Seringueiro earns
from five to six milreis-25 to 30
centS-a day, when he works. 1t
seemed like good idea to take
a lot Of such men and their farni-
lies up into the Amazon where they
could forget droughts and earn
perhaps $3.50 or even $500 year.
Joao Alberto, Brazilian counter
part of Donald Nelson, says there
was no trouble about recruiting
willing migrants. But there were
plenty of headaches in the attempt
to transplant them.
An organization known as
SEMTA recruited the workers and
transported them as far as Belem,
i where they were turned over to
another organization known as
SAVA, which took them UP the
Amazon in boats operated by an
organization known as SNAPP, and
turned them over to the projects
Of municipalities and to the bigger
Seringalistas.
The Rubber Development Corp
grafton has agreed to pay 500 for
each worker delivered, plus an al
lowance of 80 cents a day for each
man while he Is en- route to his
new home. Out of this SEMTA pays
for taking the men by road to Sac
LUZ, capital Of Maranhao, thence
by ship to Belem. SAVA established
a basic receiving camp near Belem
and others up the river. SESP, the
sanitation and health agency whose
work 7 mentioned yesterday, ar
ranged to provide medical care,
sanitation and disease prevention.
Recruiting was voluntary. Single
men were promised 10 milreis (50)
cents)a day while on the way to the
Amazon. An additional allowance
of 8 milreis is made for families
Recruits also receive shoes, cothings
hammocks and food.
SHIPPING SHORTAGE
Trucks were purchased, bridges
built, and the migration began. A
sizeable contingent reached Sac
LUZ, was put abroad ship, and
then had to wait until protection
against submarines could be pro-
vided for the trip to the Amazon.
At Belem. then, the migrants piled
up while waiting for SNAPP to find
craft in which to taken them up
the river.
These trouble were worked out,
but they interfered SO much that
instead Of 10000 new workers being
provided in six months only about
$4,000 had been delivered when Joa
Alberta told the story of his trials.
He expects that by the end Of the
year the total can be brought up to
$4,000 individuals.
There is some discrepancy in the
figures that almost 10000 single
men and less than 1000 families
have been relocated thus far, total
of around $4,000 individuals.
Brazilian postwar planners would
like to see 100000 workers in the
Amazon basin. They are trying to
plan the rubber migration to include
a maximum of families, who they
hope will become permanent resi-
dents. They believe that many OF
the single men will appreciate their
increased incomes enough to want
to remain, and will 60 down to the
coast and get wives to take back
up-country.
How well this ambitious scheme
works out will depend, Of course,
on the postwar market for Braz
ilian rubber, as well as upon the
extent to which the lonely, dang
erouS, d1sease-ridden jungle can be
made paSsably habitable.