Evening star., 1943-09-19

attack Is certain to be renewed on the
Farm Security Administration While
much OF its authority and considerable
part OF its appropriation have been
shorn away, farm bloc leaders in House
and Senate are still not satisfied They
would destroy it entirely or apply such
hampering restrictions as to reduce it to
the status of an Intellectual farm loan
bureau.
At first glance this appears to be
merely the demise, or rather the slow
decay, of another New Deal agency.
Actually 1t is more significant. If it was
not clear before, 1t Is unmistakably clear
now that the issue is between the big
farmer and the small farmer, between
small farm ownership and large-scale
organized production. Farm bloc leaders
deny this vociferously, but FSA officials
here point to the record to prove their
case.
The situation is, of course. thrown into
sharp relief by the war. There are re-
ported to be surplus pools OF labor in
farm areas throughout the country, and
particularly in the South, at the very
time when men are desperately needed
TO push war production to the peak
The political power of the cotton bloc
In the deep South has made 1t possible
to freeze these surplus workers in semi
idleness. In that way they are available
for seasonal work as they have been in
the past. The Tri-State Farm Labor
Committee, representing six mid South
counties, at recent meeting in Men,
pf1is, Tenn, heard report that cotton
pickers were so plentiful the wage would
be only 81 Is a hundred pounds this sea-
son. Last year farmers in the area paid
as high as Sits or So for pickers.
A Revealing Notice.
A farm publication recently printed
letters from county agent in Mississippi
urging farmers to get their demands for
labor on file at once. He warned them
that If they failed to do so, workers
might be requisitioned for industry.
In the Bolivar County News of Cleve-
land, Miss the following revealing no
tice appeared:
Reminder: We sent you form to-
show labor conditions in 1943 as COM
how they get that way-when they list
us. as a surplus labor area 1t is up
to you to help prove our case, or have
our labor shipped to other areas. We
may not get any extra labor by using
the data called for on the card. How
ever, if you fail to answer the questions
completely and promptly, then don't
1,,,t xyr>,tr 1oI>
leaves or is hauled of by others"
More than a year ago the Farm Sc
curity Administration saw this situation
developing. FSA researches had long
since shown that a considerable part
of the farm population worked on
marginal basis. These marginal farmers
work unproductiye land. Or they are
migrant workers employed only at sea-
sonal peaks for low wages.
c. B. Baldwin, then FSA administra-
tor, developed comprehensive program
to put marginal farmers to work full
time. II John Jones in Arkansas or Mis-
sissippi could keep his little farm in
production with three or four months
of work, plus the labor of his family,
then for the other eight or nine months
John Jones would pick cotton in Arizona,
gather fruit in the Pacific Northwest or
harvest wheat in the Dakotas, where, in
cidentally, there is a real manpower
khortage this fall.
Planned on National Scale
This was to be done on a national
scale. 1t was to be supplemented, of
course, by the importation of Mexican
workers but in limited numbers. Under
Baldwin's supervision a contract salts
factory to the Mexican government for
bringing in about $4,000 Mexicans was
agreed to.
The plan for shifting marginal workers
from one area to another was put into
effect In September, 1942. To help pick
Arizona's long-staple crop FSA sought to
send in workers under contract guar
anteeing them 50 day. The proposed
contract drew an immediate protest
from the growers. There were loud re-
percussions in Congress This intensified
campaign already under way against
FSA's program resulted in freezing labor
on-the farms. Leaders of the fight on the
FSA in the Senate was Senator Harry F.
Byrd Of Virginia. In the House Clarence
Cannon of Missouri, Democrat, and
Everett Dirksen of Illinois, Republican,
have applied most of the heat.
The first step was adoption of the
Iydings amendment to the Selective
Service Act last November. This has
resulted In the deferment of nearly L.
100000 men. OF the 100000 men to be
drafted this year only about per cent
will come from the farms. Because of
the greatly increased volume of farm
deferments, 1t has been necessary to
take men out of industry.
The second step was Public Act Is. The
Act forbids the transportation in inter-
state commerce of farm workers unless
they are specifically released by the
county agent in the county in which they
reside. This, of course, is the key. County
agents IN many States are appointed
with the approval of such powerful Or
ganlzations as the American Farm Bu-
reau Federation. In the active direction
OF the anairs of the Federation large
growers are dominant and large growers
want generous margin of seasonal help.
Public Act As also took away from FSA
any jurisdiction over the farm labor pro-
gram. The program was transferred to
the Once Of Labor of the War Food Ad-
ministration. Mason Barr, who had been
chief OF FSA's management division.
went over to the new Office nc did oth.r.