Martin J. Flysik, of the Washington Department of Labor and Industries, writes, "There is no statutory provision requiring the state to furnish seasonal industries with labor or keep any reliable data on migratory workers. Therefore we are unable to state just how much our harvests depend upon the ‘auto tramp' labor. Personally, I agree that a governmental dispensing agency should be established in all states if considerable seasonal work is performed. I find this is a problem in Washington in the fruit picking and also in the harvesting of (wheat) crops." R. E. Spangler, of the Idaho department of agriculture, writes, "No plan is in force to bring jobs and workers together during the peak of agricultural labor demand. In the southwestern part of the state a great many transient workers come every year to pick fruit. Many of these come in cars and camp out." Frank Clark, labor commissioner for Wyoming, sees the evil of unregulated drifting, and writes, "From an industrial standpoint we have ten men for every job, and more are coming in. Our experience with the ‘auto bums' is that they will not work. They apply for work, but scarcely ever report. They invariably tell what wonderful oil or gas men they are but they always keep away from the towns that offer that class of employment. The whole tribe of them is a nuisance and should be wiped out-the way, I am not prepared to say." Ex-Governor William E. Sweet, of Colorado, expresses his conviction that the beet labor situation should receive assistance from the United States Employment Service, and states his regret that the present contract-labor system which brings in a sufficient number of workers for the beets should not also provide for removing them to other jobs at the close of the harvest. It leaves them in the state to become dependent on public and private charity. One of the large sugar companies is trying to care for this situation by colonizing its workers and offering generous inducements for them to spend the slack season in improving their homes. But this is only touching the fringe of the need as yet. In my own state, Oregon, the department of labor estimates the resident workers to be sufficient to harvest the crops of its present acreage, and issues bulletins, through the summer and fall harvests, showing the supply and demand for workers in all parts of the state. It is inducing large organizations of growers to place their orders for the approximate number of workers needed with reliable employment agencies, long enough in advance of harvest to permit connections with families who have homes in Oregon or nearby states. These workers, who have a sense of responsibility to some community, provide better care for their children than do the "floaters," and offer fewer problems in health, morals, education, poor relief, petty thieving, and other delinquency. Some of our Oregon growers are watching such demonstrations as that of the Hood River apple section before giving up their old idea that a large amount of surplus labor floating through is necessary to the determination of a reasonable wage scale. The number of workers is no more important than the quality of service rendered. Six Oregon ranches demonstrated, in 1924, a health and recreation service including day nursery for the harvesters' children, first aid for minor injuries, camp sanitation, and opportunity for personal hygiene and wholesome evening entertainments. The largest of these ranches held 1,000 workers to the end of harvest, in contrast with the drop from 1,000 to 300 within the first ten days in previous years, and reduced the harvest period by eight days, with a consequent saving of thousands of dollars in overhead. On three of the six ranches the organization was effected by the Council of Women for Home Missions, a national organization of twenty church groups. Applications for jobs are pouring into the ranches having the personal service. The ranch managers state that they can now select their group instead of accepting the first "floaters" who appear, but they deplore that they cannot offer to find jobs for their workers at the close of their own harvests. Alien labor. The present lack of mobilization of labor for the fruit, beets, and other agricultural demands has led to the introduction of large groups from Mexico by contractors. Up to a few years ago these contract-labor groups were brought into the States through the immigration offices, and by legal requirement were returned to their residence at the close of their employment. Certain contractors now use the method of sending representatives only as far as the border states. It is easy for them to send an inconspicuous-looking, Spanishspeaking girl across the border and pass the word along that there is a chance for a certain number of Mexicans to get jobs if they cross the line at a distance from immigration inspectors and appear at a certain railroad station. Mrs. Anna G. Williams, of the Denver Social Service Bureau, tells of the Mexicans left stranded after the beet and cotton harvests. She tells of many who are dazzled by the great white lights of the city and become unwilling to work again in the isolated fields; that they are not fitted to obtain work in the cities, and so become objects of charity. Minnesota reports five hundred Mexicans left stranded there after harvest. It is true that the Mexican laborers do types of work which the white man has come to scorn, but there is no evidence that there is a shortage of Mexican laborers now living in the United States, fitted for the work and ready to do it if properly mobilized. The process of adding to the Mexican population of the United States without due admission needs checking by immigration officials. The proposed registration of aliens would be a step in the right direction. The Canadian border is not free from an influx of migratory workers who claim the Canadian's right of admission but who are not citizens of Canada. Witness the number who entered from Canada in 1923, following the advertisement of the Canadian National Railroad for 10,000 wheat harvesters, which brought 32,000 from the British Isles and the European continent. The Denver Post of last Sunday, June 14, carried the following communication from Arthur W. Crawford: "The National Manufacturers' Association has announced its intention of renewing its advocacy of an amendment to the law to give it greater flexibility when there is a labor shortage, and a consequent demand for a larger flow of immigration than is possible under the quota system. Agricultural groups will support a plan for flexible arrangement to apply to farm labor." Students of employment remember that the United States is estimated to have one and three-quarters to two and a half millions of unemployed, even in reasonably prosperous times, and they wish to see effective mobilization of all employable labor now within the United States before any further lowering of immigration bars. The report of the American Association for Organizing Family Social Work, issued April 27, 1925, indicates that there is far from being a shortage of unskilled labor in the United States this year. The three millions of transient farm laborers enumerated by Mr. Frederick A. King, of the Russell Sage Foundation, are capable of being mobilized for other types of jobs requiring no skill.1 Need to ascertain facts.-Mr. Francis I. Jones, director-general for the United States Employment Service, writes, "I regret that I have not the information to supply you as to the number of migratory workers in the United States. I hope the day will come when an adequate appropriation will be made in order that we can gather such information intelligently." Mr. Edward D. Foster, Colorado commissioner of immigration, says, "The frequent shifting of labor in large numbers cannot be reached by any local remedy. Any plan to avoid economic disturbance must be broad enough to take in districts where climatic conditions and natural industries offset each other in the matter of seasons." The feasibility of extending the Farm Labor Division of the United States Employment Service receives testimony from its director, Mr. George E. Tucker: Agriculture is the largest employer of labor in the nation, employing annually about eleven millions [3,000,000 of them transients]. Seasonal labor is the most difficult class to handle because it is almost invariably emergency labor, and we must see to it that the right number of men are recruited and arrive at the right places at the exact time they are needed. It is the hardest to supply because the calls come on short notice and for short employment periods. When this Farm Labor Division is given the fund to extend its work, covering all of the seasonal farm labor of the country, I believe that the migratory labor and the normally unemployed labor and, in times of depression, that class which is forced from employment, will practically all be absorbed. An expert speaks.-Mr. Quince Record, United States employment director for the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Coast states, says: I have a dream of dovetailing jobs so that every able-bodied, industrious, ambitious man or woman shall have a chance to make connections with jobs providing livelihood. I have found, in my study of federal connections with public and private local employment offices, that the best results come from non-fee-charging offices administered by civic agencies, such as that for men under the Denver community chest, and that for women under the Denver Young Women's Christian Association. Another dream of mine is that the state, broadly interpreted as meaning city, state, and nation, shall face its responsibility for providing winter work required for the livelihood of migratory workers whose summer and fall work in harvests is essential to our 2 Public Employment Offices, p. 528. country's welfare. Such winter work will include construction of public utilities in mild climates, and certain types of manufactures. The plan for anticipating the winter peak of unemployment may be a long way in the future, but this other matter of intelligent recruiting and distributing of labor during the peak of demand cannot fail to commend itself soon to our Congress, after some fact-finding body devotes time and effort to ascertaining the exact needs of each state. The federal service would still continue to act as the connecting link in collecting monthly reports from reliable contacts and publishing them in monthly bulletins, but should give increased service to all communities through a small, highly specialized staff of field representatives cooperating with state and local non-fee-charging employment agencies in recruiting and distributing labor. The United States Employment Service maintained ninety-six offices in 1917, 773 in 1918, and decreased after the war until there were only 197 in 1923. The 1925 directory names thirty-four states and the District of Columbia as having official representatives, and 217 local offices cooperating. The Russel Sage studies compiled in Public Employment Offices include this statement: "If we wish to look still further into the future we may sometime see public bureau representatives referring gangs of workers about to be discharged to new employment, by giving them the necessary information 'on the job,' before they are actually disbanded, saving the time and effort of workers and of service to industry." What can we do?—The Division on Industrial and Economic Problems, of the National Conference of Social Work, seems to me to have opportunities for service in solving the problem of the migratory workers; first, by emergency methods in treating the symptom until the removal of the cause through raising standards among employers regarding camp sanitation, and through recreation and health service, day nurseries, and schools at the joint expense of the workers and of the employers or the general community benefited by the farm industry; second, by cooperation with chambers of commerce, railroads, and other advertising bodies in devising a slogan which will not take the punch from the advertisement, but which will suggest the need for capital or the assurance of a job to those considering a change in residence; third, by a nation-wide campaign of informing public opinion through motion pictures, cartoons, fiction, and the personal effort of social workers, about the folly of leaving home without definite destination, capital, or the assurance of a job; fourth, by a campaign of education among private citizens about the harm they do to the beneficiary and the community by giving gasoline or other aid to a supposed migratory worker without investigation by an authorized agency; fifth, by investigating the seasonal work situation in our own communities, and, if there should be an opportunity, by reporting back to this Division in the 1926 Conference; sixth, by enlisting the interest of some fact-finding organization in determining the exact status of the seasonal employment situation in the United States, especially as it relates to agriculture, according to the suggestions by Mr. Quince Record. This effort will not be altogether altruistic, for whoever may help stabilize and give direction to the present army of wanderers will reduce the load for his own community. VI. NEIGHBORHOOD AND COMMUNITY LIFE ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE COMMUNITY THAT DE- Professor John L. Gillin, University of Wisconsin, Madison History of democratic organization.-Community organization of one kind or another has existed a long time. In Tacitus we read of the tribal assembly before which all important matters concerning the tribe were discussed. The Greek city state provided for the discussion of matters of common interest. A similar situation existed in Rome. The community center, as we conceive it today, goes back to the settlement. While the groups making up political units found expression on political matters in the town meeting of some of our early colonies, with the development of other than political interests we find private organizations struggling to organize those interested in them for their special purposes. Robert Woods, in 1893, suggested the use of the school buildings as social centers. In the meantime the settlements themselves had provided a forum in which neighborhood matters could be discussed. About the beginning of the present century Clarence Perry and E. J. Ward backed the agitation which led to the realization of that dream of Woods. The early attempt of Ward and others stimulated experiments which did not last in many places because people were not ready to put the time and effort into the work necessary for permanence. Moreover, leaders had to be selected and trained and the public trained to see the importance of some of the problems. Recent developments in this work are more permanent because the people have been educated up to them and because leadership has been recognized and a larger number of people have become interested in community organization. Increasingly it has been impressed upon our people that if democracy is to mean anything there must be more face-to-face meeting of people of various classes. Furthermore, it has been recognized that recreation must be stimulated and directed. The young and the old have used their spare time too frequently apart from each other. Commercial recreation, it has been discovered, cannot be relied upon for the direction of spare time activities. Furthermore, it has been found that spare time can be used as a means of educating the citizenship, both young and old. Too frequently the child or youth leaves school at a time when his socialization is quite incomplete. Classes, clubs, discussion groups, lecture |