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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (March 7, 1961)
Use of Mexican Americans Said Not Willing To Do Some Types of Farm Jobs Washington - HOT - A House ubcommittee was told Mon day that American farm work- In the Day's News By FRANK JENKINS From Albany (Oregon): Scientists working with a rare metal refincj here by the Wall Chang Corporation have found a way of creating extremely strong magnetic fields, using a very small amount of electricity. The metal is known as columbium. Ninety per cent of the world's supply of it is produced by the Wah Chang Corp. from ores mined in Malaya, South Af rica and Australia. With its aid a magnetic field can be generated with one-fiftieth of the wire hitherto needed. In case you ask what that means to you, electric motors work by means of a magnetic field. If they can be made with one-fiftieth of the wire now needed, they can be made cheaper and smaller. THIS new metal is expected to improve radio transmis sion. And- The scientists say- 1T ENCOURAGES DREAMS OF HARNESSING FOR PEACEFUL MEANS THE SOURCE OF ENERGY USED IN THE H-BOMB. GOING on from there I suppose you readin the papers the other day that our nuclear submarines are run ning an unexpectedly long time on one charge of their atomic fuel. The story added that the time might not be too far off when they will operate for DECADES on one charge. The story speculated that the time may even come when a nuclear submarine may be built that will NEVER have to be refueled. AND- That suggests that a nuclear-powered SPACE SHIP MIGHT SOMEDAY BE BUILT THAT WOULD CRUISE AROUND FOR EVER OUT IN SPACE. w ELL, you can't stop a guy from dreamin'. ' AFTER all Would such a thing be any more fantastic today than was electricity when Ben Franklin first flew his kite up into the stormy skies and brought the miracle of elec tricity down to mankind? Or when Wilbur Wright and his brother Orville made a crude airplane fly for two or three minutes at Kitty Hawk? Planes had been dreamed of for centuries. Back in the late 1400's Leon-, ardo da Vinci envisioned the idea of mechanical flight and drew a crude but accurate OltEGOJ Iff Hl'TM! hi anncunceb tfie atichUment cf? Medford Insurance Agency Fred R. Brennan Mrs. Giroud Davidson Certified Insurance Agent! at Agents in Jackson County Standard legal reserve policies currently saving up to W OREGON MUTUAL INSURANCE CO.. McMINMVILLE, OREGON ers refuse to do the type of work performed by thousands of Mexicans brought to the United States each year. Representatives of three agricultural organizations ap peared before the House agri culture subcommittee on equipment, supplies and man power to urge extension of a program under which 500, 000 Mexican nationals are brought into this country an nually to work in farms. Matt Triggs, a spokesman for the American Farm Bu reau Federation, told the sub committee that U.S. citizens "are interested in permanent jobs . . . rather than the temp orary and intermittent em ployment of the type perform ed by Mexican nationals." Robert F. Lederer, who ap peared on behalf of the Ameri can Association of Nursery men, said the Mexicans do "rough field work" and "stoop labor," which he described as work American migrant work ers are "completely unwilling to perform." J. Banks Young, a repre sentative of the National Cot ton Council, told members of the subcommittee that suf ficient domestic workers were not available to meet agricul tural needs. "Furthermore," Young add ed, "most Americans simply do not want to perform the stoop labor incident to most agricultural jobs." Triggs said that if the Mexi cans workers, referred to as braceros, were not available it would force American' farm ers to hire more domestic mi grant workers and thus add to a social problem. "Many people are concern ed and properly so with the health and education of mi grant children and point out that migrancy itself is the major aspect of the problem," Triggs said. The farm bureau spokes man said that those who op pose extension of the program to bring Mexican nationals into the country for farm work "are, in effect, calling for an increase in the num ber of migratory workers." Termination of the program also would "adversely affect" the Mexican economy, Triggs said. He added that earnings of the braceros "have been second only to tourism as Mexico's most reliable and greatest source of foreign ex change." sketch of what an airplane ought to look like. But it wasn't any good un til somebody came along and invented the internal combus tion engine which provided the power to get a plane up in the air and keep it there. The internal combustion en gine also made possible the automobile, which revolution ized land transportation and made walking ibsolcte. So . . . don't scoff too much about this new rare metal and what may come of it. Farm Labor Expected More Protection For Americans Among Top Issues Washington - (CQ) - Pro posals to change the law au thorizing Mexican nationals to enter the U.S. for farm work are expected to produce a bitter Congressional fight this year. The law expires Dec. 31 and must be renewed during the current session. Hearings got under way Monday before a House Agriculture subcom mittee headed by Rep. E. C. Gathings (D-Ark.). The chief issue is whether changes should be made to give added protection to A m e ri c a n farm workers against wage competition from Mexican workers, who are called braceros. Some 315.846 braceros entered the U.S. in 1960 and worked on about 45,000 farms, chiefly on the cotton and vegetable crops in Texas, California, Arkansas, Arizona and New Mexico. They are supplied by the La bor department under an agreement with Mexico de signed to insure reasonable working conditions. Under existing law, the La bor department is not author ized to supply braceros to farmers who have not made an effort to obtain native American workers before re questing braceros, nor may it supply them in areas where this would have an adverse effect on the wages of Amer ican farm workers. The bra ceros must be paid 50 cents an hour or the prevailing wage in the locality where they work, whichever is higher. Safeguards Too Vague A bloc of labor unions and welfare groups, including the National Catholic Welfare conference, the National Council of Churches of Christ and numerous AFL-CIO un ions, believes that the exist ing safeguards for native American workers are loo vague. In practice, they argue, the mere availability of the braceros creates a labor glut and depresses wages and working conditions for do mestic farm workers, particu larly migratory workers. The nation's 346,000 itinerant farm workers worked only about one day in three, on the aver age, and made only $911 per person during the year 1959 the latest for which figures are available. As evidence that the pres ence of braceros is largely re sponsible for the low income of domestic farm workers, the labor - welfare bloc cites an October 1959 study by a spec ial Labor department consul tants' group headed by cx- Sen. Edward J. Thye (R Minn. 1947-59). This group concluded that over the five- year period 1953-58, farm wages for American workc in areas where braceros were used extensively had in at most all cases either gone down, failed to rise, or risen much more slowly than wag es in other areas. Reform Proposals The labor-welfare bloc is putting forward a series of proposals based on the Thye group report. These, call for revision of the Mexican farm worker law to: Bar the use of braceros in year-round and skilled em ployment (about 20.000 are now employed in year-round jobs). Permit farmers to hire bra ceros only if they had made a real effort to obtain native workers first and had been unable to do so. Employers would be required to offer domestic workers some of the special benefits they are re quired to give braceros by the Mexico-U.S. agreement, name ly, free housing, free trans portation to the job and free insurance against injury. (The labor welfare group says many farmers prefer braceros to native American workers despite having to give bra ceros these special benefits because the braceros don't have families with them that would have to be housed, are prime workers in good health, inspected before leaving lUex ico, and fear to make "labor trouble" lest they be sent back to Mexico.) Prohibit the use of braceros on surplus crops. This would bar them from cotton, where over half the braceros are em ployed and where some of the lowest wages (35 cents an hour HEAR TONIGHT 8 P.M. Evangelist Allen L. Crabtree at the APOSTOLIC FhITH CHURCH 3rd and Central Services each night, except Mon. & Sat. Sunday services, 11am. and 8 p.m. Listen to KMED, Sunday, 9;05 a m. KRVC, Sunday, 4 p.m., Tues. & Sat., 8 a.m. MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. some areas) are paid to i American farm workers. Work out a new and speci fic formula to determine when the use of braceros has an adverse effect on wages of American farm workers. The formula would permit the Secretary of Labor to refuse to supply Mexican workers to farmers in an area where na tive workers' wage scales had failed to rise, or had risen much more slowly than else where. Farmer Position Nearly all farmer organiza tions except the National Farmers union oppose the re form plans. They argue that Mexican workers have not really undercut the domestic workers' labor conditions and farmers would be glad to use native workers if they could obtain them; in fact, the farm er organizations say, Mexi cans are used largely where native workers are not available-and. in work they will not do - in particular "stoop labor" requiring the laborer to stoop. If the supply of braceros were cut off, or made diffi cult to obtain through institu tion of complicated adminis trative procedures, the farm groups argue, the farmer simply could not bring in his crops, and this would hurt smaller farmers, who could not afford to replace labor with expensive labor-saving machinery, more than it would hurt the larger farm ers. (The latest census bureau figures available indicate that a little over half of all commercial farms used hired labort with the largest 15 per cent accounting for about three-quarters of all wages paid to farm hands; however, even among smallest commer cial farms, those with sales under $1,200 a year, a third use some amount of hired labor.) The farmer groups also ar gue that cutting down the Mexican labor program would simply reinvigorate the ille gal traffic in wetbacks (Mex icans entering covertly) that has been virtually ended in recent years; and that, despite the presence of braceros, over-all farm wages nave risen 50 per cent in the past 13 years. Outlook The labor - welfare bloc's strategy is based on the fact that the Mexican farm law is expiring and the farmer groups want it renewed. A Bills Approved By Legislature Salem -(Urn - Measures ap proved Monday: By the Senate SCR12 - Sorrow upon death of James D. Olson. SJR4, 6. 7 - Constitutional amendments to revise stale's debt limits. SJR26 - Chinook salmon as official Oregon fish. SB276 - Relating to public assistance. SB383 - Official documents. IIB2010, 2018, 2019, 2024 Budgets for Board of Eugen ics, State Engineer, Hydroelec tric commission, State Bank ing department. By the House HB1403 - Relating to herbi cide protected areas. 11B1476 - Updating old law to let women and non-white persons bear arms. SB384 - Permitting state to collect license fees from Ox bow, Brownlee and Pelton dams. Signed by Governor HB1005 - Exempting cer tain armed forces fuel pur chases from fuel tax. HB1044, 1049, 1067, 1069, 1193 - Relating to vehicles and motor carriers. HB1050, 1061, 1064 - Relat ing to elections, 1IBI051 - County clerks' abstract of votes. IIB1143 - Throwing away lighted material in stale for ests. 11B1262 - Changing Oregon State College to University. SB 10 - Relating to legisla tive fiscal committee. SB 191 -Licenses for cosme tic therapy teachers. TRIES FOP RECORD Edwards AFB, Calif - WPn -Air Force Maj. Robert White today was scheduled to at tempt to set a new unofficial speed record of about 2.600 miles an hour in the XI 5 rorkrtship. He already holds the unofficial world speed record of 2.275 m.p.h. as well as the altitude record of 136, 000 fect. MEDFORD. ORE. Central Point Jaycees To Hold Awards-Bosses Night Banquet Central Point - The Cen-, tral Point Junior Chamber of j Commerce Distinguished Sen-! .,, , ,1 ice Award will be presented . to one of three candidates at an awards-bosses night ban quet at the Pioneer Cafe in Central Point at 8 p.m. Thurs day, March 9. Candidates for the award are Chester Ayres, 35, of 127 North Ninth st., Central Point; Donald E. Lavy, 33. of 2092 Scenic ave., Central Point, and Ernest R. Kennedy Jr., 30, of 3088 Old Stage rd., Cen tral Point. O. W. (Cork) Corbet, Burns, Ore., a national vice president of the Jaycees, will speak. Events Combined The Distinguished Service Award and bosses night ban quet are being combined this year in order that employers may have a better knowledge of what the Central Point Jaycees are doing in the com munity. Ayres, who works at Pen dleton's Mobile Gas station, Central Point, is being spon sored by the Central Point Lions club. Since November, 1959, he has served on the Central Point city council, has Gathings bill calls for exten sion for four years. The labor welfare bloc is threatening to block renewal, by every par liamentary device possible, unless the farmer groups agree to some changes in the law. The success of this strategy depends largely on the posi tion of the Kennedy adminis tration. If the administration supports reform of the law, as several Labor department sources have indicated it will, changes could bo forthcom ing. Without strong adminis tration support, however, the labor-welfare group appears to have little change of over throwing the power of the farm bloc in Congress. (Copyright 1961, Congres. sional Quarterly, Inc.) ..... " if It. -ajppaBto One minute your plans for fun are all snowed under. Then suddenly you hear a warm hello . . . and in no lime you're back on the road, with your car checked from tires to ski rack. Wherever you go, whatever the weather, you can expect this same friendly service from the man at the sign of tho Chevron . . .just as you can expect the best performance from the products he sells. Like the three Chevron gasolines ... all better than ever with Methyl, first new antiknock compound since Ethyl. This new gasoline discovery stops knock better than any other antiknock compound . . . gives you smooth, even power ... at no increase in price. It's another way that we take belter care of your car. Methyl STANDARD OIL COMPANY To Produce Fight in Congres been president, treasurer and a director of the Jaycees, and h,as luld , sovcral ,t!ha(in"i,n' ships in Jaycee activities in 0s. vo.,,.s Ayres is a committeeman for the Central Point Explor er Scout troop. He is married and has two children. Sponsored by Association Lacy, who is sponsored by the District 6C Teachers asso ciation, is chairman of the speech department at Crater High school, and has been ac tive in Jaycee programs. He is secretary-treasurer of the Jaycees here now. He has conducted the public speaking contest sponsored by the Knights of Pythias, and directs the school district speech conference each year. Lacy is president of the District 6C Teachers associa tion, a candidate for treasurer of the Jackson county division of the Oregon Education asso ciation, past treasurer of Cra ter High school PTA, past president of the high school speech league, past president of the Delta Sigma Rho, na tional speech fraternity, and recently was selected by Dr. Leonard B. Mayfield, Med ford, to be chairman of the social studies textbook selec tion committee for Jackson county. He is married and has sev eral children. Chairmanships Noted Kennedy was chairman of the March of Dimes in Cen tral Point for two years, chair man of the Jaycee-sponsored 1960 Easter Egg hunt for Cen tral Point, and has been pub licity chairman for several Jaycee projects. He has been a leader in the drive to rejuvenate and re activate the Jaycees last year. He is vice president of the Jaycees this year, a post which which he served previously. Kennedy also has been treas urer of the Jaycees. He is president of the Jackson Coun ty Pharmaceutical association, and is president of tho Jack OF CALIFORNIA son County Shrine club Scoot er patrol. Kennedy is a member of the Oregon State Jaycee resolu tions committee, and was a delegate to the state and na tional Jaycee conventions last year. He received the key-man award from the Jaycees in 1959 and 1960. He is manager of tho Cen tral Point Pharmacy, and is married. awimiffiMMiiiimtiiM il Memory Gardens Memorial Park ' Home of the "Last Supper" FUNERAL HOME SERVING: All Faiths All Cemeteries Persons or All Means PROVIDING: Complete Funeral Services Complete Burial Services PHONE TUESDAY, MARCH 7. Eleven of the 13 mineral elements known to be neccs - lly competitive jr ill'i ff prices jr7 Ifei SERVICE j&sP The R. A. Holmes Agency SINCE Bldq. Medical Center Memory Gardens Funeral Home "The Clhipcl of Memories" Located within CEMETERY MAUSOLEUM COLUMBARIUM 1 LLL I The veteran to be honored this ARTHUR G. BUCK SP 3-7338 CHEVRON DEALERS STANDARD STATIONS, INC. Mathyt-tradamark tor 1961 sury to animal life can be fed Un stock salt mixes. 1909 Phone SP 2-4444 week is antiknock compound 1 I DAY OR NIGHT 1 i.
