00:07:50.050 - 00:08:16.550

In other words, they'll be able to get work in Mexico. But they won't be able to make the equivalent of what they make here because he said that he's bought quite a bit of been able to buy cattle. And you can't ask, in other words, working

00:08:16.550 - 00:08:34.180

in Mexico. You don't make enough money to buy the articles and the things you need, like coming here in the United States and working. You make more money and you buy things that you need, he says. Enough much. You just have to work. You just can't

00:08:34.180 - 00:09:39.260

come anymore. Hey, says uh, his his family, and buy some littlefield and one home. Okay, hey says, Hey, I'm not sure how todo after this problem. And hey, I'm not sure how he gonna do if we consider the fact that Mexico's national product is $10 billion

00:09:39.920 - 00:10:02.440

the most bracero Remittances have bean $30 million in 1957 so you can see that as far as the income of dollars is concerned, it is not going to affect us very much. That is something else. It is to be expected that a man who all of

00:10:02.440 - 00:10:27.620

a sudden is accustomed to a certain income does not have it. For the time being, he is goingto have, perhaps elapse in his well being that of his family. We are considered of that fact, definitely. The Mexican braceros are very good farm workers, very dedicated. Andi.

00:10:28.340 - 00:10:47.510

For those who believe that we have been sending cheap labor to the United States, I'd like to make it clear that according to the international agreement between Mexico and the United States for the importation of braceros, the Mexican workers cannot be paid less than prevailing wage

00:10:47.520 - 00:13:50.140

in the community in which they're going toe work. With the loss of the bracero program way, we'll have to look to other crops and give up. Tomatoes entirely are cucumbers entirely, and from 50 to 75% of our strawberries will have to go way will

00:13:50.140 - 00:17:15.410

have to look to other crops and I demanding of labor and harvest such crops as alfalfa and corn beans that are highly mechanized. Well, I think the first thing that farmers have done since, uh, a week ago or so when this announcement came to him that

00:17:15.410 - 00:17:30.330

the laws of Bill was evident, that, uh, they've evaluated the situation as best they can in a short period of time. I think they've come to the conclusion that there is little hope that the present time for any extension of the bill under any circumstance. Therefore,

00:17:30.330 - 00:17:49.260

they have had to look at what the possible impact will be. First of all, I think it is safe to assume the impact will be concentrated Maurin a comparatively few number of crops than it will and others the field crops such as tomatoes, asparagus, strawberries and

00:17:49.260 - 00:18:04.420

items of that nature. I think that we will find a crash program on an efforts to develop good mechanical harvesters for as many of these crops is they confined? The tomato harvester is underway, of course, and I think that next year we'll see a large number

00:18:04.420 - 00:18:19.590

mawr of them than now exist. One of the problems of this, of course, is that the tomato harvesters an expensive piece of machinery, it takes a comparatively large acreage in order to justify it. I think we'll see fewer and fewer small tomato growers, more larger growers,

00:18:19.600 - 00:18:35.620

people who can justify the machines. I think that there is no doubt, but what we'll see an increase in price in some of these items, particularly on the consumer level. Uh, for a number of reasons, it's going to be more costly to harvest them, particularly with

00:18:35.620 - 00:18:50.120

the machines. Uh, there's a possibility that it's going to be just more costly on any way you look at it. I think we'll see a reduction in acreage unless something is found between now and the timeto plant again. I think in in things like asparagus, where

00:18:50.130 - 00:19:06.080

reduction of acreage is not feasible over and might, because of the length of life of the roof that we will see a gradual reduction in acreage, I think we'll see a phasing out of older asparagus beds. We may find a disappearance of types of food that

00:19:06.080 - 00:19:23.500

we have known in the past. I think that it would be unlikely to see white asparagus, for instance, survive unless there is some method of hand. Harvest, uh, also will mean an increase in Christ. I think we'll see a competition among growers greater than it ever

00:19:23.500 - 00:19:42.060

has been before for available labor. One of the things that Congress did not do when they abandoned Public Law 78 they did not automatically create several 100,000 workers. To replace these braceros who have been coming across the border from Mexico, Farmers now are left with a

00:19:42.070 - 00:19:58.620

chore of trying to find people to replace them. Uh, there may be workers in other states we don't know. I think it's safe to assume that farmers and their representatives will be searching other states to find out if there is a possibility. One of the problems

00:19:58.620 - 00:20:17.250

that faces them, however, is that these workers are needed on Lee for a comparatively short period of time. It is difficult to convince people to leave their homes, maybe 1000 or 2000 miles away, to come to California for 6 to 8 weeks work and then expect

00:20:17.250 - 00:20:32.030

him to go back to their homes. This is this is a problem you have in encouraging domestic workers to come to California. All in all, I think it's going to be a very interesting period. I think that it is not proper to give a hard and

00:20:32.030 - 00:20:49.420

fast guess. Right at the present time is what the impact will be. Uh, certainly there will be some vigorous thinking efforts to develop new sources of labor, but I think under any circumstance. Unless something is found comparatively soon, we can expect a shortage of some of

00:20:49.420 - 00:20:51.450

these crops and an increase in price.