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return at the close of the season. This was true especially of the German-Russians who were first brought to southern Colorado. The first year (1899) that they were employed in that district 75 families were brought from Grand Island, Nebr., at the beginning of the thinning season and returned to Nebraska at the end of the year. More were secured in the same way the second and the third years, but after that the increasing resident German-Russian population, together with unsolicited immigration from Nebraska and from Russia, was found to be sufficient to supply the needs of the labor situation, and the policy of furnishing railroad transportation was discontinued.

Except in certain southern Colorado districts, the initial labor supply has always been German-Russian. Japanese and Mexicans, so far as they have since entered the industry in the districts where the German-Russians predominate, have been employed largely as checks against the latter. The opening up of a potential labor supply, it should be noted, not only prevents undue demands on the part of the existing labor supply, but often eliminates the necessity of providing transportation for outside laborers.

The sugar factories in northern Colorado were opened in the years 1901 to 1906, inclusive. At first only German-Russians were employed. They were brought each year from Grand Island, Nebr. In fact, this practice was not discontinued until 1909, when the sugar company decided that it was no longer necessary to provide railroad transportation as an inducement to the immigration of laborers from a distance. The resident and migratory population had become adequate to the needs of the industry.

The Japanese began coming into northern Colorado as early as 1903, when 200 of them were secured together with about 275 Mexicans to increase the labor supply and to afford competition against the German-Russians in a certain district. In the same year about 100 more Japanese also appeared in other northern Colorado districts. Since then they have arrived in increasing numbers until in 1909 they totaled over 2,100 persons, as opposed to 5.800 GermanRussians and 1,000 Mexicans. The fortunes of the Japanese in northern Colorado have been varied. Much opposition to them has been aroused in several districts, and in these districts they have either lost entirely, or regained with difficulty, their early foothold. The opposition seems to have been caused largely by the mismanagement of Japanese "bosses." "bosses." In other districts, however, the Japanese have always met with favor, in response to which they have steadily increased in numbers.

The Mexicans first appeared in appreciable numbers in northern Colorado in 1903, when, as above stated, 275 members of the race were secured from Dry Creek and Trinidad. Since then their numbers have gradually increased until in 1909 fully 1,000 of them were employed in the beet fields of northern Colorado. From the foregoing it appears that there have been no general race displacements in this section of the State. Although it is true that the initial supply of hand workers was almost entirely German-Russian, the growth of the industry has been such that the Japanese and Mexicans who have come into northern Colorado have served only to augment the force of laborers already there. That they have not displaced Ger

man-Russians is proven by the fact that the sugar company has been compelled to import numbers of the latter race every year until the present. "Miscellaneous whites" have never been an important source of the labor supply in northern Colorado. Nearly 1,700 hand workers of this class were reported from that section of the State in 1909, but it is probable that most of them were contract growers holding small acreages which they worked themselves. The truth of this statement is evident when it is remembered that 3,171 of the 3,989 contract growers in northern Colorado belonged to the class of " miscellaneous whites," and that the average holding of contract growers of all races was only 20.2 acres.

In southern Colorado, as in the northern part of the State, there can hardly be said to have been any race displacements as yet, as all three races-German-Russians, Mexicans, and Japanese-have come in with the growth of the industry.

For the first beet-growing district in southern Colorado GermanRussians were imported from Grand Island, Nebr., during the first three years of the life of the industry. At the end of the third year, however, it was found that the resident German-Russian population and the unsolicited immigration of relatives and friends were sufficient to furnish an adequate labor supply. This condition lasted until five years ago, when American-born Mexicans and Japanese began to be employed in addition to the German-Russians to meet the needs of the growing industry. In 1909, of the hand workers of this district approximately 25 per cent were said to be German-Russians, 25 per cent Mexicans, 5 per cent Japanese, and the remainder (45 per cent) "miscellaneous whites." The large proportion of the latter here, as in northern Colorado, is due to the fact that there are many white men owning small farms which they work themselves.

In the remaining southern Colorado districts the development of the labor supply has been somewhat different. At first many Mexicans were imported-from Arizona, New Mexico, and El Paso, Tex. These Mexicans were brought in by the trainload, divided into groups, and worked in the fields as employees of the sugar company, the contract price being shared equally among the members of the working group. The importation of Mexicans was still continued to some extent in these districts in 1909, but the men were then employed directly by the contract growers.

The initial labor supply in these districts was almost entirely MexiA few years ago, however, the Japanese came into the field and about the same time German-Russians began to appear. At the present time all three races are employed, but the Mexicans are by far the most important numerically, outnumbering the Japanese and German-Russians combined more than two to one.

In western Colorado (where but one factory is in operation) the hired hand workers have been, and still are, almost exclusively German-Russians. What use has been made of Japanese and Mexicans is but slight. Toward the Japanese there is a strong local race prejudice. There, as elsewhere, the German-Russians were imported from Nebraska in the early years of the industry, which was established only seven years ago. The first year four trainloads were brought in. In 1909 about 125 families were at work in the commu

nity. Half of these were said to be permanent residents, the remainder being brought in for the season from various places.

To summarize the history of immigrant races in the sugar-beet industry of the State as a whole, it may be said that in general such changes as have occurred in the composition of the hand-working force have consisted in the addition of new supplies of labor to meet the increasing demands of the industry rather than in the displacement of races previously employed. It is true that in a few northern Colorado districts the Japanese were peculiarly unfortunate at first in working under irresponsible "bosses," as a result of which their numbers actually decreased. Later in several cases they have begun to regain the confidence of the growers. Such local variations in race distribution, however, are due to local prejudices and not to the underbidding of other races. In fact, only one case of underbidding has been reported by the agents of the Commission. This case occurred recently in a southern Colorado district where the Japanese offered through their "bosses" to do some of the work at less than the prevailing prices, provided that the Mexican laborers be discharged and the Japanese be regarded as the "official laborers." This offer the company to which it was made rejected in accordance with the policy common in Colorado of maintaining a diversified labor supply. The advantage of employing different races together, as has been indicated above, lies in the restraining influence of the actual and potential competition to which any one race would be subjected, in case it should make unusual demands on the growers.

CHANGES IN PRICES PAID FOR HAND WORK.

In northern and western Colorado there have been practically no changes in the prices paid for hand work. Since the beginning of the industry the ruling rate in these districts has been $20 per acre. This price as compared with prices in California is unusually high, a fact which is accounted for largely by the greater difficulty of securing labor in Colorado. The rate, unlike those common in California, is a flat rate and covers only the work of thinning, hoeing, and topping. The loading into wagons is done usually by the farmer, or by teamsters who contract for the work of hauling at a price per ton varying with the distance hauled. Although the rate in northern Colorado had always been a flat rate per acre there has been a movement recently to introduce the sliding-scale principle used in California. In 1909 attempts were made in several districts to put the price on a tonnage basis. This change is advocated as a remedy for the propensity common to all races employed, to make easier work of both the thinning and topping by "thinning out" too many of the beets.

In southern Colorado prices have risen in some localities and fallen in others, while one reports no change since 1905. Three localities reported increases, as follows: (1) From $16 to $18 per acre in 1900 and to $20 flat in 1909. (2) A 10 per cent increase over earlier years. (3) Also a 10 per cent increase, prices in 1909 being calculated thus: Thinning, $6.75 per acre; hoeing, $1.50 per acre; topping, 55 cents per ton; loading, 6 cents per ton. Two localities, on the other hand, report decreases in the prices for 1909 as com

pared with those of earlier years. In one case the decrease was 5 per cent, in the other 10 per cent. The decrease in the latter instance had occurred since 1905. The price in 1909 was $16.50 per acre."

COMPARISON OF RACES EMPLOYED.

Throughout the State as a whole the German-Russian appears to be preferred by beet growers to either the Japanese or the Mexican. The chief reason for this preference seems to be that the GermanRussian usually comes with his family, and eventually becomes a permanent resident, thereby affording both a dependable labor supply and, as time goes on, a reliable class of tenant farmers. A further

reason for the preference of employers for the German-Russians is found in the fact that the latter is a European and more easily Americanized.

As a worker the German-Russian is commonly said to be honest and industrious, but slow as compared with the Japanese. Seven acres of beets seems to be about the average acreage he can care for in a season, while the Japanese can attend to from 10 to 15 acres. Occasionally the German-Russian is accused of being "tricky," but this complaint is not at all general. It is true that there is a desire in northern Colorado to introduce the tonnage basis of contract payments as a means of securing more thorough and more efficient work. This system of payment, however, appeals to universal traits of human nature, and its advocacy in northern Colorado need not, therefore, appear as a special indictment of the German-Russian. The system is urged, moreover, in districts which employ Japanese or Mexicans as well as German-Russians.

Opinions concerning the Japanese vary all the way from extreme race antagonism to extreme favor. The former feeling, of course, is irrelevant to a discussion of the efficiency of Japanese laborers because it is not based on experience with them. For example, in the Grand Junction district, where the most violent anti-Japanese sentiment is found, not more than 25 members of the race have ever been employed in one year until 1909. In that year the contractors for an irrigating project arranged with a Japanese "boss" in Denver for 175 Japanese laborers, nine of whom had arrived when the special agent of the Commission visited the community. About the same time the fruit growers of the Gunnison Valley were endeavoring to meet an unprecedented shortage in the supply of fruit pickers by securing Japanese from Denver "bosses." In one district the fruit growers met with so much opposition to this plan that they were compelled to abandon it. In another district they were more successful. Here, although 400 Japanese had been brought in from Denver, no serious friction had occurred up to the time of the visit of the special agent.

Opinions of the opposite extreme are voiced in certain northern Colorado communities. Here some farmers keep the same Japanese year after year.

On the whole, the Japanese stand higher in the esteem of the beet grower in Colorado than in California. Less complaint is made of

"Not including payment for loading, which is not contracted.

dishonest work and disregard of contractual obligations in the former State than in the latter and favorable comments are more numerous. Except in western Colorado the opposition which exists to the Japanese is apparently due largely to the mismanagement of "bosses." This is true in particular of certain districts in northern Colorado, where, as already noted, the incompetency of some of the "bosses" in the early years of the industry brought the entire race into disfavor. At present, through careful work and good deportment, the Japanese seem to be regaining lost ground in these districts. The general criticism applied to the Mexican in California applies equally well to the Mexican in Colorado. Though a fairly honest and efficient worker when he works, his usefulness is much impaired by lack of ambition, drunkenness, and consequent irregularity in his application. As to the amount of work done, the upper limit for the Mexican, as for the German-Russian, is about 7 acres per season.

IMMIGRANT RACES AS TENANTS AND LANDOWNERS.

Information was gathered concerning the tenure of some 107,000 acres out of the 112390 grown under contract, and it was found that the total number of growers for these 107,000 acres was distributed racially as follows:

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From this it appears that 17.8 per cent of the contract growers reported are members of the three principal alien races employed in the industry.

The average area held by growers of all races was 20.2 acres, which, it is interesting to note, is only two-fifths of a similar average for California.

As a rule, the holdings of the immigrants are smaller than those of the "miscellaneous whites" because the former commonly lease or buy only such land as can be cared for without hired labor. Japanese tenants and landowners, however, are a frequent exception to this rule, as is proven by many cases reported from northern Colorado of Japanese laborers employed by Japanese landholders.

It has been impossible to ascertain accurately the amount of land leased and owned by different races throughout the State, but there are certain established facts which help to answer the question. In the first place, it appears that on the basis of the number of individuals in each race engaged in growing beets on their own account the German-Russians have made the most progress in the acquisition of land. This is evident in a comparison of the table showing the total number of hand workers in Colorado by races with the table at the beginning of this section showing the racial distribution of contract growers. Of the total number of hand workers, 6,560 were German-Russians, 2,602 Japanese, and 2,632 Mexicans. The German-Russians here therefore number approximately two and a half

"See "Hand workers," p. 114.

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