TABLE 8.-Yearly earnings (approximate) of farm laborers 18 years of age or over, by general nativity and race of individual.

Of the 21 Italians, only 12 worked all the twelve months of the preceding year and averaged $312.67, with board, for the year. the Japanese, 146 out of 285 worked twelve months, and of these 17 averaged $366.65 with board, and 129 averaged $27.18 without board, for the year. Of the 129 not receiving board 2 earned less than $300 for the year, 35 earned $300 but less than $400, 74 earned $400 but less than $500, while 18 earned $500 or more for the year. Three of the four Portuguese worked twelve months and averaged $390, with board, for the year.

EMPLOYERS' OPINIONS OF RACES EMPLOYED.

White employers commonly state that they prefer good white men for all of their work, but that reliable, steady, and sober men can not be secured for hand work. As teamsters and regular employees "white men "" are considered the most desirable race. In the few districts where a good class of white seasonal workers are employed, they are considered more efficient workers than Asiatics. But the shiftless class of "Americans" usually secured for temporary work are considered less desirable workers than Japanese and Chinese. The German-Russian immigrants employed about Fresno are regarded as good workers, and the Armenians in the same section were satisfactory, but are no longer available. The Italians, Portuguese, and Dalmatians in those places where they have worked for white employers have been regarded favorably, but, as stated above, they nearly all work for their countrymen, by whom they are preferred to other races.

The consensus of opinion among the older ranchers who have employed many races is that the Chinese were the most satisfactory class of seasonal hand laborers employed. They were contented with their position as laborers, were faithful, conscientious workers, although somewhat slower than some of the other races, and caused no inconvenience to employers by requiring any high standard of comfort in living quarters. Furthermore, they were easily secured through their "bosses." This general preference for Chinese, which has been increased by the present general dissatisfaction with Japanese, causes many employers to desire and to advocate a limited immigration of the members of that race. Many large employers who regard Chinese as the most satisfactory and convenient laborers for their work state, however, that all Asiatics are undesirable as a permanent part of the population and favor rigid exclusion, even if it means higher wages to be paid, greater difficulties in securing employees, and a readjustment of the industries of the State.

As has been stated, the Japanese were for several years regarded with much favor because of their industry, quickness, sobriety, cleanliness, adaptability, steadiness, and eagerness to learn American ways. In a few districts, usually where they have entered more recently and have considerable competition for the seasonal work, they are still regarded favorably. In the State as a whole, however, they are now very generally condemned by ranchers because by concerted demands at opportune times they have raised wages. In many localities they have gone on strike or threatened to do so and have occasionally boycotted employers in order to raise wages. They are also said to be less accommodating and do not accomplish as much work per day as formerly. Complaint is made in some localities that, as a result of their control of the seasonal labor supply, they have become very independent and hard to deal with. Moreover, their honesty and reliability in business dealings is frequently questioned. Though the attitude of employers toward Japanese has changed in most communities from one of favor to one of opposition, they are still the dominant race of temporary farm laborers. In spite of the very general dissatisfaction with the Japanese, they are hired on account of their numbers and the ease with which they can

be secured through bosses. The Koreans are not ordinarily distinguished from the Japanese, but these objectionable characteristics have never been attributed to the few Koreans as such.

The East Indians are regarded as the least desirable and so far have proved to be the least efficient race, although it must be remembered that they have been in the country but a short time and the strong personal feeling against them has prevented them from receiving the most favorable opportunities to acquire experience and show their ability as hand workers.

POSSIBLE CHANGES AND READJUSTMENTS.

From what has been said it is apparent that the problems involved in securing agricultural laborers in California are the following:

(1) A great deal of the hand work connected with the cultivation and harvest of the intensive crops is disagreeable, requiring a great deal of stooping, as the work to be done is near the ground and the worker must keep moving from one vine or plant to another. Furthermore, the climate in some of the valleys during the summer months, when most of the work is done, is extremely hot.

(2) Much of the work is of a seasonal character.

(3) The specialization of most communities in one or only a few intensive crops makes the demand for laborers in the community as a whole very great and they are all needed for the same short periods.

(4) The allied fruit and vegetable packing and canning establishments in these agricultural communities require large numbers of laborers at the same time that men are needed in the fields for the harvest. This increases the difficulties of the farmers in securing enough laborers.

(5) There are no other industries in most of these agricultural districts which offer work during other months of the year to the seasonal farm laborers. Consequently there are few settled laborers in the communities available for seasonal work, and these few resident laborers are usually secured by the packing and canning establishments and can not be secured by the farmers.

(6) The seasonal farm laborers must migrate in order to secure work for the greater part of the year.

(7) The farmers must rely upon the class or races which will migrate and thus be available for farm work.

To secure men to take up work with so many disadvantages has been the problem of the orchardists, vineyardists, and vegetable and sugar-beet growers.

These intensive agricultural industries have been developed and have been influenced by the labor supply which has been available. As has been set forth, the Chinese were available in large numbers from the beginning of most of these industries and they were followed by the Japanese, and, more recently and to a less extent, by Koreans and East Indians. The employment of these Asiatics has built up a system of seasonal labor which has suited the industries and has made the ranchers fearful lest the restrictions upon and exclusion of all of these races of immigrants should prove to be destructive of the industries. The "gang" organization, which has

been described, was a result of the extensive employment of Chinese. This organization has been convenient and effective, so that many ranchers have come to regard such a system of securing seasonal laborers as essential to the successful growing of intensive crops. In a few districts other races, in order to compete with Orientals, have also to a certain extent adopted a group organization for securing work in the fields. The poor accommodations generally provided for the help on California ranches is another result of the long employment of Asiatics in these agricultural districts. The employer is not required to board Asiatics and any poor building has served them as living quarters. The immigrants from Asia have made admirable hand workers, for they appear in large numbers for the seasonal work, are secured through" bosses" without much effort on the part of employers, and depart at the end of the season to appear again when needed.

In the older districts of the State, where the vineyards, orchards, and intensive farming have been developed with this convenient Asiatic labor, the farmers quite generally state that some form of Asiatic labor is necessary for the continued success of their industries. They favor Chinese to other Asiatics, for they are more reliable, steady, uncomplaining, and less desirous of leasing and competing with white men. That the farmers regard the Chinese as the best race of hand workers is shown by the fact that between 1900 and 1907, when the immigration of Japanese was unrestricted and that race was coming in the greatest numbers, efforts were made at various times to secure a modification of the Chinese-exclusion law so as to admit a limited number of Chinese each year. It was not entirely a matter of numbers, but a question of the character of the laborers as well. The Japanese were better suited than white men to follow after and fit into the system developed by the Chinese, but were not as satisfactory laborers as the Chinese. They are more progressive and desirous of rising above the wage relation; they are ambitious. to enter other lines of work besides the lowest kind of farm labor; they have come to make more frequent demands for higher wages and better living conditions than the Chinese; and they are in other respects less desirable. Nevertheless, the Japanese supplied a sufficient number of laborers to further develop these industries, and have been regarded as better suited to seasonal hand work than the European and native races. The farmers generally state that much of the hand work is of such a disagreeable character that ambitious, reliable white men will not do it, and the vagrant, intemperate white men often seeking such work are usually irregular and worthless. They consider the expense of changes necessary for securing and keeping white workers as prohibitive and destructive of the indusWhite men lack organization which would cause inconvenience

tries.

At the Thirty-second Fruit Growers' Convention (December, 1906,) the following resolution was adopted by a vote of 43 to 26:

"Whereas farm labor is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain, and in California especially the great fruit and wine industries are threatened with disaster unless some remedy be found to get mere laborers: Therefore, be it “Resolved, That the fruit growers of California, in convention assembled, favor such modification of the Chinese-exclusion act as will permit the enactment of laws making possible restricted immigration of laborers irrespective of nationality."

in securing them, and their employment would entail greater outlays for wages and to provide board and comfortable living quarters. If the present specialization of communities in only a few intensive crops, the present large holdings in many places, the present methods of securing help, the existing wages, hours, and conditions of living and work for farm laborers are all to remain the same, Asiatic labor is, of course, indispensable, for white men will not fit into the industries precisely as they are at present organized and conducted in many instances. The question, however, is: Can not certain changes and readjustments be brought about which will make these crops possible with other classes of labor? Can changes be introduced which will make it possible for other races to be secured in sufficient numbers on conditions which will not be prohibitive, to make good the diminishing number of Asiatics which may be expected to result if the present policy of exclusion and restriction is continued? Various races available and possible methods and changes will be discussed.

If the present restrictions continue in force, the disappearance of Asiatics, who now predominate in the hand work connected with some agricultural industries, will be gradual, so that changes need be made gradually. It has been twenty-eight years since the Chinese-exclusion law was enacted and still Chinese are employed extensively on some ranches in the older agricultural districts. The recent restrictions on the immigration of Japanese will probably be felt more quickly than in the case of the Chinese because of the exodus from the United States and because they are strongly inclined to scatter to other districts and States, and also to move to cities to engage in business and other more regular work there found. As these Asiatics disappear at the rate of a few thousand per year, what races is it possible to substitute for them?

It appears that the farmers in most districts have not made much effort to avail themselves of the supply of white laborers to be secured for seasonal work from the larger cities of California. In a few places, by providing camping outfits and otherwise helping the white persons willing to go from the cities to the country to work, farmers have secured large numbers of white men and women for seasonal work. At the time of the investigation in the Vaca Valley in 1908 some 2,000 of the seasonal fruit workers were white persons from Oakland and San Francisco. Yet no effort had been made to obtain them and little provision was made for their care. In other deciduous-fruit districts white persons from the cities have been used to a less extent to pick, cut, and pack fruit. In the hopyards of the Wheatland district the majority of the 2,500 pickers were white persons secured by advertising in the cities. The cases in which efforts have been made to secure white workers from the larger cities have, however, been comparatively few, because Asiatics have, as a general rule, been more easily found and their competition has made it difficult and in some places practically impossible for white persons seeking such work to find employment. While it is true that the white persons of the cities available for seasonal work would not meet the demands of the whole State, yet, as Asiatics disappear, the unskilled laborers of the larger cities could be drawn upon to a greater extent than at present to supply field workers. They can