14]

" WESTERN HEMISPHERE IMMIGRATION

Mr. Freming. My recollection is that of the owners of these delinquent
 tracts, that it is about 50-50 American names and Spanish
names.
Mr. Esterny. What do you charge for the irrigation of an acre?
Mr. FremiNGg. $3.60 a year as a construction charge and our
operation and maintenance yearly charge is about $2.65 per acre.
Mr. EsterLy. That includes all the charges like amortization
which you pay back to the Government in interest, etc.?
Mr. Freming. Yes, sir.
Mr. Simms. All except taxes.
Mr. Frneming. Yes, sir.
The CrairmMaN. In your opinion, are you getting your charges so
high against those who are trying to own the land under the reclamation
 project that they are forced to pay low wages to common labor?
Mr. FreminG. I think I can give you, from memory, sir, what our
costs are in the production of an acre of cotton if you care to have it.
The Crairman. All right.
Mr. Freming. The College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts of
New Mexico, which is located in the valley I have described, conducted
 a survey of the cost of production of the various crops I have
mentioned.
The preharvest cost in the production of an acre of cotton is $21.40,
This year the cost of production of an acre of cotton, including this
$21.40 preharvest cost, plus State and county taxes, water charges,
and interest at 7 per cent on the land valued at $250; the cost of
picking 970 pounds of lint and seed, the cost of ginning, all included,
amounts to $63.75 per acre as the production cost of an acre of cotton.
Our production this year has been about seven-tenths of a bale of
cotton. As the result each bale of cotton we figure .costs us about
$90 to produce, and we are not selling it for $90.
Mr. Box. There is a division among your people as to whether or
not the view you express is the view of the majority of the people.
Mr. FLeming. What is that?
Mz. Box. That you ought not to have Mexican labor; that it is
hurting the farmers and the country.
Mr. FLeminG. As I said before, I think there are very few people
in our district who are in favor of unrestricted Mexican Immigration.
On the other hand, I think there are very few who do not regard our
labor situation as serious and hope to get in laborers to meet——
Mr. Box. If members of this committee have received written
protests against these practices and have them on file, some of them
saying that the majority of the farmers are against the view you
expressed, then you would say they are not as fairly representative
of the farmers’ views as yours are?
Mr. Freming. Yes, sir.
Mr. Jenkins. In this computation you make there—that the agricultural
 society has made—as I figure it, that shows a net earning of
about $10 an acre?
Mr. FueminG. A little less than that this year; yes, sir.
Mr. Jenkins. Now, that is on the assumption that you are allow-Ing
 7 per cent interest on the value of the land at $250 an acre?
Mr. Freming. Yes, sir.
Mr. JENKINS. Are you familiar with the agricultural computations
ver the country generally?