WESTERN HEMISPHERE IMMIGRATION 137

Papago Indians were the best pickers from the standpoint of
cleanliness, but they are short on production, and only will come
when conditions on their reservation are such as to not allow them to
crow their own crops, and should a rain occur they would immediately
 return.
We are cut off from this undependable supply now, by their going
to the closer fields created by the Coolidge Dam, which has also
provided steady: occupation for the Pima Indians, by supplying
water for their reservation lands; and cutting us off from this supply
that formerly helped to pick our cotton. Our association has tried
for years and has spent considerable money in trying to obtain pickers
from the Indian reservations in the northern part of our State, esperially
 the Navajoes, but have met with no success.
Mr. Walker's testimony of two years ago covers the facts.
We have continued in our efforts, the fruits of which follow:
Mr. Tabor, the manager of the U. C. G. Association, has two letters,
one under date of July 9, and the other August 1, from Indian Commissioner
 Rhodes, advising that it was impractical to recruit Navajo
Indians for picking cotton, and insisted that work offered be something
else; a letter from the superintendent at Tula City read:
We can not under any circumstances send you Indians for picking cotton, as
they will not even consider it.
On January 21, right here in this city, I took up this matter of
agricultural labor and cotton picking with Mr, Shipe, of the Department
 of Indian Affairs, chief of the industrial division, and he told me
very emphatically that the Indians from the North would not be permitted
 to come to the Salt River Valley until the temperature had
moderated.
So you see, gentlemen, how impractical it is to expect white labor
to do field work in a climate that even our own Government will not
permit its wards to go to; and the difference of environment is very
much less than the eastern white to whom, we are cited, as being in
need of employment.
It is decidedly unfair not only to the Southwest but to every other
industry or individual that is dependent for their livelihood on the
handling of the commodities produced by Mexican agricultural labor,
to deprive us of this supply until such time as you have given us a
satisfactory substitute trained for our needs. This is further emphasized
 by the fact that members of the Mexican race were the former
inhabitants of this territory when we acquired it. Compare the
treatment you purpose giving them (who are of economic value to us)
with that accorded the Indians, because they were previous inhabitants.
The CaairmMan. We are very much obliged to you. Who is our
next witness?
Mr. Moore. Mr. Bond is our next witness.

STATEMENT OF W. M. BOND, OF GILBERT, ARIZ., REPRESENTING
THE FARMERS OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA

Mr. Bono. I do not know that I have very much to say, Mr.
Chairman. I would like to say a few words, however, in relation to
the individual farmer.