240 - WESTERN HEMISPHERE IMMIGRATION

Mr. EsterLy. It would be a rather interesting item, would it not?
Mr. Moore. Certain of the commodities—lettuce is in a prosperous
condition, due to the fact that the consuming public have realized
what that means to them in health diet. In the last eight years the
consumption of head lettuce in the United States from those territories
 has increased 1,000 per cent. In other words, you are getting
sun vitamins into the people of this eastern country in the winter
time when you do not have any sun of your own here. That is what
it means,
Mr. Esrerry. How much additional Mexican labor did it take
to increase this 1,000 per cent?
Mr. Moors. I could not tell you, because I do not know what was
in the country 10 years ago. I do know that our peak: of transient
labor is probably 80,000.
Mr. EsterLy. In the season?
Mr. Moore. At the peak of transient labor. That does not take
in the year round labor that is used by the small grower or the man
that is on the ranch permanently. You heard these men testify
here yesterday that they were using 400 to 600 laborers at the peal,
and in the other time of the year they are using probably 20 men on
the ranch.
Mr. EsterLy. Do you people work in cooperation with the Florida
growers to put your iceberg lettuce across?
Mr. Moore. They have no iceberg lettuce in competition or in
cooperation with us from Florida, I am sorry to say. Their lettuce,
most of it, is long leaf lettuce, not the iceberg type of lettuce which
you are having on your table every day.
Mr. Box. I want to understand the gentleman and I do not want
to take up his time any more than I have to. Does the number,
80,000, that you gave as the peak load, does that include the whole
load at the peak?
Mr. Moore. That is the transient load, as near as we are able to
estimate it.
Mr. Box. Your number of laborers, transient laborers, then, is
80,000, which does not include the constant labor?
Mr. Moore. Correct.
The Crarrman. Now, Florida does raise lettuce?
Mr. Moore. Yes; some.
The CHARMAN. It must reach a market and be sold.
Mr. Moore. Yes.
The CrairmaN. Now, if the people in Florida find that they need
more labor and want to bring them in from Jamaica and the West
Indies, is that all right?
Mr, Moore. Well, they can bring them in if they want to.
The CrairMaN. Suppose they choose to bring the others?
Mr. Free. They have got Indians down there.
The Crarrman. Well, you have got Aztecs. ‘What I mean to say
is that when competition from Florida lettuce and certain vegetables,
tomatoes and other vegetables, when the excess makes competition
sharp enough with the California industry and each needs more
seasonal labor, isn’t there a problem coming on there?
Mr. Moore. I don’t know their situation down there. I have no
conception of their labor needs or what their future outlook is for
it. All I speak for is the western country that I am familiar with.