WESTERN HEMISPHERE IMMIGRATION 353

have these camps about which you have spoken, and which the
railroads themselves provide.
Mr. Jenkins. Do you know any reason why they could not have
these camps for Americans the same as they have them for Mexicans?
Mr. Stour. They could have them.
Mr. Jenkins. Has it been demonstrated that Americans will not
live under those circumstances?
Mr. Stout. No, sir; it has not. However, where you find most of
those camps you do not find Americans. The Americans usually
have their homes in the vicinity where they work.
Mr. Jenkins. Is it not a fact that the railroad companies build
the camps according to the standard of the people doing the work?
Mr. Stout. Probably that is true.
Mr. Jenkins. And if they had a higher standard of camp, they
would have a higher class of employees?
Mr. Stour. The Americans would not live in the shacks and
shanties the Mexicans live in.
Mr. Jenkins. Is it not a fact that if these southwestern railroad
companies would employ American labor, it would probably be much
more efficient, but it would cost them a little more?
Mr. Stour. I will cite you a case. I was in conference with the
management of a railroad running into the Southwest and the vice
president of the road attended that conference. The chief engineer of
the road also attended it, because he is the man over the maintenanceof-way
 department of a railroad. I was making an argument for
an increase in pay for all employees in the maintenance-of-way department,
 including the extra gang. The extra-gang men are those
who work in the summertime and are laid off in the winter. I was
putting up my argument, and he said:
You are fighting for these Mexicans. They are no good. I can take a gang of
Americans of one-third the strength of a gang of Mexicans and do a better job.
1 looked at him and said:

I will grant you that, but I did not bring them here; they are here and I am
trying to protect that job and put a standard of wage on it so that we will not
have those fellows there.
The CrarrRMAN. You are obliged to try to get the standard up
even if the job is held by a Mexican, else vour whole standard will go
own?
Mr. Stour. We make a request for better wages and conditions for
everybody. We start and make a schedule covering everybody,
including the Mexicans.
The Crarrman. The Mexican track laborer has not been put upon
the northern railroads out of Chicago west, has he?
Mr. Stour. You would be surprised to learn how many are working
 in Milwaukee, for instance, on the railroads. I think Congressman
 Schafer made a statement in the Congressional Record in 1928
about this and it is well worth reading.
The CratrmaN. It is only a question of time until this type of
labor will be used west of Milwaukee on the northern transcontinental
 lines.
Mr. Stour. The whole thing will be permeated in a few years
and there will be no Americans in that work. There will be 350,000
men that want those jobs crowded out. That is what is happening.