WESTERN HEMISPHERE IMMIGRATION. 383

LABOR RELATIONS

Page 147-162: When Mexicans first came into northeastern Colorado the
prowers themselves were opposed to their employment and the present attitude
s that they are there upon sufferance as a necessary evil.
HOUSING OF BEET LABORERS

Page 162-166: By contract the grower provides a habitable house and water
for drinking and domestic purposes and in some instances stoves. All household
goods and equipment are supplied by the Mexicans themselves. The houses are
very poor, are not warm and the company continually endeavors to have better
quarters furnished for the reason that the laborers protest strongly against
quarters as furnished. Adobe houses of the company in which the Mexican
aborers winter are superior to practically all of the houses furnished by the
CrOWErS,

THE, SOCIO-ECONOMIC LADDER

Pages 166-176: Many protests are made against the presence of Mexicans on
the ground that they are lawless and that they become public charges. In
northeastern Colorado this is a bone of vigorous public contentidn. The amount
of relief to Mexicans appears at times to be disproportionate to their numbets.
It is probably true that Mexicans do require more relief than any of the laborers
formerly employed, because as a group they possess less foresight, ambition, and
initiative. It is clear that the percentage of arrests of the Mexicans is disproportionately
 high.’
THE CREDIT OF THE BEET WORKER

Pages 176-184: Advances are made to Mexicans in northeastern Colorado.
This is to tide over those who remain in the beet country throughout the winter,
and for those who arrive early without funds. The winter advances are made
py the company, while the spring advances are made by the grower or merchant.
These advances rarely take the form of cash. Usually they are orders on a merchant.
 These credit advances are not made to exceed $1.25 per week for each
persons in a family 5 years of age or over. The company guarantees payment
for these commodities up to the limit set, and deducts the amount from the pay
of the laborer. As a result of these advances practically all laborers are in debt
when they begin their labor in the beet fields, and in order to pay off the indebtsadness
 they work long hours and keep their children from school.

EDUCATION

Pages 192-207: During the beet season Mexican children of school #ge are
generally in the beet fields and not in school, despite the fact that the company
contracts prohibit the employment of children under 10 years of age. As most
of the members of school boards in the districts are growers of beets, and as the
Americans look upon the Mexicans as a very inferior race, attempts to enforce the
laws are infrequent. The school laws are very lax.
The Mexicans themselves are largely apathetic and do not generally appreciate
schooling, feeling that the need of earning comes first.

DOMICILIARY ISOLATION

Page 207-225: As a rule the Americans in the towns endeavor to keep the
Mexicans segregated and refuse to rent to them in certain districts, as they view
them in the same light that the southerner looks uponthe negro. They do not
wish that they even attend the same school with American children. Many
statements from residents of the sugar beet area are made showing that the
general attitude of Americans toward Mexicans as neighbors and members of
the same community, has from the outset been one of opposition, one statement
being as follows:
“Since the coming of the Mexicans, the country has been a less desirable place
to live in. It would be better to have fewer people and less money here, than to
have sugar beets and Mexicans. The Mexicans are commonly regarded by most
people as a nexessary evil. The community here is hostile to the Mexicans. We
wish the Mexicans were not there.”
Some barber shops, eating places, billiard parlors and even shoe shining stands
do not cater to Mexicans. It would be very difficult to assimilate these peons into