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$1 Minimum Farm Wages ProtestedMADISON (AP) — Wi«con ■in agricultural groups lined up at a U. S. Senate hearingWednesday against a bill which would set a $1 an hour minimum wage for farm labor.The Wisconsin Farm Bu reau told the Senate Migratory Labor subcommittee the proposal was an attempt toSoviets Told Paid Debt to Lead to TradeWASHINGTON (AP) —Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev was told at Camp David that if the U.S.S.R. is reasonable about paying off its multimillion - dollar lend-lease debt it may pave the way for easing U. S. trade restrictions against the Soviet Union.Undersecretary of State Douglas Dillon gave this Wednesday as the gist of last weekend’s talks between President Eisenhower and Khrushchev on trade, a priority item for the Soviet Premier.BUT DILLON did not foresee any speedy, sizable step-up in trade between the two cold war adversaries. H e noted many obstacles remain, including a lack of Soviet goods that Americans want.The State Department's second • ranking official did ex press hope that negotiations over the Soviet World War II lend • lease debt will get under way in a month or two. The United States is asking 800 million dollars, the Soviet Union offered only 300 million.Dillon said the Eisenhower administration may ask Congress, if there is a lend-lease settlement, to remove some legal restrictions such a s those against Soviet furs and to extend credit and more favorable tariff treatment to the U.S.S.R.HE SAID Khrushchev realized —- as Deputy Premier Anastas Mikoyan had not when he was here last January — that trade cannot be treated apart from the overall relations between East and West.Khrushchev, Dillon reported, did not discuss specific items but was emotional about U. S. trade restrictions — “he thought they were treated as some form of outcast, and he didn’t like it.”Saying Khrushchev did not ask for credits, Dillon com -mented that the Russians have been pretty good about paying off commercial loanslnvolvt government more deeply in agriculture. The change would affect 11,000 migratory workers who help in the state’* fruit and vegetable harvest.The testimony was presented at a hearing presided over by Sen. Harrison Williams (D-NJ). His subcommittee held hearings earlier at Lansing, Mich. They continue today in St. Paul, Minn.Representatives of two church groups contended mi grant workers are underpaid A Wisconsin Council of Churches representative sug gested both regular employ ment and extension of th e minimum wage law to farm workers as possible solutions.A SPOKESMAN for theCatholic bishops of Wisconsin suggested reducing or ending the use of imported labor forces, enabling citizen migrant workers to bargain for higher pay. Foreign workers come to Wisconsin from Mexico and the British West Indies.“Eventually we hope that the industrialized aspect of migrant farm work will be recognized and that some form of collective bargaining may be instituted among them,” the Catholic spokesman said.The agricultural groups contended the Senate wage proposal ignored the fact much migratory labor is paid for on a piece • work basis This makes It impossible to guarantee a minimum wage, they said.The Wisconsin red cherry growers group said widespread use of children would also make figuring an hourly wage difficult. Migratory workers’ children, it said, do not work regular hours.itUChrysler Lays Off 25,000 WorkersDETROIT (UPI) — Chrysler Corp., announced th a t some 25,000 employes in seven states were laid offWednesday and 25,000 will be laid off by Friday because of a strike at the f i r m’s Twinsburg, Ohio, stamping plant.Chrysler Vice President John D. Leary .said that of those being laid off at the end of Wednesday’s work - shift, some 15,000 to 20,000 would be in the Detroit area, with others scattered among plants elsewhere.The layoffs. Leary added, are the result of parts shortages caused by the Twins-burg strike.OTHER agricultural organizations opposing the $1 an hour proposal were the Wisconsin Potato Growers Assn. and the Muck Farmers Assn.The agricultural groups also joined the Wisconsin State Employment Service in op posing a bill which would bar employment of youths under 14 in summer farm jobs.Under present law there Is no restriction on minimum age of agricultural workers outside of school hours.The employment service suggested 12 years as a minimum; the Farm Bureau said 13 would be realistic.J. C. Kasper, assitant director of the service’s rural industries division, said more thought should be given to creating jobs for youths rather than prohibiting their employment i n occupations where proper safeguards are established and maintained.He said the age limitation would affect not only a large number of migrant workers' children but Wisconsin youths as well.CHILDREN OF migratory workers, he said, are in the fields between May 11 and Sept. 11 and therefore aren’t kept out of school.“To prohibit these children from working in agriculture— without providing some sub stitute activity to occupy their time — would serve no useful purpose ’’ he said.A Senate bill which would require federal registration of migrant labor crew leaders met widespread opposition. In a nutshell the Wisconsin witnesses contended registration — if any is needed— should be handled by a state agency.sudeR.Stlt;prduThtojtalcoivifsainejHgresingkto
Newspaper Details
Eau Claire Daily Leader
Eau Claire, Wisconsin, US
Thu, Oct 01, 1959
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WI, USA 19 Dec 2024
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