UCCSN Board of Regents' Meeting Minutes
03-25-1944
Volume 5 - Pages 399-402
REGENTS MEETING
March 25, 1944
A special meeting of the Board of Regents was held in the Presi-
dent's office at the University of Nevada. Chairman Ross called
the meeting to order at l0:05 A.M. Present: Regents Sheerin,
Sirkegian and Ross; Governor Carville; Director C. W. Creel and
Otto Schulz of the Agricultural Extension Division and Acting
President Gorman. Mr. Ross read a telegram from Regent Mc Namee,
who was unable to attend; Mrs. Wardin was absent on account of
illness.
Chairman Ross made the statement that the meeting was called for
the purpose of considering what action and what responsibility
the Regents wish to take in regard to handling War Emergency Farm
Labor. Mr. Ross then turned the meeting over to Mr. Gorman.
Mr. Gorman stated he had received a letter from Marvin Jones,
War Food Administrator, under date of February 14, 1944, concern-
ing the handling of War Emergency Farm Labor; that, as Acting
President, he had prepared a tentative answer to Mr. Jones' let-
ter, copy of which was sent to Governor Carville for his approv-
al; that the Governor raised certain objections to the handling
of Japanese labor as outlined in Mr. Gorman's tentative answer
to Mr. Jones' letter and that this meeting was called to decide
upon the course of action the Regents should take so as to con-
form to the Governor's policy regarding Japanese labor.
Mr. Gorman then asked Mr. Creel to read the Marvin Jones letter
of February 14th which follows:
C. H. Gorman, Acting President
University of Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Dear Sir:
You are fully aware of the responsibility for supplying farm-
ers with adequate supply of labor for wartime production
which the Cooperative Extension Services of the Land Grant
Colleges shared with the Office of Labor, War Food Adminis-
tration, during the past year. When the Executive Committee
of the Association of Land Grant Colleges called at my office
last month, I expressed pleasure and satisfaction with the
manner in which the State Extension Services handled their
part of the farm labor job in 1943. I would again express
appreciation of the contribution of the Cooperative Extension
Service of your institution to the production of a vitally
essential war commodity - food.
The Congress has recently completed action on the farm labor
appropriation bill for 1944. The Act is now awaiting the
signature of the President. Under the new Act, the Coopera-
tive Extension Service in each State is asked to continue in
1944 those farm labor functions so well performed in 1943.
In addition, the War Food Administrator, "is authorized and
directed to enter into agreements with the Extension Services
of the Land Grant Colleges in the respective States to fur-
nish, on behalf of the United States, for domestic interstate
agricultural workers and their families and foreign agricul-
tural workers and their families, while such workers are
employed within any such State, any or all of the following
services or functions which such State Extension Services
are willing to undertake."
A. For domestic agricultural workers, the additional func-
tions which State Agricultural Services might perform
under agreement with the Administrator are:
1. The furnishing of protection and shelter, health,
medical and burial services, training, subsistence,
allowances and supervision to transported interstate
workers.
2. The furnishing of health and medical services to non-
transported,
(a) Agricultural workers and their families housed
in a farm labor supply camp operated as a part
of this program, and;
(b) Migratory agricultural workers and their fami-
lies who, without recruitment or assistance of
any government agency have entered the area
served by any such labor supply center and are
engaged in agricultural work in such areas and
to whom health and medical services are not
otherwise available.
3. The maintenance and keeping of records of compliance
with contracts with interstate workers and with em-
ployers for whom such workers are supplied on the
basis of negotiated contracts.
(Such records are designed to determine compliance
with all provisions of the contracts, and among
others to determine the amounts collectible from the
growers for failure to supply employment as guaran-
teed in the contract and to determine the amounts
payable to workers where such guaranteed employment
has not been furnished. The making of such collec-
tions and payments as are determined to be in order
from such records is a necessary counterpart of this
function.)
B. For foreign agricultural workers the additional functions
which State Extension Services might perform under agree-
ment with the Administrator are:
1. The furnishing of protection and shelter, health,
medical and burial services, training, subsistence,
allowances and supervision of foreign workers.
2. The maintenance and keeping of records of compliance
with contracts with foreign workers and with em-
ployers with whom such workers are placed.
(Such records are designed to determine:
(a) The amounts collectible from growers for failure
to furnish employment as guaranteed in inter-
national agreements;
(b) The amounts payable to the individual foreign
workers under such guarantees;
(c) That the employers have made wage deductions
and forwarded such amounts for transmission to
the designed depository in accordance with in-
ternational agreements;
(d) That the prevailing rates of pay have been used
in the payment of the workers in accordance
with the international agreements;
(e) To serve other purposes which require informa-
tion as to the status of each foreign worker
each day he is in this country and as to each
individual employer or association with whom
he has been placed for each day of such assign-
ment; and
(f) The making of collections from growers, the
making of payments to workers and taking other
corrective action as analyses of the records
might warrant are necessary counterparts of
this function.)
The apportionment and expenditures of the funds appropriated
for allocation to the States for the intrastate phases of
farm labor will necessitate merely an extension of the agree-
ments entered into between the Administrator and the various
States pursuant to Public Law No. 45. Where the State Ex-
tension Services are desirous of performing any or all of the
services or functions set forth under "A" and "B" above, it
will be necessary to arrange for an appropriate supplement
agreement and an additional allocation of funds.
In determining the manner in which you desire the foreign
agricultural worker part of the program is to be considered.
First, is the necessary administrative detail, enumerated
in "B" above, which must be carried out fully in accordance
with international agreements. Second is the necessity of
of getting prior clearance with the responsive foreign
governments before any responsibilities can be delegated to
the several States which are now assumed by the Office of
Labor in the War Food Administration.
As we all realize, it is of the utmost importance that plans
be developed now before the season gets too far along in
order that any change in procedure or organization will not
retard the furnishing of the agricultural labor needed in
1944. Colonel Philip G. Burton, Director of Labor, War Food
Administration, and Mr. M. L. Wilson, Federal Director of
Extension, will be present at a regional farm labor confer-
ence at Denver, Colorado, on February 28, 29 and March 1.
State Directors of Extension and State Farm Labor Supervisors
will be in attendance. That meeting will provide an oppor-
tunity for frank discussion and thorough consideration of
the manner in which certain of the interstate and foreign
labor functions can best be handled in 1944.
It is suggested that your decision as to the farm labor func-
tions your institution is desirous or willing to assume in
1944 be delayed until your Director of Extension has returned
from the Denver conference. This determination should be
made for the full year, 1944, as it will be most inadvisable
to modify organizations and switch responsibilities during
the operating season.
In the absence of printed copies of the 1944 Farm Labor Ap-
propriation Act, which will not be available until after the
President signs the bill, I am enclosing a mimeographed copy
of H. J. Res. 208 in which the changes recommended by the
House and Senate conferees have been inserted.
At my request, Director M. L. Wilson is sending a copy of
this letter and the bill to Director C. W. Creel.
Sincerely yours,
/s/ Marvin Jones
War Food Administration
Enclosure
Mr. Creel then made a report on the meeting held in Denver in
February 28, 29 and March 1, 1944. Mr. Creel explained that the
Farm Emergency Labor program had been resolved into 3 catagories:
1. Intrastate Labor - which is being handled this year in the
same manner as it was handled last year, on a continuation
of last year's agreement with the Federal authorities.
2. Foreign Labor - which, so far as Nevada is concerned, con-
sists of Mexican labor. As the handling of Mexican labor
involves treaties between the United States and Mexico, it
had been already decided that the Federal agencies would
handle this phase of the program.
3. Interstate Labor - which involves sending of labor into
Nevada from other states. This category includes the con-
troversial matter of Japanese labor.
Governor Carville made serious objections to the proposed han-
dling of Japanese labor as outlined in the following written
statement:
In the proposed program Japanese labor is placed on same
basis as other domestic labor. Japs in concentration camps
have been placed there by Government authorities and Govern-
ment should retain supervision whether they are in or out of
camps. State agencies should not shoulder responsibility
for the care the Government requires of Japanese. State
agency has no police power or police protection to offer.
If certain communities want Jap labor let them take responsi-
bility, and obtain sanction of County Boards for protection,
etc.
The people of this State generally do not want Japs. Since
the Government wishes to retain partial supervision over
foreign labor, I see no good reason why they should not
retain supervision over Jap labor. I consider Japs an alien
enemy class, which is more reason that the Government should
supervise them.
After full discussion it was the sense of the Board that:
1. Inasmuch as the Government had already arranged to handle
foreign (Mexican) labor, they should also handle interstate
labor.
2. The University is not in a position and should not be re-
quired to furnish the police supervision necessary to proper-
ly handle Japanese labor.
3. The University should and would cooperate in the fullest
under the present agreement to place needed labor.