LABOR POLICY AND THE OVER-ALL ECONOMY

workers, particularly for the fruit and vegetable crops and the har-
vesting of cotton. These seasonal workers come to us in large numbers
from Mexico and from the British West Indies. Nearly half a million
came last year.

These workers are paid the prevailing wages of the area for each
crop, which vary a good deal from one part of the country to another
—that is, from Arkansas to Michigan, for example. They have pro-
vided a flexible source of labor supply to meet seasonal peaks. To
some extent, they are replacing the domestic labor which is gradu-
ally going into other types of occupations. Thus, the agricultural labor
supply is affected by factors other than domestic labor, and needs to
be considered from that broader point of view.

In summary, the labor situation is but one facet of the general
economic situation. It will change with changes in the economy as
a whole. At present, demand for industrial labor pushes hard against
the supply and labor is bargaining from a position of strength. Given
a continued high level of activity and the foreseeable population
changes which I have described for you today, and the outlook for the
decade ahead—regardless of what happens in any particular year—is
continued relative scarcity of manpower.

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