OCR Text |
Show FARMERS VS. LABOR UNIONS Last week Florida citrus growers grow-ers came to Washington, worried sick over the future market for grapefruit and oranges. They feared a return of the old day3 when their fruit was dumped into Florida rivers . . . The army has iust cancelled orders for several million cases of orange juice. Simultaneously Si-multaneously it has turned back on the civilian market several million more surplus cases. This backlog is bound to have a depressing effect m citrus fruit . . . Citrus fruit growers know that with wages iropping, the civilian demand for iranges and grapefruit will also lose-dive. When workmen get paid less, first thing they quit buying is fruit . . . Cattlemen also figure on i drop in prices. Not only will the army buy less, but workmen eat less meat, when wages are cut . . . Same is true of many other farm commodities, including dairy products . . . Never before has the average American eaten so well despite rationing as during the war years, largely because wages were high . . . Seldom before also have farmers been so prosperous . . . Seldom before, however, have farmers been so sore at labor unions. They were looking forward for-ward to buying new autos, new farm machinery. Now all this is delayed by strikes. Also they were looking forward to the return of cheap labor from cities to farms. So far this hasn't materialized. |