458 TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VII 



Foreign Immigration and Farm Labor 

 The very acute condition that has prevailed during the past fall in 

 regard to the shortage of common or unskilled labor, and especially farm 

 labor, and the great difficulty farmers have had in securing sufficient 

 help to harvest their crops, causes me to call your attention to the pro- 

 hibitive restrictions that were attached to our immigration laws by the 

 federal government following the signing of the armistice. 



These restrictions no doubt were necessary at the time to protect the 

 American laborer; but they have served their purpose and everything 

 now indicates that the farmers are now facing a real labor shortage, 

 which is going to seriously interfere with their operations and increase 

 the cost of production. For this reason, I believe your association should 

 here go on record urging the removal of the restrictions on foreign im- 

 migrants, and should join forces with other farm organizations who 

 favor this movement to have the present congress take favorable action 

 upon this matter. Unless the bars are lifted, and foreign laborers per- 

 mitted to enter this country in much larger numbers, I believe the farm- 

 ers of the middle west will be confronted with the greatest shortage of 

 farm labor than they have yet experienced. 



In conclusion, I will say that I have given you this little resume of 

 some of the work accomplished the past year, and tried to call attention 

 to some of the more important problems confronting you, with the hope 

 that it may assist in outlining the work and policies of your association 

 for the coming year and give you hope and encouragement for the future. 



President Sykes: Now at this time I have the pleasure of in- 

 troducing you to Mr. J. N. Horlacher, of Storm Lake, who is 

 president of the Iowa Federated Co-operative Shippers' Associa- 

 tion, who will address you. Mr. Horlacher. 



Mr. J. N. Horlacher : Mr. Chairman and Members of the Corn 

 Belt Meat Producers' Association and Iowa Co-operative Ship- 

 pers. Two years ago, when we were organizing, we had about 

 thirty members. With this organization, the state Farm Bureau 

 helped us out and we had an office with them and the work was 

 carried on practically under their supervision. Also the board of 

 directors of the Shippers. That was a year ago and it was to be 

 carried on until the first of January last, at which time the 

 Shippers were to go alone. We have today about one hundred 

 sixty-five or seventy members to this organization. 



Our work, as most of you know, is to help out the shipping as- 

 local buyer is all but killed out, and needs some assistance outside 

 of what they have at home. That has been one of the activities of 

 the Co-operative Shippers. Another activity we have been work- 

 ing at during the last year is opening up the smaller markets in 

 the state. Iowa is peculiarly situated. We have about eight or 



