D. FINANCES EXHIBIT 13048 [Copied from the files of Associated Farmers of Madera County, Inc. under subpena, FLW/dmb, 12/15/39] SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY POULTRY PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION, NIELS OVERGAARD, July 20, 1938. Madera, California. DEAR MR. OVERGAARD: Answering your letter of July 19th. Our directors, last year, at the suggestion of the Associated Farmers of Tulare County made a donation of 10 per hundred cases of eggs handled through our pool in each of the counties in which we operate. In Madera County there were 5,863 cases of eggs sent through our pool, therefore the Associated Farmers of Madera County would be entitled to $5.86 and we enclose our check #55214 for that amount. We asked the Secretary of the Associated Farmers in Tulare County to furnish us the names of the secretaries for the other counties, but we have never received the information and therefore could not send the donation until we knew who to send it to. Yours very truly, WBR: JR S. J. V. POULTRY PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION, /s/ W. B. ROBY, General Manager. EXHIBIT 13049 [Copied from files of Associated Farmers of Madera County, Inc. under subpena, FLW/bsc, 12/15/39] ASSOCIATED FARMERS OF CALIFORNIA, INC. 472 Russ Building-235 Montgomery St. SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, January 13, 1939. ASSOCIATED FARMERS OF MADERA COUNTY, Madera, California. GENTLEMEN: At the last meeting of the Executive Committee of the Associated Farmers of California, Inc., held in Los Angeles on January 5th, the report of the Finance Committee for the year 1939 was adopted. The state assessment of your county affiliate, as given in that report, is $524.00. This assessment, as you know, may be paid in a lump sum but is not actually due except upon a quarterly installment basis. The county assessments were arrived at on an actual basis of .00005 of the total agricultural income of the counties based upon the latest available figures which are for the year 1937. The gross agricultural income for your county for that year is given as $10,482,561.00. We will be glad to have you check these figures, and if you find them incorrect, please notify us. Previous figures used for establishment for preceding years were all based on estimated figures for the year 1934, therefore most of the counties will find considerable difference in the new figures and assessments. In most instances, the figures are larger but we believe more accurate. In some instances the amounts are lower. Due to the fact that we are beginning a new year, which means that our old budget is exhausted, this office will greatly appreciate your cooperation in making initial payments as soon as possible. For your information, following is a statement of your 1938 account: $84.47 California Cotton Oil Corp. 149.75 California Cotton Cooperative Assn. 539.00 San Joaquin Cotton Oil Co. If these figures do not conform to your records, please advise us. SHS: AS EXHIBIT 13050 /s/ S. H. STRATHMAN, Field Secretary. [Copied from files of Associated Farmers of Madera County, Inc. under subpena, DEAR MR. OVERGAARD: We are in receipt of a check from the California Cotton Cooperative Association, Ltd. in amount of $244.86. Of this amount, we have credited $93.74 to the Associated Farmers of Madera County for cotton produced in your county. Sincerely E. CORRESPONDENCE /s/ HAROLD E. POMEROY, Executive Secretary. EXHIBIT 13051 [Copied from files of Associated Farmers of Madera County, Inc., under subpena, FLW/bsc, 12/15/39] ASSOCIATED FARMERS OF CALIFORNIA, MADERA, CALIFORNIA, July 27, 1937. 1301 Hobart Building, San Francisco, California. DEAR SIRS: The following is the names and address of the members of the Board of Supervisors of Madera County: Ray Adell, P. O. Box 94, Madera Virgil Gordon, Madera Clay Daulton, P. O. Box O, Madera Geo. Teaford, North Fork Yours very truly, Secretary and Treasurer, Associated Farmers, Madera County. EXHIBIT 13052 [Copied from the files of the Associated Farmers of California, Inc. under subpena, 2/9/40, EG/dmb] ASSOCIATED FARMERS OF FRESNO COUNTY, INC. AFFILIATED WITH (ASSOCIATED FARMERS OF CALIFORNIA, INC.) Mr. HAROLD E. POMEROY, 722 Mattei Bldg. FRESNO, CALIFORNIA, May 15, 1939. Executive Secretary, Associated Farmers of California, Inc., 472 Russ Building, San Francisco, California. DEAR MR. POMEROY: Supplementing my letter of a couple of days ago relative to the cotton chopping hearing at Madera on Tuesday last, you will find herewith enclosed a transcript of this meeting. In reading over this transcript I find that it is pretty badly garbled up. Mr. Ollie Baker, president of the Madera County Farm Bureau, advised me of this fact and asked me not to send you this copy. The notes from which this report were transcribed were taken by one of the SRA employees of the Madera office and many errors have occurred. Mr. Baker promised to furnish me with a copy of the notes taken by his girl, who he borrowed from the District Attorney's office, and he states that these notes will be complete; therefore you will be receiving another copy of a report covering this meeting, at an early date. At a meeting at Dr. Stone's home, attended by principal cotton growers of Madera County together with certain business men of the city of Madera on Saturday evening, discussions were had relative to the hearing and to the report which went out over the air Wednesday evening to the effect that the Committee had recommended a wage scale of 271⁄2¢ per hour and $1.25 per acre as against a base wage of 20 per hour and 75¢ per acre set by the San Joaquin Valley Labor Bureau. Information was also at hand at the time of the meeting that the Committee had not had their conference with Governor Olson and would not have same until either on Saturday or Sunday at which time they would lay the evidence before the Governor as to the outcome of the meeting at Madera on Tuesday. At Madera on Tuesday, during the lunch hour, I overheard a conversation by some of the Reds who attended the meeting, to the effect that they were going to write the Governor a letter which he would receive the following day (Wednesday) and as soon as he received that letter, the information would go out that they would get the wage which they were demanding. This is what most likely happened and the report of 271⁄2¢ per hour and $1.25 per acre no doubt was the result of the letter going to Sacramento. The cotton growers and farmers in general as well as many of the business men are up in arms about the situation in Madera County. They are proposing to call a mass meeting of farmers and businessmen to be sponsored by the Farm Bureau. They are going to call on all farmers, farm organizations, American Legion, Cattlemen's Association and businessmen to attend the meeting which is to be held early next week. The business houses in the city of Madera are even going to be asked to close for this occasion and all employees invited to the mass meeting which is to be held in Courthouse Park at which time there will be some resolutions presented condemning the actions of the Governor in holding hearings such as took place in Madera on last Tuesday. It was suggested that all counties follow similar action and copies of the resolutions so adopted at these meetings be sent to all members of the State Legislature. Mr. Strathman was present at this meeting on Saturday evening and he and I discussed this matter and he asked me to pass this information on to you so that you could get in touch with Harold Ainger and see if he would start some action in his county along the same line. I expected to hear from one of the Madera Group today so that I could pass on whatever information I could get, to you. Should I hear from them tomorrow, I will immediately advise you and give you more particulars as to the proposed meeting. I discussed this matter with Mr. Camp over the phone this morning and he informed me that the businessmen of the city of Bakersfield would not be favorable to a meeting of that kind. I likewise feel that the businessmen of Fresno would not be favorable to such a meeting. However the rural towns in the county would no doubt be favorable to action of this kind. I am going to Visalia tomorrow and will take this matter up with our group in Tulare county and see what they think about it, likewise I will take the matter up with the Kings County group. I will give you the reaction of these various groups as soon as I can contact them and get their opinions on meetings such as the Madera group is proposing to stage. Very truly yours, RFS: js [s] R. F. SCHMEISER, President. EXHIBIT 13053 [Copied from the files of Associated Farmers of Madera County, Inc. under subpena, FLW/bsc, 12/15/39] Mr. BEN H. HAYES, NOVEMBER 1, 1939. President, Associated Farmers of Madera County, Inc., Madera, California. DEAR MR. HAYES: For your future guidance I am inclosing herewith a copy of the Plan of Activities for the Associated Farmers of California, Regional District No. 5. This Plan was adopted at the organization meeting on January 19th last. You will note that Paragraph D of Section 7 calls for an annual meeting of the members of Regional District No. 5. As president of Regional District No. 5, I am calling a meeting of said district to be held in the city of Visalia, at the Municipal Auditorium on November 24 at 7:30 P. M. The purpose of this meeting will be to elect officers and transact such other business as may properly come before said meeting, including the election of an Executive Committeeman to represent this district on the State Board for the coming year. It is advisable that you have a membership meeting prior to this Regional Meeting for the purpose of electing your Board of Directors for the coming year. Also at the same time you should elect a director to represent your chapter on the State Board of Directors and 2 members as Executive Committeemen of Regional District No. 5. If you have not already arranged for a membership meeting, I suggest that you do so in the near future and that you arrange to have as many of your Board of Directors present at the Regional Meeting on November 24th as possible, as this will be an important meeting. A selection is to be made of your representative to the State organization for the coming year. As and when the date for your membership meeting has been determined, I would appreciate receiving notice of the date thereof so that I may, if possible, attend said meeting. Owing to the vast amount of so-called strikes throughout your district this season you should have no trouble in getting a good attendance at the membership meeting. At said meeting publicity should be given to the annual meeting of the state organization which is to be held on December 7 and 8 at Stockton. Hoping to hear from you at an early date that a membership meeting has been called in your district, I am Incl. Very truly yours, RFS: js cc to Mr. Niels Overgaard [s] R. F. SCHMEISER, President. 2. 1939 COTTON PICKERS STRIKE A. CORRESPONDENCE OF ASSOCIATED FARMERS EXHIBIT 13054 [Copied from the files of the Associated Farmers of California, Inc. under subpena, 2/9/40, EG/dmb] MADERA COUNTY HEALTH UNIT Dr. Lee A. Stone, Director. Phone 675 Mr. HAROLD POMEROY, MADERA, CALIFORNIA, October 10th, 1939. Associated Farmers, Russ Bldg., San Francisco, California. MY DEAR HAROLD: Things are rocking along here at a fairly good rate and this morning I had a telephone message from Bob Schmeiser telling me of a conversation Mr. Boyette of Corcoran had repeated to him, that there was every possibility that a strike would be called today at noon. The CIO bargaining agent saw Mr. Boyette and asked him to deal only with him. Mr. Boyette rather emphatically in three words told him where to go. The result is that threats have been made on a number of growers around the Corcoran area. A little trouble developed this morning on the Joe Thomas ranch in Madera county. On Monday a group of CIO'ers called on the sheriff who refused to see him, but they were seen by his chief deputy, Mr. Pickett. I enclose a list of the things demanded by this group. I think you will agree with me that the list is definitely presumptious. There will be a meeting in Madera tonight of the CIO at which time Bob Franklin and Bob Schmeiser will be on hand. I will be there also as well as Ollie Baker, I am sure. I was in the Firebaugh area yesterday and I had a talk with Mr. Ripperdan, deputy sheriff who told me that Lillian Monroe was making every effort that she could to call strikes but to date has not been very successful. She is driving around the country with small farmers and making all sorts of threats of strikes but thus far has not been able to get anywhere. I am enclosing three mimeographed circulars that have been distributed in the Firebaugh area. These I hope you will find interesting. It is being told all around Firebaugh that Lillian Monroe is being financed by the Associated Farmers and that her purpose is to go just so far and then back away before an actual strike occurs. I gave this the lie yesterday and in fact I did not have to because it was not believed by those who are in the "know." I had a very interesting letter from R. L. Adams a few days ago, copy of which is enclosed. Also a letter from Lloyd Frick, copy of which is enclosed. From what R. L. Adams has to say it would seem that the minority group are in the saddle and as far as the growers themselves are concerned and the majority of the committee, their opinion doesn't seem to be worth very much. Professor Adams calls attention to the documents that I gave him. I prepared a brief in the matter which you have already read in the way of a letter and I also enclosed with it a copy of "What is the Solution to California's Transient Labor Problem?", "Axioms for Growers," and "Carey McWilliams Demands Cotton Camps Be Cleaned Up" and as an aside for his attention only, I gave him a copy of the McWilliams article in the "Worker's World" wherein he was attacked by McWilliams. I am also enclosing a survey of Kern County Migratory Labor Problem as done by C. F. Baughman, chief of the Sanitary Division of the Kern County Health Department. I had a very interesting visit the other day from Mr. Hibbs, associate editor of "Country Gentleman," who told me that he had seen you and that you had referred him to me. He brought a letter of introduction from Mr. H. C. Merritt of Tagus Ranch. I brought him in contact with Harrison Scott and they had a very interesting time of it. I think he left here quite pleased with his interview. I gave him a group of pictures and will send him more. |