D. C. DE.R SIR: In speaking of the sugarbeet business a correspondent of the Los Angeles Tribune recently said: " If the grower. as a rule. would employ American labor in the place of cheap Asiatic labor. he would no doubt receive more sympathy from the consuming public. Under ordinary circumstances a misleading statement like this would pass unnoticed. but as the beet business Is still in Its Infancy and yet is destined to play such an important part In our political and business affairs. we should all try to understand it aright. The fact of the matter is that the sugar beets make so much field work that there is scarcely sufficient "American labor" to bring the cro up to that stage where the " cheap Asiatic labor " is able to take hold of It. At this stage of the crop the call for labor Is generally so urgent that the farmer never thinks of asking any questions as to nationality or color. All he thinks about is getting his beets thinned and hoed or topped. and he generally pays a firstclass price. and If he gets even secondclass work he esteems himself more than lucky.
Identified stereotypes
Cheap Asiatic labor is used in the beet fields.