The subcommittee will deal with the overall picture. The bill I introduce today. as I have already mentioned. deals with the contractorthe man who so often is the link between the grower and the worker who moves from farm to farm. My bill. like one already introduced by the Senators from New York . requires the registration of those who in the East are generally called crew leaders. and in other parts of the country are known as migrant agricultural labor contractors. The two terms are often used interchangeably. but I have chosen to use the term "migrant agricultural labor contractor" because it is more inclusive. I shall outline briefly the functions of a migrant agricultural labor contractor. or crew leader. and shall explain why he exists. The migrant labor market has many special characteristics which set it apart. The grower needs large numbers of employees. for brief periods of time. at wages which are not competitive with those generally paid in the area. This requires him to recruit workers from long distances. transport them to his farm. and provide shelter. food. and supervision while there employed. The migrant worker in the East. winters in Florida. where work is available in the citrus fields through June. and in the fruit and vegetable fields through March. April. or May. Then no work is available in Florida until late fall. and in the meantime he must go northward. following the crops. A given migrant. ideally. could find continuous year around employment by working respectively in Florida citrus. in North Carolina strawberries. in Virginia strawberries. in Maryland tomatoes. in New York tomatoes. in Virginia apples. and then back to Florida citrus. The migrant labor contractor is the bridge between the northern grower and the Florida migrant. Florida workers join a crew. usually between 45 and 75 in number. The crew is led by a man who usually owns a truck or trucks. and has some degree of education.