Imperial Valley Press

Squatter Camps Eradicated Here

Squatters families, the tragedy and the problem of Imperial Valley every winter, were moved from the northern sections of the valley Thursday in order to eradicate unsanitary conditions declared to be a menace to health.

Deputy Health Officer Niles ordered squatters to vacate their makeshift camps huddled in fringes around the big federal and grower camps and told them to move into the half empty federal camp at Holtville.

"These unfortunate people," Niles said, "are attracted to the big camps which are filled beyond capacity because they think they may be able to move in if someone else moves out and because they think they may get work. They get free food from the Federal Farm Administration to keep alive.

"They are living in tents, trailers, under bits of canvas spread between the running boards of parked cars, and other pitiful shelters. They have no sanitary facilities at all and endanger themselves and all surrounding areas."

He declared it was unfortunate these migratory people, many of them having no idea how to pick peas or carrots, do not know that most of the growers use the same pickers every year and save tent sites for them at their own camps.

"They do not know that most of the growers get their help from their own camps," he declared. "while labor contractors get theirs usually from the three federal camps, at Brawley, Calipatria, and Holtville.

"Most of them came to the valley with nothing but promises and hope of work. Some relative promises to get them work at the same place the relative works and so often can-

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Squatter Camps
Eradicated Here
As Health Measure

(Continued from Page 1)

not keep the promise
Labor contractors solicit them, promise work to many so a big supply will be available when needed

He declared state housing officials told him the growers camps are getting better every year and the two Walker-Brothers camps were held up as model to other California communities

In Calipatria federal camp has room for 25 families over the 200 capacity and the Brawley federal camp filled with 250 families at capacity The Holtville camp is still room for 123 families

Squatters scattered in the El Centro area were ordered to move to Holtville to

Niles hoped someday the migrants reap could be controlled so that only so many pickers needed in the winter harvest would come to the valley, there eliminating the suffering . . . squatters endure and the health menace their camps create