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Guide to the National Council on Agricultural Life and Labor Records, 1937-1967
BANC MSS 67/139 z
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Table of contents
Collection Title: National Council on Agricultural Life and Labor Records,
Date (inclusive): 1937-1967
Collection Number: BANC MSS 67/139 z
Creator:
National Council on Agricultural Life and Labor
Extent:
Number of containers: 9 boxes, 34 cartons, 1 oversize box, 1 oversize folder
Linear ft.: 46.5
Repository: The
Bancroft Library
Berkeley, California 94720-6000
Physical Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Languages Represented:
English
Collection is open for research.
Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft
Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which
must also be obtained by the reader.
[Identification of item], National Council on Agricultural Life and Labor records, BANC MSS 67/139 z, The Bancroft Library,
University of California, Berkeley.
Title: Paul Schuster Taylor Papers, 1895-1984,
Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS 84/38 z
- Printed materials have been transferred to the book collection of The Bancroft Library.
- Photographs have been transferred to Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library.
The National Council on Agricultural Life and Labor Records were given to The Bancroft Library by the Executive Board of the
Council on March 10, 1967.
Funding for processing provided in part by a Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA), Title III: Networking Preservation
and Statewide Resource-sharing grant, 1994-1996.
| October 1947 | A group of individuals and organizations interested in the problems of migrant workers in the United States met in Washington D.C. and set up an organization called the National Citizen's Council for Migrant Labor. |
| 1947-1950 | The Citizen's Council felt that a long-range comprehensive agricultural program should be developed to include the needs of the migrant farm workers and their families. Studying this situation led the council to believe that a more comprehensive, permanent organization was needed to cope with the situation. |
| March 1950 | A group of people closely associated with the National Citizen's Council for Migrant Labor called a meeting in New York City to establish an organization concerned with agricultural labor and rural welfare. Representatives from twenty-two voluntary agencies, individuals, and several government consultants, set up the National Council on Agricultural Life and Labor. A steering committee was elected to create a structure for a permanent organization. |
| April 1950 | It was proposed that the National Citizen's Council for Migrant Labor be discontinued, that its files and financial resources be turned over to the new organization, and that its members give their cooperation to the new organization. |
| October 1950 | A second organizational meeting was called and named the National Council on Agricultural Life and Labor as an interim committee. |
| November 1950 | The basis for a permanent organization was determined at a national conference and the National Council on Agricultural Life and Labor (NCALL) was established. At this conference, a Board of Directors, including a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer were chosen. |
| 1950-1966 | "The aim of the organization shall be that all people living and working in rural areas of the United States shall participate
equitably in the advantages of the American standard of living. To accomplish this aim, the Council will act as a clearing
house, focusing its attention on the welfare of individuals and families --migrants, sharecroppers, tenants and family members
--who earn their living through agricultural pursuits. Because the problems of farm workers are closely related to the welfare
of agriculture and our economy generally, the Council will also be concerned with questions of economics and social import
affecting rural areas."
[from the NCALL Labor Bulletin #1: June 1950] |
| March 1961 | The United States Department of Agriculture launched the Rural Areas Development Program (RAD) to provide rural people help in seeking economic improvement. The program was determined to coordinate and focus resources by assisting state, local, private, community, statewide organizations, farm organizations and interested individuals working toward the improvement of underemployed areas. |
| December 1961 | Elizabeth B. Herring, Executive Secretary of NCALL, was asked to serve on the Public Advisory Committee of the Rural Areas Development Program. |
| 1962-1966 | Ms. Herring remains active on the Public Advisory Committee as well as the sub-committee on Aging, Dependent, Handicapped and Farm Labor. |
| January 1967 | Reorganization determined the dissolution of NCALL, with constituent organizations forming alternative interest groups. |
The National Council on Agricultural Life and Labor records, 1937-1967, consists of correspondence, notes, original outlines,
printed materials, and clippings illustrating the founding of the National Citizens Council for Migrant Labor, and its evolution
into the National Council on Agricultural Life and Labor (NCALL). A third component of the collection is dedicated to the
United States Department of Agriculture Rural Areas Development Program (RAD) and its connection to NCALL.
Materials associated with each of the councils include correspondence, founding documents, and detailed information on the
structure, purpose, and function of each organization. These give a detailed picture of the infrastructure of each council,
as well as information on legislation and other organizations that illustrate the councils context and external functions.
A questionnaire created by NCALL in 1948 is included along with the results as they were reported to the Council by many state
agricultural associations.
Materials associated with the Rural Areas Development Program focus on committees which were linked to NCALL, rather than
a comprehensive record of the life of the program. The association between RAD and NCALL was established by Elizabeth B. Herring,
Executive Secretary of NCALL, when she was asked to serve on the Public Advisory Committee of RAD, and eventually served on
a sub-committee interested in Aging, Dependence and the Handicapped in regard to farm labor. There is information documenting
the founding of the Program, but the bulk of the material focuses on the two committees connected to Ms. Herring.
The National Citizens Council for Migrant Labor, the National Council on Agricultural Life and Labor, and the Rural Areas
Development Program were dedicated to the collection and dissemination of information regarding the needs and rights of farm
labor. The information was gathered to inform the membership, legislators on both the state and national level, and interested
citizens. Each series includes extensive research files, which contain newsletters, reports, and other types of printed materials.
Aside from the obvious topics concerning agriculture, labor and farm practices, many subject headings focus on family issues,
such as education, health, and housing.