‘Work or Jail’ is Edict for Vagrants in Susanville
Shortage of Farm Labor in Lassen County Brings Order from City and County Officers
May 29, 1942
It’s either work or go to jail for vagrants in Susanville and vicinity, according to a program worked out Wednesday afternoon by city and county officials in conjunction with law enforcement agencies.
The action of the group was prompted by reports of refusals to accept employment on the part of numerous transients now frequenting Susanville’s streets.
Employment officials reported recent examples of farmers of the valley offering employment to men on the streets, only to be refused. These same men, according to employment spokesmen, later were found to be ‘mooching’ from passersby.
To combat the situation, which finds idle men refusing employment while farmers are seeking help to harvest their crops, law enforcement representatives are being urged to arrest such individuals and haul them into court.
In court, the men will be given the alternative of going to jail or work and court officials have indicated that sentences will not be light in such cases.
