New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-02-07
dites letter to THE TRIBUNE or some other ses-

dites letter TO THE TRIBUNE or some other scs-
board journal, calling the ate alton of immigrants
to his section, and telling them th,t L,sorers are
there in demand at $3.50 to $500 year. Bat he
fails to tell them that the laborers who demand
aud receive such prices have received a fair CON-
mon school education, can keep farmers &C.
couI s if need be, and may be sent thirty or forty
miles with load of potatoes or poultry, with in
structioDs to sell TO the best advantage buy bill
of family groceries and thousand feet Of fence
boards as per memorandum furnished, pay for
these out of the proceeds of the outward load,
AID return the balance in money with an account
of sales and purchases-all which any OF them
will DO as we'll as his employer could; while
almost any freshly landed immigrant would prove
upt quail to such responsibilities. The Yankee Ia
borer is accustomed to cut and split rails; chop
sn6 draw wood tend cattle, and milk plow, plant
nd cultivate; NOW, pitch and cradle; he knows
how to deal with threshipg machine or fan
nipg.mill; if he never Jet saw horsepower
mower or resper, he car learn to manage one 10
dsy; while his rewly arrived Irish or Dutch
competitor can do few or none Of these things
handily and well, but needs patient training, and
at last will not fairly hold bis own with the Van
kee, except with the spade, whereof the Irish
man is the unrivsled master. OF course, We
know there are .killfu effective workers in the
Old Countries but these are seldom found seek
ire work in our cities. They can do better at
home than here, unless they are drawn hither by
c,fnite agreements secured before hsnd
A most INTELLIGENT and extensive farmer in the
heart of our State writes us that he has frequent
applications for work from immigrants who pass
hi. house but on closely questioning them. he
learns that hardly one of them can do so simple
thing as make rail fence, or cut load Of wood
in the forest and sled it up to his woodshed;
hence he Is compelled to decline their services at
SO Der month and hire Instead Americans at
Sl4. Yet, ask any one of bis neighbors who
wants to hire, what is the chance for lsborers in
that's sc c,ion, and he will answer: Never better
"farm. hands are wanted at Sl4 per month -
ard 80 another car load Of green immigrants will
be luIed away, to encounter frutles expense,
chilling rebuffs and disappointment.
Here some will interpOse with" Then let
the Irish devote themselves to digging for Rail
roads, Canals, &c, in which labor they excel"
But there is not work enough of this sort at
pre.ent for half those who seek it, and the bust
ness is Lot likely to improve very soon. Nor do
We think it best for the needy that it should. An
immigrant with a resolute, sturdy wife, who can
keep shsnty boarding house. take washing, &C.,
may do tolerably well on railroad; but the
Iobc ia tha m
ease and casualty very great; and living on an
incpent railroad track is at best barely staying.
And almost any single labOrer who receives
500 year and his living on good farm will
have tavtd more at the years-end than he would
out of 81 per day and find himself on progress
ing Railroad.
We reiterste, therefore, our urgent advice to
newly landed immigrant laborers, male or iemse.
to find homes with substantial farmers wherever
that is possible, and be more sOlicitous as to the
experience and skill to be gained than the rate OF
wages. You need no advice to take all you can
get; bu. consider that you have very much to learn
here; that capacity and skill are valuable posses
sions; that you cannot labor severely in our
fierce and tickle climate as you could in that OF
your native land; and that you ought to be worth
aquarter more the secC nd year of your residence
among US than the 6rst Ii one wishing to hire
you ssks what you can DO, be sure not to answer
81 can do any thing" for he will naturally infer
from it that you know how to do little or nothing
Better say candidly and explicitly II have been
accustomed only to use the spade" Cor what
ever the fact may be;) "but if you will try me-
"snd have patience to instruct me, will learn to
"do whatever you require of me" aud wish to
"be paid no more than l can fairly earn. ask
$50 much per year; if, at the close of the first
"quarter, you think NE not worth 1t, you may
then pay me and will 60" And we say again
to every immigrant: Better 500 per year with
living from wise and kind farmer who will teach
you patiently, snd not lose his sleep in studying
how to get extra work out of you, than $3.50
from ore whose only thought win be to make
money by his bargain.
Men who say labor ia scarce and high in your
several localities now is the time and this is the
place to hire. Two months hence the case will
be bravely altered.