Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1855-03-10

report made by the President of the Chez 10
ana savannah railroads the application of savoEI
Dor in the construction of Southern railroad la
with force. The President undertakes r. uiised
" that this labor is the kind which we sbonId loW I
the South, because it is cheaper can be knnt use at
better discipline, worked both in summer and er
and the planter be relieved from those anno,
which always accompany the in PRODUCTION a 1rss
our plantations of contractors with hireIiuc ;I
Dor from the North and foreign parts" ~ Id
The arguments and illustrations upon tbis -.
are of interest and Importance TO thosn vh punt
template in our own States railrc ads enterpriso
/ give them in full we
We will first compare the cost of labor to oo-
pany owning slaves, and contractor who b;r ta'
The usual hire OF prime negro in this ro
try, to work upon railroads, Is about so Dpr
If the company would purchase slaves at In, nr
price say $1,000, the annual expense compartl S;
the hired slave, will be about as follows win
Interest upon $1,000 at z-per cent. per ann. SIN
Insurance on life at q per cent. a3
Which is fraction than half The sun, mad JI e.
q hi Cd hand. ''I
will again assume that the negro costs s1foO
and show. how much cheaper he can work whrnWbb
come to grading and excavaing
Interest on $1,000 at per ct. per ann IA
Insurance, 81
Clothing, 81
Bacon, X
Corn, Molasses and Tobacco u
Overseeing each hand per annum, In
Tools, including backsmiths and car
penters work, II
Doctors fees, each hand per annum,
Total expense of a slave owned by
the company per annum, SI7I
In excavatng earth railroads i n the low conn
try, II cubic yards may be assumed as an ay.la,.
days work. Allowing 275 working DAYS to 4 yrsr
a negro will excavate $500 cubic yards. Then diyd
$17I by $780, and you have five and one halfccp.S
as the expense of one cubic yard The price psii
to contractors varies from 10 to I6 cents per cubic
yard, demonstrating that slaves owned bv the Com.
panY excavate earth for one-thrd less than tn,
usual contract price.
Where Company with limited means is conYeI.
led to make its engagements with its contractors at
one-half in cash, and the remainder i'll the bonds
and stock of the Company, the price paid for cyca-
walton is % cents per cubic yard, thus making the
saving to a Company owning its slaves still
more advantageous than stated above 1t may he
said that white labor perform more and better
work per diem than the slave can, and therefore the
contractor can afford to give him higher wages and
still make as high if not higher profits than by
hiring slaves. If this is So it is contrary to my ex-
perience, for / lave tried both together several
years After the negro has had few mouths pruc-
tice with the spade and learned how to use it, he
can dig ditch in clay bottoms much as any
other man and equally we'll. In making this as
sertion | am by means singuier
In cxcavating rock the experience in Virginia is
decidedly favorably to the bought negro. In this
kind of work, much 5000 per annum has been
made there to the hand. y smart negro will learn
the trade of mason or bricklayer in less than twelve
months, and in constructing cuivertS, bridges aJut-
mentS, locks and dams, at one-scventh that the
kind of work will cost at contract prices. More
than three-fourths of the laborers the James Ri
and KSnawha Canal, in 1853 were slaves.
The contractors in Virginia have from, $50 to 800
slaves laboring together upon the public works. the
larger the number in the gang, so much the more
profitable mention this fact, because it is
times stated that slaves in large bodies cannot be
worked advantageously.
To do this, however, successfully in large
bers, they must be d vidcd into gangs of % 80,
with overseer, and the requisite cooks, and
chanics for the repair and mendng ofcartS, wagons
tools, &c. and Engineers to supervise the WORK of
the overscers.
In our own State we have striking illustrations
how easily and chcaply railroads may be built with
slave labor.
On the Cheraw and Darlington Railroad, the whole
line of 3S miles has been graded, including the
wooden superstructure by the planters on Or near
the line, without involving cash expenditure by the
Company exceeding six thousand dollars
On the Wilmington and Manchester Railroad, one
planter has worked out with his slaves, $50, 600 in
the stock of the road. Others have done the
to smaller amount Others again. have taken con-
tracts at ] cash. in slave labor. All these contracts
have proved in greater less degree profitable to
the parties, and have been told that many would
be willing to take contracts again upon the same
terms, instead of resuming their former plantation
pursuits.
In North Carolina, the upper portion Of our own
State, and Georgia, many roads have been begun
and finished principally upon the plan pursued by
the Wilmington and Manchester road, all tending to
prove what peculiar facilities we in the South pos
sess for building and providing for railroads, upon
the most economical system of construction.
For the facts presented in reference to the State
of Virginia. indebted to a very able article from
the pen of Mr.. r. G. Morris, of that State, which
appeared in DeDow's Review, during the list
mer.
invite careful consideration to the observations
and statements have now submitted by the plan
tiers living in the vicinity of proposed line, be-
lievng that if they will undertake to grade the road
and make the trestle work. it will result probably
to them, and advantageous to the road.
IVe are authorized to state that gentleman Of
this city, not many weeks since, offered prominent
in the Enquirer office bet of $500 that
Wise would be defeated The bet was accepted
day was appointed to stake the money. The gen
teman went to the Enquirer Office to stake but
put off on some pretext. He returned once more,
and was again put off. He is now ready, ace are
authorized to say to pony up and stand the chances
Will the Enquirer man make himself visible or will
he skuik?
We also feel authorized to make the same PROPOSE
ton for another gentleman in Fredericksburg Tie
cakes are hot, let them be 6utteTed
Saturdays Penny Post. :
All that we have to say, in reply to all this brag-
glng, is, that gentleman, connected with the En-
quirer office, not long since took up bet Of $500,
and the money is now in Bank, being deposited al
an god We are further authorized to say, that
any of the KnowNothng friends of the Penny Post
will call at the Enquirer office, and bring with them