The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-08-05

descent does IN Guiana er prinidad He en-
deavors to get land Of bis wn, ar. tecome a
proprietor instead of a lasofer.
Unfortunately, the planters have y. ytr adopt
I'd a policy calculated to'retain the ,oles on
their estates. Such at least ia d opinion.
A West Indian planter fc. 'ovs two o s,rPations.
he is an extensive IS isllturift Nd like.
wise manufacturer, L these ca: cities be
requires considerable GAP al to & ale him
10 succeed believe thSt Tue most 1,,cGtable
employment for labor in fhe West Il SIS is the
cultivation of the sugas ane, Re. tially if
prices anything like thu resent l.,uld be
maintained. What, then, have been "a induce
tnents held out to the la oorers to s7tsk upon
the sugar plantations In Barb sScs have
explained already that whgei. have tns5ed from
ten pence to one shilling per task II hat rate
prevails generally, with lie excef 10 of Gui.
ana and Trinidad. In addition h her wages,
u small allotment of lane is usue q rem, but
ON most uncertain tentse. Til, al 'er may
be elected at any time ca few { ~ notice,
and he is subjected to peralties for az working
on the estate. l am fu7.y ccnvinsei hat the
abandonment Of the est !es is owif more TO
the tenure, on which alGAe the pie Strs would
lease land, than to any o,her csustsl It would
have been wise polic1 for o.. b etor to
have given leases Of small sllotmy1s IN per-
petuity, redeemsble by tie full pc gn.er of the
capital. 1t woula-have seen the c. non in
terest of the laborer and ,proprietorza at such
land should be cultivate9 in canes, etich the
tenant would necessarilyshave 10 br 5S to the
mill of the proprietor and this whd have
tended to keep up Sgood ariefsiandiDg.
Liberal wages would havs induced atc:, tenants
10 labor on the estates, Which tbsy c)e 4 easily
have done, without interfering @i-a d. cir own
cultivation. The rate of wages should be reg
ulated by the price of sugar. If he aborers
found that when high prices pteysilsi, their
wages were increased in proportion, thsg would
willingly submit to reduction during period
of low prices. Their experience 10 sos;e colo.
MES, regret to say, has Seen, thas wages have
been reduced when thepffces of sugar have been
low, but there has been 40 disposition to in
crease them in times of prosperity. Il seems
almost incom prehensibe that labor should be
diverted to &C great an sxtent, In the British
colonies, to the raising Of provisions, for which
there is but limited ma ;ket, when It could be
so much more proftsbly employed in the cul.
tivation of the cane. Th6 cause, however, can
only be assigned to the i1suffciency Of the in
ducements held out to the laboring classes
My belief is, that whenever sufficient induce.
ments are offered, labor can be obtssned. | am
not, however, of opinion that high wages consti.
tute the best kind of inducement. On the
contrary, looking to the nature Of the demand
for labor, which during the reaping and manu-
fscture of the crop is mnch greater than at
any other time, think sbat the true policy
would be, to encouraged. e industrious classes
to combine labor on Their own account with
labor for the proprietors. The encouragement,
which l believe would BE- suf6ciept, would be
the concession of small allotmeA of land at
fair rents, but on such q tenure as would rem.
der the laborer independent 1t may be said,
that if so situated, he would refuse to work for
hire. But If, as | contend, the most valuable
agricultural product IS he sugar cane, the
proprietor would be able II hold out a sufficient
inducement to his tenants to labor, BY furnish
ing them with facilities for the raanufacture of
their crop; and even viewing the case in the
worst point of view for the proprietor. he would
get an ample rent for his land.
l ascribe the indolence of the cradle laborers.
in great degree, to the nature n their pur,
suits. They have not been enabled to raise
on their own account any product, for which
there is an expert demand. They save chiefly
been engaged in the raising of provisions, for
which there is only q local sale and as in.
creased production would Gauge 6. decline of
price, there is no Undue to in 1ussry.
cannot help thinking that the capitalists
and laborers would have long SINCE come to
satisfactory understanding, as to tie terms on
which the cultivation of the cane should be
carried on, but for the facilities afforded to the
former of obtaining labor by emigration from
other countries. The effect of this emiora.
ton has been to render the proprietary body
more independent of creole labor, and less vii.
ling to offer the necessary Inducements. There
is at present a very active deman5 for labor,
owing to the high prices of sugar which have
recently prevailed; and in several of the colo.
MES, parVculsrly British Guiana AID Trinidad.
1t would, presume, be impossible tc supply it
from the native population.
Believing, as have reason TO DO, that there
ls no probability of any extensive emigration
from Africa to the West Indies, and that for
many reasons Coolie emigration should be
avoided, ifpossible, my earnest ceaife would be
that some satisfactory arrangement should be
made, by which free negroes FROM the United
States ard Canada could be Induced to settle
in the West Indies. 1t is, however, vain for
the planters to look for emigration from Amer.
lea; unless they offer much greater induce
ments than they have ever yet dane. Cheap
land, on satisfactory tenure, Combined with
fair wagee, would, am inclined to think, ope.
rate as an encouragement to the free negroes
OF America to emigrate, as they woild find the
climate much more suitable to the m than the
Northern States or Canada
The rate of wages ought to be Gne shilling
and six pence per task; and | may observe,
that an ordinary task can be finished with ease
by an able-bodied man by noon, 10 that the
rate of wages is really higher in the West In.
dies than would be supposed from its nominal
rate. But it should be rigidly insisted on, a. a
condition to any system of emigration, that
land, from half an acre TO two acres, according
to the number IN family, should be leased in
perpetulty, at rent equal to six per cent on
the value; and that the tenant should have the
option of becoming the purchaser, by paying
up the capital l am unaware of the value of
land in Guiana, but in any of the other cole.
nies, E25 per acre for land within half mile
of the sugar works would be high rate. In
some colonies it should be hess Whe,her such
inducements would be sufficient to Girectthe
of the free negroes from the United
States to the West Indies, am uuabgs to say
but less, | am convinced, need not b.. offered.
The preceding remarks apply chiefly to those
points affecting the interests of the p ,nters.
In this island, there can be no dor ot what.
ever, emancipation has been great boon to-
all classes. Real estate has increased in price.
and is q more certain and advantageo. invest.
ment than IN the time of Slavery. Tt estates
are much better and more economical " cult.
waited, and the proprietors are, l am inclined
to think, perfectly contented. In other colonies,
the proprletors have suffered from v,riety of
causes. Ii would be unjust to blame hem for
not having adopted wiser policy TOW ,rds the
laboring classes. They, as gene al rnIe
meant to act literally, and, have doubt.
believe that they have been treated with in.
grau'uoe: AN, nevertheless, convis ed that
the laboring classes have been blamed without
cause. The tenure of land IA tenanc; at will
on the estates has driven the labor rs from
them. They have purchased or lea ed land
ell it being cheap snd abund, Mt and