The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-08-05
Labor in the field and boiling house i! ,2O0
Other items mentioned above l,oOO
Interest on capital Is per cent? on
100000 sterling 2,4OO

Interest on capital Is per cent? on
100000 sterling : Z,4oo
500
The foregoing is a very full Il think an I'M.
exsggerated) estimate Of the cost Of labor and
other expenses, but the interest is not exces.
sive. Money so invested ought to yield per
cent and the price estimated, 100000, for
an estate capable of yielding 200 hogsheads,
is below that at which late sales have been
made. The estimate of labor and other ex.
penses is based upon one furnished by two
agricultural societies in this island some years
ago; but shall have occasion, before 1 close
this letter. to furnish you with the actual cost of
labor on q we'l-managed estate, which shows
it to be only ga per hogshesd. The other ex-
penses ought, think, to be reduced by 20 per
cent. 1t is desirable that you should clearly
understand the proportion which field labor
bears to the total cost of a hogshead of sugar.
L have made many Inquiries as to the relative
cost of production in other colonies in this
Government, which comprises Barbados st.
Vincent, Grenada, st. Lucia, and Tobago. The
rate of wages is about the same in all, except
Tobago, where it is rather less. 1t varies from
10 pence to one shilling for men, u to 10 pence
for women, and pence for children. Task
work prevails generally in this island. The
islands. and in some of them they are lower.
In British Guiana and Trinidad, wages are
considerably higher than in the other col
onies, and the demand for labor is increasing.
/ do not believe that in any of the other col
onies estates are worth anything like what
they are In Barbados and consequently they
could all afford to give a much higher rate of
wages. In Trinidad, as in Cuba uncultivated
land can be obtained from Government at a
very moderate price. The value of the pro-
ducts of sugar estate, the expense of which
| have stated above, may be estimated as fol
lows
200 hhds. of sugar, averaging 10 cwt.
net in England, at ELS $4,000
Rum, molasses, and provisions $50
$3.50
You will perceive that wages might be con-
siderably increased at present prices, without
real estate experiencing any material decline.
Such is the result of the cultivation of sugar By
free labor. Property, 1 need scarcely observe,
has advanced in the islands much beyond its
value in the time of Slavery. But what / de-
sire to impress chiefly upon you is, that where
rich land adapted to sugar cultivation can be
obtained cheap as in Trinidad aud Cuba, the
price of labor is of secondary Importance.
Every effort will be used to obtain labor at any
price and with equal facilities for getting to
Market the old plantations could no more
compete with the new ones, than your lands in
New England with the rich virgin soils of the
Mississippi valley.
l have but little means of comparing the
present cost of slave and free labor. have no
doubt, however, from what have heard, that
the slaves in Cuba are worked much harder
than they were in the British West Indies, or
fhon thou in TIp,<o IL
fairest test, perhaps, of the comparative cost of
slave and free labor, is to compare the wages
paid to the free laborer with the rate demand
ed by those who let out slaves to hire. The
owners of slaves in Cuba are in the habit of
hiring them in gangs; and understand that
the rate some years ago. when sugar was much
lower in price, was SIT per month, which, allow
ing 26 working days, would be 65 cents per
dsy-a rate far exceeding the price of free
labor in any of the British colonies. am not
certain whether the food is provided by the
owner, or by the person hiring the slaves. On
these points l shall have further information
ere long; but as you intend to visit Havana,
you will be able to make inquiries on the spot
As TO the relative cost of slave and free labor
in this colony, l can supply you with facts, in
which the most implicit reliance may be
placed. They have been furnished to me by
acres of land, and situated at distance of
about twelve miles from the shipping port. The
estate referred to produced, during Slavery
equal on an average TO lao hogsheads of sugar
of the present weight, and required 230 slaves
1t is now worked by 80 free laborers-6 60
adults, and 30 under l6 years of age. Its av.
erage produ during the last seven years has
been l94 hogsheads. The total cost of labor has
been G770 l6s., or f3l IS. I'd. per hogshead of
LOO pounds. The average of pounds of sugar
to each laborer during Slavery was l,O43
pounds, and during freedom, 1864 pounds.
To estimate the est of slave labor, the value
Of 23O slaves must be ascertsined; and place
them at what would have been low average,
ESQ sterling each, which would make the
entire stock amount to Ell 500. Tbi,, at 81
per cent interest, which on such property is
much too low an estimate, would give $3.50
Cost of clothing, food, and medical at.
tendance, / estimate at &3 los. sos
Total cost l,495
or ElO Us. Cd. per hogshead while the cost
ct free labor on the same estate is under "a.
The cost Of maintenance of slaves is q point on
which | have not been able to get any reliable
information. The highest estimate have had
is f8; the lowest, f3. 1t is a point of no i'm.
portsnce now, as far as these colonies are con.
cerned; but in comparing the cost of free labor
with slave, in the present day, it is desirable to
be accurate. l have been told tina. the average
cost in Cuba is $50 per apnum and if go,
: here can be no doubt that this, added to the
interest Oh the value of the slaves, would brirg
mp the cost of labor to q much higher price
han that given for free labor in any of the
British colonies.
L need scarcely remind you that the cost
per head of slaves must be calculated on the
entire population-men, women, and children
q considerable per centage of which will furnish
no LABOR IN return. 1t may interest you to know
the comparative value of property in this island
during Slavery and Freedom. The estate lust
referred to, containing 900 acres of land, was
%orto, during Slavery, ESQ per acre, or
tlo,OO and l have estimated the slaves
round at t5O each, which would be GIl.5OO.
l am not aware what the compensation money
amounted to per head in Barbados. but have
no doubt to $50, at least. After the award Of
compensation for the slaves, the estate was
sold during the apprenticeship for ELS 600.
and was purchased q few years ago. by the
present proprietor, for f30,000-which price
have no doubt he could obtain for it at
any moment. 1t is proper that should
aoo, mat L nave taken the estate, regarding
which have furnished you with the FOREGOING
particulars, as furnishing fair illustration Of
the comparative productiveness and cost of
cultivation during Slavery and Freedom. l
could multiply instances in which there have
been similar results.
L shall now proceed to the consideration OF
the complaint against the creoles of African
descent, that they are indolent, and that they
have abandoned the sugar plantations This
IS subject involved in much greater difficulty
than the one on which have ALREADY treated.
admit that the planters generally, in several