, 1860-07-23
LABOR IN JAMAICA.
WILL TIE NEGROES W0RK7

issue attributing the falling of Of the sugar
crops in Jamaica, since the abolition Of slavery,
to the refusal Of the emancipated slaves to !;
work. 1t asserted that the "great reason why
Southern opinion regarding slavery has under
gone change, is the indisputable fact tba. the
British ana French experiments in this line ;,
hare not been attended with the Success that
Was anticipated"
4 native OF Jamaica, who belongs to family
OF former shareholders who lost by The euauci-
patton. ard who has no interest to speak faTor-
ably Of the result of that act, replies to the as
sertions of TINT sheet, After pointing out the
.ef1eo. of e1travsgancs, absenticism. and mis-
1nandg.med1 on the patt: of the estate owners.
a formidable trio-enough to ruin any country
.:.-and adding the dIseouraging influence of the
repeal Of The sugar bounty AID heavy ta1ation.
the writer proceeds :.
But You say, the euancipated slaves and their
ch,l tren, as body. will nut work On the plan:
tationr; and; from the application to them Of
sneh terms Is h,i-barbarous" and 'savages,"
the inference 10 that they will not work any
where else. Are you aware that theso "sav-
ages" comprising b population Of some three
hundred Thousand, have, al1ce the year Ut eman-
cipation, purchased no fewer than fifty thou
sad freeholds, and that the whole island is now
studded with negro villages, flied with comfort
able cottages, aud verdant With groves Of yaus,
plautuins, bananas, cocoas, copava, and other
vegetable productions, and that on them the
entire population depend tor natiye provisions?
Perhaps you we're led to believe tbst these peo.
pie were kquatters on other peoples property
"the immense tracts Of uncultiTated mountains
aud other waste landa," OF which you speak. II
.ia+A Av3
credible that people who arc entirely gtven to
| idtepess-who were, In fact, classed with ''ali
sayaees." could have, in 80 short tiup; become
| possessed Of properly to such an extent, repre-
sentiug teveral millions of pounds AterlinR7 l.
could say something Of the causes which led
| ers, but simply co1tent myself with resting on
! the inherent right, which you will hardly dis
pu,e, Of every man, white or black, 10 purchase
| wh It be desires with his money, honestly earn
3D. md also with bis right to select that Kind Of
| employment vii ch is most remuncratise And
| 1T the Jumaica negro prefers to enrn from tbree
t to sour sh'ilngs per day, By working on his
own homestesa. to earning from cue sni'llDg 10
ope and si1pepce BY digging caueholes for IN.
| other, who shall blame him =
= That the Jamaica negro does work, aud work
ha1d, too, know from rho eyidedce OF my ox1
eyesight. / once asked Sir, John Parry, the
surveyor, who was experimenting the laying
out OF new road across the ialand, how be was
Of for labor, and he told me that for IL. Cd. a
day he had more applicants than he wanted
hauds Mr. De Wa den, the engineer Of the
Kingston Watr Works Company, bore similar
testimony 10 The negroes willingness to work
Tor The company: Visiting copper mine. at
Salisbury painr, St. Andrew, one dsy, mining
captain. whose nnme forget, Informed me that
he could yet all the negro labor be wanted, aud
that the .regroes were proud to be considered
minera. The same command Of iubor exists on
tile railroad between ktugston and the Ange.'s
Mark. speak from experience. I hare seen
The negro iatorers at work On these unde,tak'
ings, time and again, and the men Away seem.
ed to work with will.
could tell you great deal about the sugar
| estates Of Jamaica, for hare been among then
50 much that I an almost d planter INF self.
could speak Of ple,hora of' labor on estate,
that pay regularly, and the contrary Of such ~
keep buck the wages OF the tahoEer; ofthe wan
ofsieeping accommodation On some estates ,ant
the m,ngllag Of laborers together in one apart
pl4ry fathers and mothers, who will not ALLOW
their children to run the risk Of contamination
b5 permitting them to work on such pfanta
tions; of scores OF laborers in St. David and 81
Thomas, in the east AND other parishes, travel
ing twenty aud tu,rty miles in search Of work
unsuecessully.. But Gu! boaof Tbs next gen
tlemau who eats breakfast at Kingston, be
causa he sees loafing negroes there. on hts r.
turn home Tushes into print, and declare.
: on his experience Of day, thst the negroes {
Jamaica Gon't work. VI what avail my quartz
Of century's experience, against the six wet ki
sciourn OF an Anthony Ttulope, whose, Ire uI
to Peter Pinda1's Iaz.rs, is " made to setlY'
, course Jama'ca rtqulres population. aud woul
| to Heaven she had Two millions instead OF fou
hundr thousand; but / do not clearly &c
how the negroes are to blame lor the deficiency
Ntu }urt +}g{u II. 1860 TRELAWSY.