Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1867-11-01

and denscly populated places are carried Oh
under more rigid governmental restrictions
than we are familiar with, nevertheless en-
ployers and employed arc free, to great ex-
tent to make arrangements such as they please
for their mutual convenience and profit. In
the country. on the estates, it Is widely dill
ferent. There the " Labor Act is IN force,
prescribing the beginning and end Of labor
contracts, the hours OF labor, the division of
the laboreTs into three classes according to
their ability, the rate of wages for each
class, provision for dwellings, for allotments
of provision grounds, for schooling Of child
rem, for medical attendance in sickness, &c.
as have stated heretofore.
One Of the first things that strikes the at
tention Of Northerner, accustomed to look
after economy in the application of outdoor
labor. when he looks over the work going on
in the fields of St Croix sugar plantation,
is the fact, that though the work is evident
ly Of a most simple kind, every gang Of
laborers is attended by man, apparently rs
fully able to do a good daye work as any
one, who does nothing but walk about, and
occasionally direct little about the work,
such as to order a cane trench TO be dug
little deeper, or made trihe straighter,
bundle more Of cane to be put on a load, or
the like. This able-bodicd man having such
an easy time Of II, Is the driver, differing IN
function from foreman Of q gang Of field
hands at the North in la remarkable Iartieu-
lar. The Northern f1rcm.n, whilst he Is
expected to give an eye 90 tire work of the
ess skllful, aud hint for improvement
in the work where Improvement Is needed,
at the same time, By bis own Industry and
skill and good spirit, sets an example TO al
the rest. lie leads IN the work Tie s.. q. tx
driver is not % work himself q, al. but only
to direct and urge others .'Wta, waste Of
labor is here '' Gays Nortblrn agrieultu-
rist and to make the ease worse, the driver
has extra remuneration.
This institution, SO % cali IL, Of drivers, is
a direct inheritance from slavery When all
the laborcrs were slaves, getting 10 wages,
and only food and scan- clothing for their
work, it could no; be expected that they
would be over careful or industrious 20 work
If left t. themselves. There must be persons
employc! 81 4rire them to and in their work.
These drivers were, Of course, selected (as IN
old inhabitaut of the Island said to me- as
being naturally energetic. and for the most
as being also hard-learted, willing u apply
the lash IL they thought it necessary 20 bring
out full work from their fellow slaves. They
had two strong stimulants to their own eff
eicncy one was the feeling Of importance in
being empowered to control and coeree their
fellows, with the consciousness that If they
did not do it thoroughly they would lose
their position. and Pc trJush. them=elyes
under the rule Of some one else; the other,
that extra privileges in rations. gifts. ard
opportunities 70 make money for themselves,
fell TO their lot if they gave satisfaction 90
the overseer and manager.
Quite likely, under such a state Of afurs,
enough more work was 60. ont Of a gang Of
slaves to make up for the loss Of labor with
the hoe and the bin on the part Of the div
ers. The universal testimony, 50 far as
made inquiry, was. that with a given num-
her of slaves more work was done in slavery
than Is now done with an equal number Of
free Iab5rers. The slaves were driven o. the
field much earlier, KEEP. there later, and
made to work harder than che free ahlrerH
are. Now the hours Of labor axe fixed by
.. Labor Ac;.' generally, from seven AN. till
s1ud'wn, with an iutermi--i5n from noon to
two I'm. and if extra work. st certain sea-
sons, is called for. the tmcari eztra pay for
it are settled by the law.
Of course. the drivers have no power q
use the lash "a Tree lab5rers (arl there are
no others) and the only stimulus tey can
apply to them, If they axe to- sluggish Of
perverse, is that Of rep57, % she manager
and possible hauling Up before the police
magistrate, who may in1ict small fine, OF
order a reduction Of tlc delinquent from Ersi
to second class, OF the Ike. Breaches Of the
peace are punishable by imprisonment, with
OF without hard labor 10 call-i), under al
officer on the town roads. BUT al such AZ
peals use up time, and iuterrul, work, and
thus cause a loss 20 the estate, which, f1i
most Of the year, needs all the work +; can
get and a wise manager avoids them if he
can get along without that resort.
The expense Of wages and sustcnarcc for
this large number Of drivers is, Of course, very
great, and is heav7 drain on the estates
but partly from the force of old habits and
customs. and partly from certain provisions
Of the " LaIor Act. the suslr-rlantcrs. as q
body, do not see how they could ge; along
without them. Those provisions shall
speak Of in my next. g. W. B.
Burlington Il Vicinity.