The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1869-06-09
The Efficiency of Chinese Labor.

'iSo"oic, iciiaple anu sklllIutl WORK
men2 Such is the really important
point to be settled.
The Overland Monthly the most
sparkling and pleasantly written peri
odical in tho Union, but devoted al
most exclusively to California inter-
ests, gives the elements of a reply to
this inquiry, in its March number.
From its article, "IIow are our China
men Employed,' and from other
sources that, irrespective of partisan
feeling, furnish similar information,
we deduce the most favorable oonclu-
sions possible.
The first regular employment that
the Orientals found on the Eastern
slope was in the woolen factories.
The unanimous report of the former
was that "with no other operatives
had they ever been so we'll pleased"
They are promptly at their stations
at the proper time; they have no gos-
sip which involves the breaking of the
threads, and they work without lag
ging.
Next came the Pacific Railroad, :,
which made the next great bid for
Chinese labor, and employed nearly
10000 of the strangers. The latter
are reported by tho Company as
"promptly on the ground, ready to
begin work the moment they hear the
signal, and laboring steadily and hon.
estly on, till admonished that the
working hours are ended" "Over-
seers declare that they can drill more
rock, and move more dirt with China
men, than with an equal number of
the men who claim this kind of occu.
patton as their speciality"
Cinnamon have helped to make
nearly all the roads, and like i'm
provements, near San Francisco they
gather in the harvest; they tend on
the grazing farms they cook in the
kitchens, and make housekeeping
easy paper mills, powder mills, rope
walks, and tanneries could not get
along without them; hop plantations,
vineyards, orchards, and berry grounds
are tended by them silk manufacture,
cutting cord-wood, salt and borax
works, cigar making and hundred
similar occupations draw great holp
from the Chinese. They have at last
taken to the smelling and manufac.
tnEs Of %sfs1s sHR9 t IN nn'ytiRG ytt RgSasaa Saa
branches. In fine, turn whittier we
may, we see the Cinnamon up early,
and staying late; sober, industrious,
intelligent, devoted, and capable for
all things. Such is the universal
testimony Of all but those who, deal
ing themselves in all things which arc
the curse Of humanity, meet with fall
len and degraded men only, and judge
Of races by their own lives.
The verdict in favor of the uncor-
ruptcd Chinese workman is favorable
in the highest degree, and one cf the
most striking proofs recently given is
tho voluntary establishment, by Chi
nese in New York, of an evening school,
for mutual instruction in the English
language, and improvement in science
and art. The most gratifying results
are already recorded.
What the country wants now, and
quickly, Is sufficient mass of willing,
able, steady and sober hands, to open
our vast interior, and we can find
such only whore ram and party poll
tics arc discarded. Says the Califor-
nia writer, most justly:
"In country where there are mil
lions of acres of arabic land yet un-
improved, the desideratum is of hands
TO till the soil, and thus put this land
under contribution to furnish food
and clothing for those who need it,
and, as far as possible, to make every
acre do its part toward supplying the
Government, and building up public
institutions. Where there are facili-
ties for erecting mills, with material
to be manufactured, and capital wait.
ing to be employed, the next necessi-
ty is, the operatives and, just so long
as tho operatives are wanting, 80 long
will the manufacturing facilities re.
main unimproved, the material will
be left to waste, the capital will be
idle, and the talent and skill which
was waiting for employment in con,
Quoting and overseeing suoh enter
prises is deprived of the opportunity
to exert itself for the benefit of the
world"
If our own unemployed laborerl
and artisans will persist in dragging
out a wretohed existence in the midsI
of crowded competition instead o.
carrying their energy and skill to the
points that need it, where q new and
comparatively independent lifo is Of
fered to them they must be prepared
to see the pig-tails of Chung Kwol
wriggle in triumph over the grained
hills and bloseoming valleys Of The
Far West.
Here is concise, but hopeful Low,
letter written by q Colorado miner
eleven ycres is rather long to koart
gal, but lie have You yit, Cate"
"A sensation in a London theatre /
o wonderful horse which rides through
flames from the stage to tho flies with
! q young woman on his back.
/ "a l-.E ! a. 81