, 1872-03-06

The commonplace idea must, sometime
or other, have suggested Itself to the mind
of one or other OF the planters, to calcu-
late whether the adoption of freer sys-
tenn Of labour than that at present carried
on, would not prove on the whole, to be a
source of much ease and saving if allowed
to be exercised.
1t is not really the want of labour in
this community, as is complained of by the
planters, that renders that article so scarce;
but it is the want of economy in the use
Of the amount of available labour, on the
part of the planters themselves, that en-
haDces the difficulty. Conserving the prin-
cipIes cf the "Labour Act,'' as they have
always done, under the de.usion that
their tendency is so highly protective of
agricultural interests, they have supported
a number Of hands around them, upon a
principle truly detrimental to their W
and the pubIic's good
The October fluctuations, no doubt, have
put many mana +ers at times to their wits
end, to manage with $50 few hands," as
they will say. Yet, go search many of the
negro villages, and you will fad many,
who, from oae pretouce Or other, do no
work for The estate; and yet these, in one
way or other, derive their support from
the estate, either directly Or Indirectly.
The planter, howav =, supposcs, that as
he does not Immediately spend any money
on such Individuals, Or give them anything
else from the estate in a direct way, they
are no immediate expense to him nor
would he Ike to dismiss them from the es-
tate, for fear o. losing the services Of their
friends Or relations employed on the e8-
tate at the October season /; and so he Goa
hives and winks at their stay. under a de-
fusion or, perhaps, they manage to oyade
detection altogether, But such parties, in
one way Or other, subsist on the resources
of the estates, and when the total amount
Of such consumption is ascerJainei, the
value would not be quite SO insignificant.
Again: this paying Of the weak aud
feeble Iab0urer, the same wages as he pays
the strong aad able, has not only checked
the energies of the industrious maD, bat it
has been, like a cankerwor!0, gradually yet
surely consuming the planters capital.
That feebIe-bodied labourer, does what he
can for IS cents a day and. under the
plea OF being weaa, expects m1cl iHdQl-
genca from the manager; and the able and
strong man who IS capable Of performing
four times as much work, fading no great
Ell impetus given to his powers OF iabour
than to the former, feels satisfied that more
cannot BE- expected OF him taan Of his
weak nei4hboNr-no matter how little he
does Thus, by these means, capital has
been consumes year by year without any
pfoportionate productiyeness and the
planter has been paying dsa y 70; labour,
under the deIusion OF cheapnass. Their
deIuder, however, has been their old, i1ti-
mate, bosom friend, the "Labour Act"
who has been nourishet and cherished in
their heart of hearts TOR the last % years.
IF the labourer's choice were consulted
in the arrangement of agricultural affairs,
Cat least so far as payment for their labour
is concerned), whether they woul prefer to
retain the present arrangement, or to re-
ceive full payment in cash for their labour,
it is opined that the majority would prefer
the latter arrangement. There are some
among them who are now so Injured to the
old track, that any deviation from it at this