Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-01-30
agricultural department.
From the Rural Carolininn.
LABOR CONTRACTS.


Negro labor, since the emancipation of our
slaves, has not been profitable with many OF
our farmers and planters. This is owing, first
to the natural Incidence and repugnance to
work of the negro. Secondly, to q want, on
the part of the employer, of tact in the man.
agement of his employees. The exercise of
little more discretion and more careful in
sight into the character of Cufee will supply
this deficiency. Thirdly, to the want of a
proper control of the time and services ofhis
freedmen, without which freed labor will con.
tinue to be improbable until the last sound Of
Gabriel's trump.
This want of control is owing to the defec-
tive nature of the systems Of contract in gen.
eral use, prominent among which are the
share and time systems. The remedy for this
evil is the wages system. We have given the
three fair tests, and can, therefore, speak from
experience Besides being the only system
that will afford the employer the requisite
control and management Of his freedmen, it
is superior system of contract in every other
respect All to whom we have ever advo-
Gated it, readily admit of its superiority, but,
say they, there is too much risk in it; after
paying off our hands, we fear we will have
but little left, but if we adopt the share or
time system we cannot lose anything even if
we make short crop.
This, at best, is but poor. logic. Besides
showing what might be termed over prudence,
which very often is worse than too little, or
none at all, affords the highest evidence Of a
want of energy and determination to win, in
dispensable to the success of the planter.
Nothing is better calculated to make, what
the writer would term slack twisted farmer,
than feeling Of security against loss in the
event of failure Of his crop. On the other
hand, the danger of losing, if only short
crop is made is the highest incentive to effort,
and particularly in the whole scope of his
planting interest; such effort and attention to
business as will seldom fail to insure an in
come sufficient to leave him handsome profit
after all expenses are betrayed.
The true policy in hiring freedmen is to
contract to give fair wages and good and full
rations. Poor labor and dscontentment will
almost certainly be the result of low wages
and poor rations Remunerative wages and
good and full rations, produce an opposite eff:
feet. In hiring, too, the qualities Of a hand
should be considered as we'll as his physical
capacity, and a good faithful laborer should
always be given higher wages than an inferior
one This is but fair, and besides has the ef'
feet of stimulating the latter to follow the ex-
ample of the former. Reduce the agreement
to writing as soon as it is made, and let it be
so plainly expressed as to be readily under
stood by all interested.
The contract should be binding on both par
ties, and the employer, while discharging in
good faith his part of it, should hold his en-
ployes strictly to the performance of theirs.
The want Of irmness on his part, whenever
occasion requires the exercise of it, will prove
fatal error. When necessary to reprove an
employe do it privately and in such way as
to increase rather than diminish his regard
for, and attachment to you. Little favors,
when deserved, in the shape of vegetables,
fruit, etc., and little things they may not have
in time of sickness, never fail to produce a
decidedly good effect A little plain talk too,
to Sambo, in the right way, as soon as the bar
gain is made, as to the course Of conduct by
which the employer expects to be governed,
and what he expects Of him, is also product
i've of good. Our plan is to tell him that be-
sides giving him good wages and plenty to
eat, we will treat him with kindness and con-
sideration as long as he conducts himself
properly, and that we expect all orders to be
promptly and cheerfully obeyed; and that if
we tell him to peel long, tall, sleek, slim pine
sapling, grease it with tallow and climb it feet
foremost, we will expect him to make faith
full effort to accomplish the undertaking, and
that if he fails after faithful trial, we will
be satisfied.
The first of last year we hired freedman
for the year without knowing anything Of his
previous character. A few days afterward,
several friends who had long known him,
hearing what we had done, said they were
afraid we had made poor bargain, as he had
long borne very bad character; that he was
not only very unreliable as laborer, never
remaining longer than few weeks at one
place, and had the reputation of rogue.
By the treatment aboveindicated, hehas made
an excellent servant being both obedient and
faithful, and, we believe, honest.
HILLSIDE.
st. Matthews, November, 1872.