, 1884-07-19

which he considers that the planters TO
assemble i'll FrpderikSted today should
keep in view. The first object for which
they should aim, he says, is to agree upon
a fixed daily rate Of pay. There would no
doubt be an advantage III this fit could
be brought about and maintained, but we
much doubt if it can. Under the present
state Of things the estates which lie near
to the towns are much better placed III
regard to labour than those which are
more remote, for our towns are not to be
compared with the manufacturing and
commercial towns of large countries, but
are more like small market towns, and
since 1878 have III parts come to assemble
large labourers' villages, so great has
been the influx Of people from the estates.
When we consider this fact we see that
the neighbourhood of a tow instead Of
making the surrounding lah0ur dearer, as
is the case around tl0uriShing manufacture
ing or commercial towns, tends 10 make 1T
more available and therefore cheaper.
Experience has sheWn how hard it Is to
induce labourerS to walk out from the
towns to take work on estates at some DIS
lance, and especially if in billy districts,
and in fact they will not do it except
under the special inducemcnt of a higher
rate OF pay. The central estates are there
lO40 )ldtCl az IL NlNdNlN dH'dSC htl'H WI
deter their owners, rs we conceive, from
binding themselves to d uniform ate OF
pay. This consideration, however, ought
not to prevent nei2hbOurin% planners,
whose circumstances are similar, from act.
ing in concert, and here it is that the want
of unahimity Of which "A Planter com
plains is severely felt. The pressure of
the present crisis has not vet reached the
la b0urerS, because the pressure OF a heavy
crop has been equally hand on the planters,
who have till now found themselves between
the upper and the neither millSt0neS. We
find the same complaint in the Antigua
papers, and there is no doubt that it must
be a general trouble throughout til" West
Indies. AS soon aS the crop is finished
there il every likelihood that wage will
fall, from the working Of the ordinary law
Of,eupply and demand, without the aid Of
any artificial arrangement.
The second point advocated by our cor.
respondent is The extension Of the task.
system. Not being practically acquainted
with the subject we hesitate to give any
distinct opinion on this point, but ii has
always seemed to us that task work, where
ever it can be adopted, and under close
supervision, is calculated to call forth the
full strength and energy Of The labourcr
and to reward him i'll strict proportion to
his deserts. There are some kinds Of work
which 1t IS difficult to get properly done
by task work, such as wedding, but the
difficulty here may be %surmourted 10y the
system known as " farming out" which we
know to be universally adopted in Barba-
dos and ST. kits, and largely in Antigua.
The use OF weighing machines, with which
the factory has made us familiar, makes the
task SS stem easily applicable to the cutting
and cartlng OF canes, cdrting and applying
OF manure &c. either with the estates own
stock and appliances or by hired stock.
Tie Ord and 4th ports relate to The
Saturday question, and the drSirability Of
the changes recommended is too obvious
Tor them to need further advocacy. There
can be no doubt that Saturday should count
as amy other day, and that there should be
but one pay day in the week.
Under the 9TH head is recommended
"the strict abolition of all other than
money payments" In this we perfectly
agree, as we have ourselves more than once
seen the "diSguSiing sight" of a crowd Of
Ia0ou'ers on their way TO town from an
estate where they had been working, each
carrying a pint bottle containing white
rum, and most of them, including young
women, noisy, some even staggering, from
the effects OF part Of this i'll judged zen
couragement" consumed evidently upon
the road.
The sixth suggestion Of our correspon-
IOx,