, 1885-10-17

Suits concerning the matters treated OF
in this ordinance are to be dealt with Ill the
Police Courts. The offences mentioned IN
s Is, 1st part, 80 and 80, and also the
omission of duty mentioned III the last part
of Is are to be prosecuted by the public;
otherwise all suits arising out OF the pro-
visions of the present ordinance shall be
dealt with as private police suits.
$40.
This ordinance shall come into force on
the. From the same date
10 and IL of the ordinance OF zhd
October 1862 concerning the immigration
of labourers from foreign places, 2 OF the
ordinance of 25th July 1867 containing
some rules concerning labour- contracts
with the country %labourers, also the or0i-
nance of oath October 1879 concerning
the relations between masters ana servants
in the Danish Westindia Islands, so far as
it concerns the country labourers Ill 81
Croix, are repealed.
REMARKS.
IT is we'll known that the labOur relations
in St. CrOiX have relaxed more anu more
since 1873. Since liberty of labour was
inaugurated by the ordinance now III force
dated oath October 1879, the labourers
have, quite naturally, awaited themselves
to the utmost extent of this liberty. This
is especially manifested by the circuln-
stance that they are unwilling to bind
themselves by contract; and II many
labOurers even have no objection to 1--we on
an estate and have free use there OF house
and "prOviSiOn grounds, and to work on
that estate when, and as long as 1T suits
their convenience, yet they do not like to
enter into formal contract; they reserve
themselves liberty to quit at any moment,
or, if they make contract, to quit with 8 or
IL days' notice. At the same time, they
are but little conscientious in keeping to
the contract, and when better wages are
offered on an estate i'll the neighb0urh0od,
are not ashamed to go to work with the
tools belonging to their OWN estate, for a
few days, at the other place where they
get better wages, yet retaining their house
and frequently coming back to spend the
night their.
Whilst this applies to the case of the
labOurerS who have some sort OF contract
with, or, at any rate, are residing on, an
estate. a great number Of labOurerS dcCld.
edly prefer to work as day-labOurer5
rtportcrs'0, without being bound for more
than a few days at a time; many p0rters
live in town, and 90 out for the day to work
in the country others give up fixed
abode, and at night drop i'll at some estate
where they have acquaintance, and where
in such case they obtain lodging at night
for some time without the permission or
knowledge Of the manager. A pretty
considerable number of Industrious pOrterS
have since the establishment of the central
factory rented small patches OF ground
say an acre or two i'll size, on which for
their own account they cultivate cane and
employ the time they spare from this
work aS day,labourers on the estates.
A great number of pOrterS, on the other
hand, belongs to the too numerous class of
persons who do not work more than strict
ly necessary for SubSiSting; and in too
many cases they work only "a days in
the week, seeing that i'll that time they
can easily by means OF the high wages
which the eager demand for labOurerS
has called forth in the latter years, earn as
much as ~SuficeS for their few wants.
Thus it is at present Il matter OF some
difficulty for the planters to secure the re-
gular supply OF labourers which is so
Signal a necessity for Il proper aud econo'
mical cultivation of the estates.
1t is, moreover, an incontrOvertible fact
that the new rule introduced by the ordi-
nance of oath October 1879 has essentially
diminished the planters readiness to
assume obligations in relation to their
IahourerS. eSuecialIy in the direction OF