New-York tribune., 1886-08-15

| uTluk lcel cOutO Ounue, auu meultato mouIhluity
on the increase OF yellow fever. the destructive
rains and the last news from Paris.
| At the caatine down the valley the scene is
much the same. On the hand the usil oil
which the lessee labels with eiquettes of absnthe OF
cognac is more deeterous than tho bevera ,es of NJ.
Chose; and the subalterns vino drink it have been
longer exposed to the heat of the day. But on the
other hand they are generally men of sturdier
| build But how the stoutest of them suffer All.
Msieu." says huge bearded Breton IN high russet
boots and broad crimson SASH this is not the sun
OF IIeavea-it is tho sun of HELL"
All this administrative apparatus is mainta ned
maica negro. Experiments with other classes of
| labOrers have concusivey demonstrated that the
canal is to be finished by the negio II it is to be
| finished at all. lie Is the only type whose health
will endure labor in the hot sun an d repose in the
internal mists of the line. but uihapI lily. his case
is somewhat like that of the toad in the heart Of
| the rock. The toad can live there-but his vitality
in trying position is curious rather than valu-
able, inasmuch as he accOmplishes nothing beyond
the one achievement OF continued existence: ! ne
Janiaica negro acting his own v0liti0n, will not
work at all. With the proportionate disbursement
for supervision required by intelligent white labor.
he Will go through the form of working To get
| even spasmodc wOrk-real workout OF him. re-
| quires grossly disDroporionate outlay IN fore
mems wages. He has no labOr-morahty Direct;
ing his labor is like driving horse who stands still
rs fails to hear his masters exhOrtatlons.
| The foreman of q gang OF these negroes cannot
| leave OF them Win an nourS WoTk lalu OUT loT
| him. and return at the end of an hour to lind the
work DONE Ii is literally the fact that the aver
age canal labOrer will not work for more than ten
minutes cOnsccuty yely the result OF On3 initial
impulse At the cpd of that time he must receive a
new impetus, and thi, impetus pust be OF tang-
| bic nature. 1t is sufficient tor him to know
| that the foreman is in his immediate vicinity. He
must meet the foreman's eye or hear the foreinans
voice when he stops at the end OF those ten MIN
utes. He is the worst laborer IN the world Inc
negro, in the cotton plantations Of MssiS-
sippi. seems to an AngloSaXon marvell0usly stupid
and law The jamaica negro is moro than that.
He is wholly devoid of any sense OF the righteous
ness of hard work
| Many OF the contractors are now trying to make
the negro boss" himself by giving bln task-work.
| Two negroes are put IN charge OF pai;-car. Ihey
have to shovel blasted Iock into this pan-car-
occasionally to do little preliminary work with
| the pckaXe-push the ear along Il t:amway to tue
| dump. For each pan-car load these two uen re-
ceive tally-tckct, for which they are paid al tho
| end of the day 10 cents lSOOmt ian currency-9
cents United States gold. ana for this pan-car oai
| tine canal company pays the contractor 60 cents
COLOMBIAN currency-3o cents l. ,: goiu'' an l
| the - cents Colombian currcncv-27 cents l. =.
goldl difference has to cover nrst, the cost OF
| blasting: second, the cost of the wages of the
miners who do the blasting; third. the wages OF
the bosses" fourth, the rental OF the paI-cars.
| which are hired by the contractor from the COM
rany at 10 per cent per annum on heir first cost
fifth. the appropriate proDorton of the cost Of the
| implements purchased at the contractors propeI
| cost and the primary cost OF installation SIKH,
the interest on the contractors capital seventh.
| such a part OF the gross profit as provides an IN
surance against loss on unptotabe portions OF the
contracted work eighth. the appropriate, contri-
| button toward the "lncldcntal expense" or cor
ruption fund.- required bv the contractor in obtain
| ing his contract aud justifying" the official sur
| yryor's measurements: ald last the contractor 5
net profit or IN the caseof contracting corporation,
| the dividend Where the aborcrs work on this sys-
TEN they buy their own food. The contractor nsial-
| Is derives a second profit from THIS source either
running the store himself or leasing the privilege.
| ha 20 taken especial pans to ascertain whether
the Objectionable tally system" prevalent IN the
English mlneS obtains in any OF the sections; and
| it certainly does rot. In some instances the pay
Office where the pan-car checks are redeemed Is IN
| the store and saOoD, and the laborcrs make their
| purchases at the end of .be day when they receive
| their money. But III every case the money actually
changes bands. The aborcrs feed themselves COOK
| ing their own ratOns at an average cost oi about
30 cents Colombian currency-36 ceEts u. ;. gold
| per dIem a laborcr at task-work. If lie chose TO
work ten hours day, could make from 80 80 - -
a day Colombian currency-S2 10 to 80 I. 5.
| golil. IT the work was on very SOFT material lie
coull riake a little more than this-say thirty five
or forty pancar loads. But per contra, less severe
! rain would sullice 10 stop work -
| Here then, ono would say. Is the solution OF the
| problem. If 1t was expensive TO " boss the IA
| borer aud tue utmost bossng would not pro-
| duce satisfactory results, now that the negro IS
| his own boss can earn handsome days wage. and
can make every cent the contraIto: pays MN ylela
| fouccment This inference ignores tho innate
characteristics of the laborer in question. lie VIII
not earn the ~ 80 or %5 which he might. tie wants
| To save little money every day he wants "
| return to Jamaica after fonr or hve months Win
about 500. Quite So tut lie can accomplish
this buy his rat ons meanwhile ann provide hiti-
| self with a moderate allowance OF liayti ium-and
with all his faults lie Is certainly NOT drnhFar
while only earning r. 90 or 81 iGolom9lan cur, cur,
when he has earned the sum which he has set him
self ~ his daily stint. dollar AN hour would hard
| " hire HIM to do any more work. so that the ne
| rrors employed on task-work rarely prlorin
| more than hall days labor. III they would 90
| this halfday's labor en- btoc the contractor would
merely need to have two shifts OF task labor Buc
/ thr jamaica negro proves ullllstlt tnt
| Jamaica negro. lie Ill not do quickly what he
has maize up his mind to DO. and make an end OF H.
| He is epicurcan in his laziness lie loalng no
| really enjoys is loafing over his work. len min
| ut.s ilng. leaning on his shovel affords hn more
| pleasure than half an hours rest on his BACK. Nor
| is this ALL Ta~k-w0rk labor requires, IN the case
CT the Jamaica negro. nearly as much supervision
| as time work. pancar IS not Ike "a quart pot
There are infinite gradations between talr pan-car
load ard the laborers conception oi iair pan-clr
| load. The mere fact that the pinear men nave 10
| work in teams is fruitful source OF veXatlon to
the oyerscers. Two Jamaica negroes VIII do more
! qualrclling in day than anv Two other created
beings except two Jamaica negresses. They rarely
fight but if threats and expetives would XIII
tbcro would not be u live negro on tho lsthinus
The foreiucn are constantly called upon TO decide
their controversies. And when fhero Is dispute
as TO this leam's shift or that teams car. all tho
other men leave their work TO bear testimony. crit
else the verdict. Jeer ut the party worstcd AMI
make noise generally. -,
The system of day labor ls not much better. The
recruiting agents in Jamaica. st. Thomas, liayti.
the Fortune Islands tho Bahamas and elsewhere IN
the West Indies receive Il commission OF SO per
capita on the negroes they engage. Tho hiring 1,
usually for SIX months, with transportation and
yictualing to the ch.nher and back TO Jamaica or
the other locus contract at tho expiration Of tho
term. Shelter MEDICAL care, medicines and hospi-
Ia; accommodations are furnished gratuitously,
aud rations rs follow
Monday and Thursday a. m, coffee aud bread
or biscuits: Il:3O H. m., rice aud fresh beef $50
n M fresh beef and sweet potatoes; tuesday and
friday-G m. coffee. bread or biscuits go AIN:
beans and salt beef u 80 p. M. rice and corned
neaf ~ eduesIIU and SQtUIdUy-b n. IT,. COIcc ana
bread or biscuits: l:30 O. m fish and bread $3.50
D. IN, salt lsh, bread and beans; sunday holiday
m 6sh. Vegetables and rum $50 p. H.. fish. salt
meat and hrnnd. Tho wages pad vary allghtlY