Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1888-01-13
A Solution of the La Dor Problem
To the Editor of the HERALD.

Referring to the article from the
Commercial Bulletin, on the subject
" Is the condition of laborers grow
ing worse ?" published in your issue
of December 80, we who are nearing
60, and have always worked for our
bread and butter have had expert
ence, and can remember some facts
that perhaps may be of use to some
body in this day of general discon-
tent. Farmers complain, and think
they have as much cause to as any
body. Yet l remember when | went
IA miles to market and carried but
ter and sold it at loc per pound, and
carried potatoes and sold them at
zoe per bushel, and paid 5000 per
barrel for flour. Flour was a luxury
in those days, not to be INDUCED in
at all times. Rye and ILdian bread,
Goldfish and molasses, pork and beans,
boiled potatoes and fried fat, these
were the regular diet, and that too
among well to do farmers-farmers
who received their farms cleared up
and paid for from their fathers.
Then the carriages of that day. Not
every farmer had even a $25 SPRING
board, and the appraised value cf
all the carriages Of q neighborhood
would buy "rig" fit for young
man Of today to take out his best
girl. When l was Is | secured
place to work with master builder.
Being six feet in my stockings, and
weighing 100 pounds, and fresh from
the farm, could do as much work
as ever | could. On day work my
boss charged for himself $l.25 per
day, and for me he charged soc per
day. l received S. per month, and
we worked from a. IN. to $50 pm,
as long as daylight would permit.
The following winter taught school
at $40 per month, and was boarded
at $l,25 per week. The next season
| worked for the same boss and be-
ing, as he said, an extra hand, he
paid me SIS per mouth. The next
season | ent to Portland and got
$l.25 per day, paying So per week
for my board. The best workmen
got $3.50 per day, boarding them
selves, and in tie fall (852) 1 came
to Island Pond for better pay, get
ting 81 per day and all my expenses
paid, and up to 1862 the highest
daily pay ever received for any
length of time was $l.75 per day,
boarding myself. In 18GO-6l l was
at work in the mill | now control,
doing general repairs at $3.50 per
day. For the same work l now pay
SO per day, to a better workman
than | was, to be sure, but he came
to ME i'll his moccasins. when only
is years old, could scarcely speak
English and, coming from illiterate
Canada, could neither read nor write.
He can now do both. eve have
evening schools at East Brighton.)
He has reared and fairly educated
a large family, and now has a grand
list twice as large as had in 1850.
lie has acted on advice that l re-
ceived when a young man, which |
have always given to my men, and
on which | always acted myself
while working for wages, and it is
this" Make yourself so useful to
your employer that lie cannot afford
to let you CO." then advancement is
sure; and this also | would add
Never leave constant employment
and sure pay, no matter how small,
until you are sure of a better place.
My business requires but few skilled
workmen, so our community is COM
posed largely of common laborers
on small pay, yet in 81 years | do
not recall single instance where
one dollar has been drawn from the
overseer of the poor. The reason is
East Brighton does not tolerate
saloon. Our motto is, "The man
who drinks rum is fool, and the
man who sells it is criminal" No
man Is better served by his hired
help than am. One word more.
Danish rum in all its forms. Let
the employe make his employers in
forest his own. Let the en- ployer
do as he would be done by, and the
labor problem is solved for all time.
S. y. HoBsoN.
East Brighton, VI, Jan. 0, 1883.