Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-07-22
Interesting EVIDENCE
CONCERNING FARM AND LABOR
CONDITIONS IN WEST
VIRGINIA.
Alexander C1ohon Before the Indus
trial Commtssion-The Pay and
Hours of Farm Hands-The Value
of Negro Labor-Express and
Freight Rates-The Eject of the
Wire Trust.
Special to tne Register.

Special to tne Register.
WASHINGTON, D. c., July 21.-Al-
exander Clohan, the postmaster at Mar
tinsburg, w. Va, who appeared before
the Industrial Commissioner in June,
gave some testimony of interest re-
gardlng agricultural conditions in
West Virginia. Though now in feed
eral employ, Mr.. Clehan has for TWEEN
ty-five years been engaged in fruit
farming in Berkeley county, having
sixty acres under cultivation. AS to
hours OF ,labor on the farm, NAT. Clohan
said they we're from daylight to darA,
la3Dorers being hired from April l to
January i, nine months, and paid So to
$15 month with. board, or Use. to 81
a day, where the man boards himself.
Half of these laborers own their own
homes OF colored labor, Mr.. Clohan
said:
The older class of the colored labor,
men that are pretty we'll up in years,
are a first rate class of labor. The
younger class, especially when they
have got mixture of white blood in
them, are very trifiing class of labor.
We find that the black man is far
better laborer than the yellow man"
In the matter of education, Mr.. Clio
han thought the public schools would
do well,to teach,a little botany and ag-
ricultural chemistry. The State agri-
cultural station, he thought, did a great
deal OF experimenting of no practical
value
Though the markets for West Vir-
gfnia fruit were near, in Washington,
Philadelphia. New York and PittsDurg,
the small shipper had trouble getting
freight that would leave him a profit.
An effort had been made to remedy
this by corporation in shipping, so as
to secure carload rates.
The earnings of capital in agricuI-
tural industry, Mr.. Clohan estimated,
were about per cent, this being the
income from two-flfths of the gross
farm produce on the crop-sharing plan.
Taxation on agricultural property, he
thought was burdensome, especially
as In the case Of moTtgaged property,
the owner of the notes escaped taxa
ton, the assessor not being diligent in
assessing intangible forms Of wealth.
Mr.. Clohan said 1t was the general
opinion that the express company rates
on fruits were excessive. We think
we are treated far worse on the express
businss than we are on the railroad
business. For instance, a shipper In
Baltimore could put his fruit into tne
Wheeling market, and he often does it,
at % cents, and we-190 miles closer
would haye'to pay so cents" For this
sorts OF thing Mr. Clohan knew of no
remedy.
Respecting trusts Mr. Clohan said:
We have found in the last eighteen
months that what is called the wire
trust has been very much to our disad-
vantage 1t has almost stopped fence
bu.&ding. We have gone largely into
the wire fences on account OF timber
being scarce, and the advance in price
from 2 cents pound UP to Az cents
seemed to nearly entirely stop it,
Mr.. Clohan believed in,,farmers' ar
CARNATIONS, saying the Grange had
been of service in securing better
terms for agricultural appliances, and
In promoting pura1 soctahdlMy. He
thought there had been. a, steady i'm
provment In farming conditions in
West Virginia, and favored federal and
state pure food legislation, as well as
legislation dealing with Injurious in
scots. Farmers had suffered consider
ably from the SansJos scale.