Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-10-21

houses and feeds his man clerk, to
whom he pays SO silver per month,
equal to S1.38 United States money.
The clerh also gets his food, which
costs the merchant 81 silver, equal to
$1.S4 per month in United States
money. The clerk works seven days
every week, from o'clock a. m to 8
o'clock p. man eight-hour law sure
ly, but double barreled, eight hours
before dinner and eight hours after.
And yet the merchant started on the
same scale and is now envied for his
success.
From this village we went back
from the main road among Chinese
farmers producing pineapples, pepper,
tapioca, indigo, etc. We saw care
full cultivation-all hand work, no
horses or oxen being owned The
farms are of about ten acres each and
are titled with all the wonderful skill
and patience of the Chinaman. Pine
apples are set about $500 per acre,
from shoots or suckers, and require
two years to bear Then for two years
each plant will produce it's fruit in
perfection twice year; thus a plant
will produce an average of one pine
per year for the four years after set
ting the shoot. Then the field is re
set, as fruit becomes smaller and less
marketable
A farm laborer gets from 81 to $6
silver per month, and his food costs
from SIS to Sc per month The labor
er, therefore, costs the farmer from
So to $12 silver per month, equal to
$4.14 to 1882 in United States money,
and it is safe to say that while he
work done by the average United
States farm laborer, as he has no i'm
proved machinery to aid him, he re-
ceives only about one-eighth as much
good food. This laborer plants, tills,
does all work, harvests and markets
four acres of pines, which, selling at
about 212 cents silver each, the $500
produced on one acre bring about $42
gold. So the four acres titled by the
man bring in about $168 gold. The
total expense is about $72, the profit
to the farmer being about $96.
A slight income from eggs, fowls
and truck quite satisfies the ambition
barring accident, if he averages a
profit of $3.50 silver per annum. Much
the same results are shown from plant
ing pepper, tapioca, indigo, etc. The
cheapness of the house. simply roof
of thatch with a thatch siding and
split bamboo floor and living in
perpetual summer must be seen to be
understood.
But unfortunately meager wages are
not confined to farms or village clerks,
and the Wage-earners and foremen Of
the United States of America-the
best paid and best treated of their
classes on earth-have lessons to
learn. My Malay clerk and interpre-
ter received when l came only $40
silver, or 1920, United States money,
per month, and from this pittance
pays rent and clothes, feeds and pro-
vides for himself, wife and two chill
dren in this city. How can he do it?
have raised his salary 25 per cent,
but | did it from my own pocket, as
Uncle Sam is too poor to consider
such cases. The man is an excellent
| patient worker and deserves five
times the pay he receives.
| His brother, 90 years of age, is the
punkah wallah (pan puller) for the
consulate, and when | came enjoyed
the munificent salary Of SIS silver,
$3.50 our money, per month He pulls
the punkah, goes for the ice, fills the
water tank, dusts the rooms and runs
to the postoff1ce. I increased his pay
aslo, even though neighbors COM
planned that I was running the scale Of
wages, as such men got only So sill
yer per month. And the neighbors are
right and Uncle Sam is right, in that
employees are satisfied, and were either
of the above to leave me others equal
ly capable would apply for the situa-
lions even at lower wages. Our Amer
lean people know little of the hand-to-
mouth struggle for existence. My
never contained a handful Of decent
food.
| This week | was invited on trial
trip of 70 miles on the City Of Calcut-
ta Her 81 seamen get s 2 silver per
month and supply their own food and
outfit So shipping is cheaply served
in the Orient. A grand dinner was
served; rich Chinese etc with chop
sticks from common dishes. On the.
| side of the ship they drank tea and
coffee and were gentlemen all, while
on the other side the guests were
served la carte, had an elaborate
! menu, and, as crowd, drank beer,
| wine, champagne and brandy enough