The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-08-15
PAY DAY EVERY NIGHT.
One Way of Getting Steady Work Gu
 of ShiftIess Negroes.

One Way of Getting Steady Work Out
 of ShiftIess Negroes.
 There is a certain sawmill concern in the Iongleaf yellow pine district which couple of years ago, after studying the labor problem and the question of securing efficient work from its crew, composed largely of negroes. decided on radical change-an absolute innOva- ton as far as we are aware in its meth cd of handling its payroll.
 Instead of the customary method Of paying off it's hands monthly. semi monthly, or by checks at more frequent intervals. or daily, it concluded to pay in. cash every night. It employs time keeper for this special purpose. who makes his rounds twice a day, finds out who is at work and promptly at six o'clock on the blowing of the whistle, is behind his window, with his payroll and cash before him, ready to attend to the men. Ill this particular mill, whose crew is large, about three-fourths ap- pear every night for their money. The only exception as to the daily payroll is Friday night, when, in order that the weekly payroll may be figured out pro perly, no payment is made. On Satur- day night Fridays pay is handed out except to those who have not worked Saturday. They must wait until Mon day. On Monday night payment is made for both Saturday and Monday.
 In abandoning their former system of payment this concern thought it wise also to abandon it's store or commissa- ry, though now its members say that if they wished to run store they believed that they could do so as successfully as under the old system.
 Such radical change in handling the payroll will probably be looked at seornfully by most of our southern readers, yet the members of this con cern profess themselves to be not only satisfied, but highly pleased with the results. All around them their neigh bors are complaining of lack of help. Many mills are running short handed and there is a constant struggle to get hold of what men are available and willing to work. Efforts are made to import help from other states Yet this concern turns away men every day. It loses very few of it's men, always has full crew and has it's pick. Further more, it is able to run every day in the week. It is not troubled by men layins off to recuperate after Sunday or after the first of the month.
 This is the way that one of the mem bers of this concern explains the happy effect of the innovations:
 The negro is a curious creature. He is utterly improvfdent and when he gets money he must spend it at once. The less he has to spend the less. chance there is for him to get drunk and unfit fer work. Then he is more eontented when he can jingle money in his pocket every day. As he is improvident he must have either the money or credit to buy tie few things that he absolutely needs. By our method he has enough money to supply his daily wants, but never accumulates enough for a spree. Conseqhently he works practically eve " day and works cheerfully and faith fully"
 Experience Is worth any amount of mere theory and there may be in the above outline of this method of hand ling the payroll of southern lumber manufacturing institution suggestions of value to some of our readers. It is l true that one of the chief advantages seeured-being given the preference by labor--would not accrue if all adopted the same methods. But there is little danger that this will be the case.
 In addition to questions of expedien- cy, the policy of doing some things that would not be desirable or appreciated with q better class Of iabor rests in this instance on a real benefit not only to the institution itself but to the en- ployed, It is an adaptation of means to ends and of policies to conditions that is worthy of consideration, Amer ican Lumberman.