The progress., 1904-01-16
| |EARMERAND PLANTER
THE LABOR pR0BLE4
Conditions That Are Constantiy BE-
coming of Greater ImportSnee
to Southern Farmers.

There is now much agitation Of the
farm labor question.
For some reason or other there
seems to be fewer available' iaborers
for farm work than there were few
years since. 1t Is the universal cry
that there is scarcity of help to cul-
tivate crops. This Is not only true of
Georgia and other cotton states, but
is the condition in all sections.
There are two explanations that may
DO offered that may help solve the diff
fculty The first is that the scarcity
is more apparent than real. There are
as many hands engaged in raising
crops now as there ever were. Indeed,
it is not certain but that there are
more. There is fully rs per cent. more
crops grown now than ten years ago,
and this increase could not possibly be
produced by diminished supply of la
Dor.
With cotton selling at five cents, the
acreage is somewhat reduced, and this
reduces the demand for laborers, but
with the price from eight to twelve
cents everybody wants to plant as
much cotton as possible, and a majori-
ty really does plant more than they
have help to cultivate, trusting to get
day-help to pull them through, with
the result that everyone wants day.
help at the same time, and all bidding
for what few hands are unemployed,
puts the price of labor out of proper
ton to the crops grown.
The second explanation may seem
paradoxical when it is stated that in
stead of being too few laborers there
are really too many. 1t is not Ques-
tion of whether there are enough la
borers to cultivate all the available
land, but whether the crops these la
borers can grow, will sell for remunera-
tive prices.
The average Georgia cotton laborer
now receives $132.72 as his annual
wages, while the average laborer in
Georgia manufacturing establishments
receives $439. Until the farm laborer's
wages is increased to level with his |
brother in factory or shop, there will |
be too many farm laborers. The land |
owner can not afford to pay more with |
present prices of farm crops. These
laborers only produce $2O2 worth of
crops, and as matter of course their
wages should lie in proportion. But
the number of farm laborers ought to
be encouraged to go into other work
until the amount of farm crops are re-
duced to the point where they will sell
for higher prices.
The percentage of the total popula-
tion engaged in farming in Georgia is
too large. There are too many pro-
lucers and too few consumers. Take
The state of Massachusetts for COM
Darison. Less than rs per cent. of her
.otal population Is engaged in agricul-
.ure, and the average wages paid farm
lands in that state is $355.6S. This
mount would be more, but crops pro-
luced in states where a greater per-
of population is engaged in
agriculture acts as hindrance.
The proposition is being made now
o bring in Chinese laborers to COM
ete with our native laborer in the
VI COltOl. lACSO Pe1i tiOoJ I
tho are large landowners, propose to
uin their neighbors who are de-
endent OH Their own labor for a liv-
ng, and for the ,oneaf{5, I'm ,,,... of their I
!, iYaror O,a M euundtloi Ne s-'~sta-lsss
hiiureh. oiie In says In the Atlanta 81
'.at he has made 300 II
ales OF co''}G this year, but he could m
ave maue lousand more if he had r
ao tne idtoor He wants Chinese la
orers pIougl in. so that he can cul-
lVate 81 hi land, and thus quadruple
IS cNton cop. He seems to overlook tt
ne Hact tha any considerable increase N
l/the cotto crop which would result ST
,om the nportation of Chinese Ia m
or, would educe the price of cotton. e.
[e sees tn and twelve cent cotton al
nd his idb land. He is not satisfied m
-ith the ace problem that we now III
ave, but wants to introduce another. a.
e does MT care what becomes OF the ST
lture, fol he says so, but is greedy d
pile upfor himself now. fe
Another proposition is to adopt the b'
antation system. This means that OF
e should have a few large farms, is
.ther than May small ones. pl
It is proposed to cultivate these C;
rga FIRMS by abor'vhich can be bet IL
+ controlled, and whlva will be more
fcient This system is virtually in
feet in portions of Oglethoroe and
her central Georgia counties at this RI
ne. ii
1t may be admitted that this system al
IS some advantages, but these are sok la
erbalanced by disadvantages that\ tr
e system should not be thought of 81
r minute. in
The south has made rapid strides IN
ice the negro was freed and the al
system was broken up. 1t u
,uld be a decided backward step to SC
eek the present tendency towards to
lall farmsSW. L. Williamson, in fe
uthern Cultivator. eI
in
CO0D RACON HOGS