The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1911-02-02
PETTIFORD TALKS
ON NEGRO LABOR
Takes Up Charges Made Against the
Negro LabOrer for Being
Unreliable


w. r. Pettiford, president of the Ala
bama Penny Savings bank. made the
following address to members of his
race at Wylam Tuesday night in an
swer to the charges made that the
negro laborer is unreliable
THE CHARGES THAT ARE MADE.
The charges that are usually in
conversation or through the newspa-
pers are:
Il. That many Of the colored men
will not work regularly. They leave
their business for the most frivolous
excuse regardless of the expense en-
tailed upon the employer
"2. That many OF them after pay day
will not go back to their work until
they have spent the larger part of
their money and in most cases all of
it. causing the plants to be shut down,
often at a great expense.
IS. That they waste their money 50
completely that in passing from one
camp to another they are unable to pay
their expenses even for their meals
during the transit When they land
at the place of their employment they
have to be housed as so many GRIM
mails, absolutely dependent upon tn e
claim agent or their prospective en-
ployer to pay for thier food. The cor
rect reasoning Is that IL a man can.
not be sufficiently interested in HIM
self to save his money and act the
part of a man he cannot be interested
in the business of his employer and
by so doing he is unreliable.
"a. That they are moving from camp
to camp frequently until 1t is not
profitable to establish methods to help
labor conditions unless it is made gem
eral throughout the district, leaving
an individual employer to feel that If
he goes to work to improve the con-
ditions of his men that he will not
be benefited by 1t. because of the NOV
ing evil. That the men will allow la :
Dor agents with their fiattering prom
ises to take them away from their
jobs without knowing that the cOndi-
lions are going to be better.
as. That men are often interfered
with in their work because of gar
nishments for the payment of amounts
due on many useless thing that they
| buy from the peddlars, or by being ar
rested for gaming OBJ other violations
| of the law 1t Is claimed that often
| the deputies arrest so many men that
| the plant is compelled to shut down
until their trial is had for some game
| In which they have been INDUCING.
&C. 1t is also claimed that the traffic
in the operators check is so practiced
to the detriment of the laborer that
at the end of the month or the veal
| the laborer is left without money an6
/ discontinued because of this fact
| whether he or some on else is at faul
| and that this condition leads to un.
| reliableness. We have many noble ex.
| ceptions who have made good record.
| in the labor market. Hundreds owr
til cir own homes.
THE REMEDY.
"In suggesting a remedy for thu
above claim or charges we do it fol
the benefit of the negro popula tior
as well as for the laborer himself. Fo
all classes of the race are so relatec
that the success of our labor elemen
And where the labor conditions are un
favora BILE all the rest feel it. And there
fore 1t Is hoped that the preachers
teachers and business men will JOIN
in with the faithful prkers and tr,
to establish an influence that Will he'll
the Iaboring class of our people. II
) the first place every laboring MAJ
should resolve TO put as good ia DO
on the market as can come from any
I body else. Report to his place o
business on time and be-as much in
terested In the employ er's affairs d
! ii they were his own. And that h
shoi.l resolve also to never leave hi
: employment unless it be absolutely nee
.:ssary, without consulting the inter
est of the employer. For the lahore
and the employer are really partner
in the work that is performed and
accrues to the good of both for it (
be absolutely successful
1T is very important that each Ia