The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1918-01-15
TRY A PROFIT. SHARING
PLAN WITH YOUR LABOR


There are two outstanding facts
in regard to farm labor that every
Southern farmer should understand,
and then govern himself according
ly.
1. Labor for farm work will
this year be shorter than ever be-
fore. The draft, the movement OF
thousands of Negroes north, and the
high wages being paid by industries
in Southern cities combine to make
this certain.
2. A primary factor in getting
labor efficiency is to hold the in
terest and enthusiasm of the work
er. Give a worker a direct financial
interest in the product of his labor,
and, nine times in ten, we have sus'
tanned, intelligent effort; without
such an interest to spur him on, he
cares little for the quality of his
work or the amount done; he is a
dull plodder with no aim other than
to "put in his day"
Ninety per cent of the land own
ers of the South use more or less
labor other than their own in max
ing their crops. With hundreds OF
thousands of our young men gone
the big problem is to maintain and
even increase production with the
labor supply that we have. Let us
consider in their turn our three
chief sources of classes of labor, and
what may be done to speed them uI
to the utmost.
1. The Farm Boys. First Of all
make partners of them. Call a coun-
Gil of them, and talk business for the
new year. Impress upon them first
the fact that prices of practically
everything we raise are two and
three times higher than during pre-
war times, and that big profits await
the farmer who efficiently manages
his business. Then announce to
them a plan by which they are to
have liberal prizes if a certain num-
Der of bales of cotton, certain
number of pounds of tobacco, so
many bushels of peanuts, or so
many bushels of corn are made,
with an increased bonus for each
additional bale of cotton, each addi-
tional 500 pounds of tobacco, or
each additional 50 bushels of pea
nuts or corn.
2. Get the interest of the hired
man. Where hired labor is employ
ed, the farmer may as well under
stand at the outset that he cannot
get efficient labor at pre-war prices.
Other industries are paying on an
average probably double what they
used to pay, and the wages of our
labor must be raised proportionately
if we are to hold it. With the high
prices of farm products, increased
wages are only just and equitable.
More than this, it will pay, as with
the farm boys, to put hired labor on
profit-sharing basis. Let every
worker feel diret interest in the
crop he is helping to produce.
8. Make a business partner of
the tenant. With probably ha,f- Ct
all the crops of the South grown
by tenant farmers, too little is be-
ing done to get the maximum eff
cheney from tenant labor. First of
all, put the tenant on a cash basis,
letting him have so much money
each month, so that he can buy at
cash prices, charging him no more
than the legal rate for any money
advanced. Second, offer liberal
cash prizes for the production of a
certain number of bales, bushels or
pounds of any crops grown. Finally
use fertilizers literally to make ev-
cry acre the tenant works do it's
best, and provide him with the la
bor-saving implements, he needs to
cultivate a maximum crop.-The
Progressive Farmer.