Formelt kom der tre ting ud af The Fireburn: Kontrakterne var ikke længere på årlig basis, arbejderne kunne købe land - op til 28 ha, og fagforeninger blev tilladt. Reelt og i praksis skete der kun få forbedringer i landarbejdernes forhold, og børnedødeligheden fortsatte med at være blandt de største i Karibien.
Our readers will have observed in Saturday's issue, and again in the paper to-day, that a long expected announcement of great importance to this island has now been made, and it has become a published fact that the regulations hitherto controlling the relations between proprietors and rural labourers are to be finally abolished on the 1st of October next. The fact was officially made known on the several estates on Monday last.
It would be impremature to comment on this important notification before we are informed as to the nature of the new ordinance therein referred to.
(St. Croix Avis, 6. august 1879.)
Guvernør Garde undertegnede 13. september 1879 en ny lov for regulering af arbejdet, offentliggjort i St. Croix. Avis, 20. september 1879. St. Croix Avis, 24. september publicerede teksten til en ny løsgængerlov, hvor arbejdsløse i princippet blev gjort kriminelle.
Dansk Vestingen. St. Croix. Markarbejdere. Postkort. Det Kongelige Bibliotek. Creative Commons Navngivelse-IkkeKommerciel-IngenBearbejdelse 3.0 Unported Licens.
1. oktober 1879 ophørte de retningslinjer der var mellem arbejdere og arbejdsgivere. I stedet skulle gælde samme lov som hvilede på de principper som gjaldt i tyendelovene. Det ville plantageejerne ikke gå med til, men ville fastholde årskontrakterne og ensartet betaling, nemlig 70 øre om dagen. Det nægtede arbejderne at gå ind på, og nedlagde arbejdet den 1. oktober. 2-3.00 arbejdere forlod endog øerne og tog til Frederiksted for at blive overført til naboøerne. Trods kongeligt besøg - prins Valdemar - kunne konflikterne ikke holdes i ave:
Since our last, the situation in the country remains unchanged. The proprietors, at least for the most part, hold to the demand for a yearly contract, and the labourers as steadily refuse. So far as we know there is not one estate in the island where the people have returned to work. Good order, at the same time, prevails everywhere.
On Saturday and Monday many of the immigrant labourers crowded into West Endunder the false impresson that the English war-steamer Blanche had come to carry them back to their native islands.
(St Croix Avis, 8. oktober 1879.)
Den 9. oktober 1879 fremsatte finansministeren i Landstinget et lovforslag om "Hærstyrken paa de dansk-vestindiske Øer". Dette blev udførligt behandlet i Dagbladet (København), den 10. oktober 1879. Herunder også bilagene der forsøgte at finde årsagerne til oprørets udbrud. Man nåede her frem til at udbruddet skyldtes en tilfældighed, og at der altså ikke var lagt nogen plan med det. Men at der før oprøret havde været en almindelig udbredt misfornøjelse blandt landarbejderne. Fra "pålidelige personligheder" havde man underretning om at arbejderbefolkningen på St. Croix var den ø hvor arbejderbefolkningen havde det bedst.
Som forebyggende foranstaltninger mod en gentagelse anbefalede kommissionen en genoprettelse af respekten for lovens autoritet, med andre ord, mere militær på øerne. Arbejdsordningen skulle vedblive, men arbejderregulationerne ophævet og erstattet af en tyendelov, en løsgængerlov, en skolereform mm. Altså stort set det som guvernøren allerede havde gennemført i september.
Wednesday, 15th October 1879.
We regret to write that the dead-lock in plantation work still continues. The labourers object sometimes that 20 cents is "not 'nough," sometime that they "will not be bung".
We cannot hope that any advice of ours will spread much among the labouring class, but we would like to examine these objections from their own stand point and in their own interest.
First in regard to the twenty cents a day not being sufficient. Do the labourers know that this is the same rate as is paid in the smaller English islands, in Antigua for example? In Barbados, it is true, the common pay is a shilling, or 24 cents a day; but out of this the man has to pay for his house and ground, which is generally done by giving one day's labour a week as rent, and thus the pay is brought down to the same as is offered here. Do the labourers generally know that seven persons who left here for Barbados not very long ago, have returned to Est. Slob within the last few days? This ought to be a warning to the rest not to be anxious to try other islands. Broader reasons it would be useless to offer; but of course the real question is what can the land afford; and we feel sure that no planter will be willing to risk much more in the present state and prospects of the sugar market. It must be left to each planter to say what he can do; and it is not in the interest of the labourers themselves to have the estate thrown out of cultivation, by forcing the owner beyond this limit.
When we come to the objection to being bound, we must say that it does not in the least surprise us. The labourers have considered the abolition of Government interference, as an abolition of the contract system altogether. As a labouring man was heard to say the other day: How can we bound when the King has told us we are all free? It is not easy to make them see the difference between a contract proposed by the master, and a contract which they are compelled to take by the Government. And in truth, if the whole planting body agrees to insist upon it, it does practically amount to the same thing. Here we would remark that while we do not for a moment question the right of the planters to unite for this purpose, we do question the wisdom of erecting a rigid institution like this to meet exigencies which were utterly unknown and could not be foreseen. Such unions may do very well in old countries, it remains to be seen whether they are wish here. But to return to the "being bound", we do not, think the labourers have considered the great advantage that a contract is to themselves. The advantage to the owner of the land is too obvious to need comment: but the labourer has perhaps not thought of it from his own side. Let us suppose the case of an estate changing hands, the contracted labourers must be kept on and paid, the uncontracted may be dismissed. Again in dry weather the uncontracted hands can be discharged or put on half work, while for the contracted hands work and pay must be found all the time. Further, in the case of a man having a good provision ground, there is much more assurance of his reaping the products when the master is bound by contract to keep him on the estate.
In short the labourer is apt to forget that if he is bound the master is bound too, and must find work for him and support him whether convenient to do so or no. In Antigua, a contract act was passed, because the Iabouring people themselves saw the advantage of it, and a great number readily entered into contracts. Those who did not are liable to be sent off the estates as soon as dry weather sets in; and consequently in Antigua there is always great poverty, and we may add crime also, in such seasons. There are two sides to every question, and it is well, that the labourers should see this contract question from the side of its advantages to themselves before they decide entirely on refusing to enter into contracts.
(St. Croix Avis, 15. oktober 1879.)
St. Croix
(From the Avis October 18th)
Since our last issue we have heard of several estates having resumed work. All through the Island the labourers whose contracts under the old law had not expired have gone back to their work; but the greater number og those whose contracts expired on the 1st of October still refuse to accept the new terms.
There is a rumour that some managers are offering a fixed sum with allowance; and as the allowance system is in great favour with the labourers, and has some merits, it is worth while to consider this plan.
(Sanct Thomæ Tidende, 22. oktober 1879)
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