Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 182, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 August 1918 — HARVE ROBINSON MAKING PIN MONEY IN NEW ORLEANS [ARTICLE]

HARVE ROBINSON MAKING PIN MONEY IN NEW ORLEANS

We extract the following from a personal letter received from Harve J. Robinson, former linotype operator of the Republican, who is now working for a short time in New Orleans to make a little pin money before cotton picking time: . K “I received notice from the local board of conscription of Jasper county to appear Monday, August 5, for organization under the Board of Instruction. I don’t know what the meaning is, but do know it is too late to~appear. I wrote them today explaining. I am working for the Times-Picayune at night from 6 to about 2 o’clock, with a half hour off for lunch from 10 to 10:30. Last week was paid a little better than $45 for my work. It is mostly piece work, although when I set editorials it is time work, and is paid for by taking your average of the week before. My average is. held to be 8,000 m’s an’hour, which at 12 cents per 1,000, brings me nearly a dollar an* hour for my work, which is much easier than I ever found it when I worked on the Republican. A week ago Friday the Jackson, Miss., Daily News telegraphed asking for the loan of a* man for Saturday night. I was sent up there Friday night and worked Saturday and Saturday night until 2 o’clock. It was rather expensive for the News, as they had to pay me sl4 for my work and about the same for my expenses. On Sunday I stopped off home until Monday morning. Crops looked good. Corn was doing nicely. Cotton on oUr place is better than the average of what I have seen. The sorghum, peanuts, peas, etc., looked fine. Some time ago I planted about an acre of watermelons for a late patch. The .vines had covered the ground and were a beautiful sight to one who likes the fruit. If you don’t wait too long before coming down, you will be able to fill up on them. They had planted about three acres of late Irish potatoes, which were not yet up, and also had been putting out more sweet potatoes, which looked fine. They have sweet potatoes to eat now from some of the patches. It is much cooler in New Orleans than at Liberty, although even at Liberty it is copier than in the north. I don’t know why this is tare, but I know it is so. I will return to Liberty the latter part of this month, as there will be too much to do there without more help, and abor is very scarce. So many people ask me if we are going to make money this year and when I answer yes, they say: ‘Many from the North come down here and try to farm as they have always been used to farming and won’t farm as the South farms, and as a result don’t make money.’ We don’t farm altogether as the Southerners do, but if a person will just use good common sense and work hard he can make more money here than in the North, taking into consideration the difference in land values. By next spring the forty head of hogs we are feeding should, with the increase, bring in good returns. The other day a farmer told me we were getting ‘hog poor.’ I laughed and told him that perhaps' he would change his mind next spring when we ship our hogs. I get. the Semi-Weekly regularily here and appreciate it. I .would like to visit Rensselaer for a Week or so but would soon be homesick for the South again. Wish you would tell some of my old friends to write me at Liberty, Miss. I wrote Howard some time ago, but have not heard from him in reply. Also send me Howard’s address and Ben Fendig’s address in New Orleans. As I was going to dinner today I saw Ben on a street car and he called to me, but the car was too far past to board it and I lost him.”