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Head Qrs. Asst. Commissioner
Bureau R F and A. L.
Charleston S.C. February 5th 1866

Circular
No. 3
The following Contract is published for the information of the public:

State of South Carolina
District of 
Articles of Agreement made and entered into this   day of 1866, by and between   and the
Freedmen and Women whose names and documents attached:

I. The said Freedmen and women agree to have their time and labor on the plantation of the said 
  from the date of signing this agreement to the first day of January 1867. They agree to conduct themselves honestly and civilly, to perform diligently and faithfully all such labor on said plantation as maybe connected with, and necessary for the raising harvesting and the protecting of the crop. The said freedmen further agree to being no ardent spirits, at any time, upon the plantation; also not to invite visitors [[crossed out]] [[?]] [[?]] [[/crossed out]] upon the premises or absent themselves from the same during working hours without the consent of the employers or his agent.

II. The said freedman agree to perform reasonable daily tasks on said plantation, and all cases when such tasks cannot be assigned, they agree to labor diligently ten hours a day, unless the weather be such as to actually forbid labor, or the employer or his agent excuse them from work. In either [[crossed out]] such [[/crossed out]] case no deduction for loss of time shall be made.

III. For every day's labor lost by absence, except for reasons stated above the laborer shall forfeit fifty cents. If absent more than three days without leave, unless it be on account of sickness or other unavoidable cause, to be subject to dismissal from the plantation, and forfeiture of his or her share of the crop, such forfeiture to inure to the benefit of the employer and employees in proportion to their relative shares of the crop. The employer shall however in all such cases pay the party dismissed five dollars per month for fall hands and others a proportion for such time as said party may have worked on the plantation deducting therefor any advance that may have been made by the employer either in money or by provisions which were to have been accounted for. If the

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party so dismissed have a family on the same plantation, the wages due him or her shall be paid by the employer to the family.

IV. Said freedmen agree to take good care of all utensils, tools, implements used for the plantation; also to be kind and gentle to all work animals used for raising the crop; also to pay for any injury done to either the animals or farming tools while in their hands, and by reason of their own carelessness or neglect.

V. They agree to keep their houses and garden plots in a neat and orderly manner, and subject to the inspection of the employer or his agent at any time.

VI. In case of sickness among any of the families of the employees, a nurse shall be furnished from their own number; also, a stockminder, if necessary for the working animals; and no labors so performed shall impair their interest in the crop.

VII. The employees agree to furnish from their own number a foreman, to be selected by the employer or his agent who shall direct their labors and make report to employer or his agent of all absences, refusals to work, or disorderly conduct of the employees. The report of the foreman shall be read over at the end of each week in the hearing of the people.

VIII. The employer agrees to furnish each laborer and his family if he have and with comfortable quarters on the plantation; also half an acre of ground to each head of a family, and a quarter of an acre to all others, for their own use and the privilege of getting firewood, and animals to have the same from same portion of the premises to be indicated by the employer or his agent; and each laborer shall be permitted to raise such an amount of poultry and hogs as he can keep upon the premises assigned to him without injury or annoyance to others.

IX. The employer agrees to furnish a sufficient number of working animals and to feed them at his own expense and all necessary wagons carts ploughs and such other farming implements as cannot be made by the laborers.

X. Neither party shall sell or use any portion of the crop until after the division of the same without the consent of the other party.

XI. The crops shall be divided as follows: To the employees, one third of the corn, potatoes, peas, rice, and all other products gathered & picked for market; also, one third of the cotton when ginned and seed from the same.

XII. The employees shall not be compelled to work upon nor shall there be any deduction of wages made for the following holidays: Fourth of July, Christmas, New Years, National and State Thanksgiving

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