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Office Supt Bureau R.F. & A.L.
Demopolis, Ala. Oct. 24th, 1866
[[Stamp]]
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE UNITED STATES
[[/]]
General.
In compliance with circular no. 2. dated Hd Qrs. Montgomery Ala Oct. 10th 1866, I respectfully submit the following report, with the remark that having no data previous to the 20th of January, 1866, (at which time I relieved Capt. A.G. Hapstinstall as Asst Supt of Demopolis District,") the report includes only the time intervening between that date and the present.
Contracts with Freedmen.
Regarding the form of Contracts, "I have to state that, as at the beginning of the year, all parties were left free to make such contracts as they desired, there are rarely two alike. These, however, which were brought to the Office for approval, were before being approved, amended so as to include the stipulations mentioned in Gen. Order No. 12, dated Montgomery, Aug. 30th, 1865. Beyond this, some employers contract to pay certain wages per month, varying from ten(10) to fifteen(15) dollars for first-class hands. I estimate that rather more than one half the Freedmen in this district are employed in this way; the balance receive certain shares in the crop, usually one fourth.
These Contracts have been observed on the part of the Freedmen better than was generally expected. I estimate that about nine tenths (9/10) of the Freedmen, and two thirds (2/3) of the Freed-women have lived within the terms of their contracts. How employers will observe their terms