The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1864-04-23
PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
SATURDAY, APR
The Labor QuestIOnSs
m~-arce ~ the labor question

rnDllt lCutsO 1DOh - u
Il. Others may thus be induced to tlsanw upon
this same question whatever light the- possess.
Such discussions are useful, even nece ssry, and
thew are not likely to be attended wiz the evil
results of acrimony and personalities. Ine class
of our community cannot be successful without
more or less helping others. The greaGprinciple
of the mutual dependence of nationsf,o on each
other is still more immediate in its aSplication
to individuals the smaller the lake Te nearer
too the ripples produced in it by the Zone cast
in It's waters.
/. Are imported aborers wanted hea9 or not?
9. If they are wanted, where are VI to look
for them? =
To the first question the answer of =. ostly all
is, 'laborers are wanted here" ST. I is our
opinion. 1t is true that a stricter a ,~plication
of our vagrant law might add considerably to
the number Of the native laborers in the planta-
tions, but even this supply could not be mex
haustible, and, besides that, it would be wrong
and might be suicidal policy to drive all natives
to sugar plantations, to discourage in them that
feeling of independence and reliance upon self
imposed labor, to teach them to look upon the
foreigners enterprise arl capital as their only
means to secure q livelihood. If our plantations
want laborers, so do our farms, 50 do their own
fields. S~elf-imposed labor is the true path to
Independence in its highest sense, and the man
who fairly stands its test has already mastered
the first great lesson Of christianity.
If laborers are wanted here, where are we to
look for them?
On this question there exists some difference
of opinion. The prevailing one is that China
is the nearer and best market. For centuries,
Asia has had the privilege of furnishing cheap
manual labor, and its teeming millions have
found their way to every part of the world.
But China is not the only market, and of late
India has provided sugar raising countries with
laborers who compare favorably with those of
China. The following facts relating to the
Islands of Martinique and Guadalupe go far to
prove this assertion. Bearing as they do, upon
period of II years and upon a total of over
% 200 imported laborers, they are, we think.
entitled to the careful consideration of men who
do not argue a question with preconceived ideas,
and consider the experience of others, expensive
luxury as it often ~, as worth studying and
learning from.
In the two aforementioned islands, emancipa-
ton left the planters without laborers. Political
reasons, and foremost among them, the danger
of increasing the number of negroes, already too
large, initiated strongly agains. the Importation
of free negro laborers from Liberia. Necessity
knows no Law, and at first the attempt was made
soon to be given up. From 1852 to 1862, both
years included, the importation of laborers has
been
Chinese coolies as
Indian do 800
l4sl7
Ii
Cn1neSe SS
Indian do
1895
The cost of importation and wages has been
for
Indian coolies, -..--....-s 50 a head and 81 40 per month.
100 " " 40 " "
The contracts stipulated in each case an aver
age of % days work in the month. This average
has never been reached, as shown by the follow
ing statistics
The average of negro labor has been, on IL 900
days work, 14.1 a month.
That of Chinese, on 0,O00 days work, ia a
month.
That of Indians, on l96, 900 days, 1876 a
month.
The average mortality of the laborers has been
los per cent on the negroes, 5.S per cent on
the Chinese, 81 per cent on the Indians.
The average mortality of the garrison troops
and strangers was, during the same period, 10
per cent
The contracts are made for ten years in the
case of the negroes, and for five years with the
Indian and Chinese coolies. Besides the month
ly pay, it is stipulated that they should be
housed, fed and clothed, and, at the expiration
of their contract, on their request, returned to
their country. Only fifteen out of every hun
dred, land those unmarried claimed this privi-
lege; the rest settled on the islands in tine same
capacity, induced 50 to do by the presence of
their wives, the births of their children and the
kind treatment they experienced.
Our object being more to submit facts and call
for information than 70 bring arguments in favor
Of ore plan or of another, we shall not insist
upon the comparative results of these expert
ments- Figures speak for themselves, and, when
fairly dealt with, are eloquent commentaries.
Under what conditions ought our laborers to
be imported?
On this, we can say but few words. Grave in
terests are in question, worthy of all the earnest
attention of planters, merchants and statesmen:
sugar is to be one of our staple articles; its pro-
duction will give employment to thousands of
our population its expectation will stimulate
our inter-isIand navigation, and give work to our
seafearing men but, paramount to these inter-
ests. as far above them as the great truths and
laws of religion and morality are above human
truths and laws, stands the interest OF q whole