The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1865-03-18
The Lnbor Question.

Editor Pacific Commercial Advertiser:
DEAR SIR Il have been surprised by your asser-
ton, and its repetition every few weeks, that there
is abundance of native labor to meet present require
ments of plantations, and am quite at a loss to know
where you obtain that information, which to me
seems so very fallacious and is so directly opposed to
my observation and experience for the last twelve or
eighteen months.
Is il possible the services Of your pen and paper
have been secured by that somewhat celebrated
/" Commission for introducing labor from abroad, =
who may want excuse for laying still longer upon
their oars, dallying away time, which, il this in
stance, is not only money, but money out Of the
pockets of nearly every planter in the kingdom
Pray direct US where this abundance Of 'ator may be found
and how obtained, as I am in want, aye, need my crop il suf-
tering for want of more labor TO take it Of! The rules or pre-
scriptons in your last issue win not do in my case, as I haze
more house accommodation than will supply each family in my
employ with a separate house-au wood, and comfortable, and
hear no complaint Of III treatment, in fact. most Of those in my
employ are re-enEaged men for second, third and fourth year or
tenn. Do You call labor plenty when a man cannot be engaged
vance, besides a large commission for hunting him up, or steal
dying or Ascending in debt. which Is Of continual occurr-.ce7
PLEASE step into the street and ask John Kahai, or any of his
thry to my runners, 1t he will engage to ship for you twenty
vance Won win have 10 nav 10 get tber and # he wu ~
tee YOU have them within a reasonable given time Mt any price.
or please ask any Of those foreign shipPing-masters, vino fur
nish men for ships, if natives are plenty fr shat purpose. If
'hey answer yoa as they have me. they. will tell You they are
not 10 DE Lau. Il - out Of the question
II l am not misiniorIned, there have been untitled orders for
native lab1rers, for different plantations, in the hands Of agents
Of those plantations, during the last twelve Or eighteen months.
However this may be, 1 do know that native labor for Ulautr-
tons has been very scarce in and about Honolulu for the last
year, and growing more so every week. your assertions. that q
the Minister Of Var and the d" Labor Commission"-to the con-
trary notwithstanding. VIII give You more evidence OF this
fact when l have more time. If you desire It.
Yours truly. PLASrEz.
Honolulu, March, 1865.
RENARKs-Our correspondence experience on the
labor question differs essentially from that of other
planters on this island. Still, admitting that a plan
tation located in or near Honolulu has more to con
tend with in this matter than those located further
of, the fact still may remain true that there is an
abundance Of laborers for the present exigency.
though the time will soon come when more will be
needed. The census Of 1860 gave a male population
of 35,379, Of whom at least twenty thousand are be-
tween the ages of twenty and fifty. Our sugar
plantations on all the islands do not employ over
four thousand, leaving sixteen thousand able-bodied
men COR supposed to be such) for all other occupa-
tons, and probably one half Of this number are idle
most q the time. This being the state Of things, we
leave it TO those interested to inquire whether they
can be reclaimed from idleaess, and whether any
amelioration Of the labor system will not bring IN
ample supply to the few plantations that lack an
abundance n iahorers.