The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-07-22
The South Pacific Labor system

The colony OF Queensland IN Australia, ana
the FIJI group of Islands in the South Pacific,
are just now attracting a good deal of attention
on this side Of the world, as most desirable places
of settlement for the development of capital and
enterprise, for men of comparatively small means.
The first, occupying a large and fertile portion of
the fifth continent of the globe, (as Australia is
called) approaches the equator, and is found
peculiarly adapted for the production of the
sugar cane, and is contiguous to the great and
growing markets Of New South Wales, New
Zealand and Tasmania. In a virgin soil, and
under a tropical sun, the plantations of cane in
Queensland are represented as wonderfully pro-
ductive. In the Fiis, with a large area of rich
soil, the sea-island variety of cotton-that staple
which from the universally of its use gained the
title of = King grows abundantly with but
slight cultivation, and yields almost fabulous
crops. But in both countries, each eingularly
adapted to the growth of its speciality, the same
obstacle to development is met-the scarcity of
labor. To make sugar and cotton, whereby to
become speedily rich, is the object of the Anglo
Saxon settler in Queensland and FIJI, and the
sine qua non for the accomplishment of this object
is an abundance of cheap labor. And this, dur
ing the past few years, they have found readily
at hand in the barbarous and frequently savage
populations Of the Islands of Southern Polynesia.
The New Hebrides and Hervey groups, situated
about three weeks sail from the British colony of
Victoria, have been the principal sources from
which to obtain the : emIgrants." The osten-
sible plan has been to engage the natives to leave
their Islands for a term of service, generally two
years, on q stated monthly compensation, livery
small, of course) and to he returned to their
homes at the expiration of the term. This trade
has grown to very large proportions, and we
notice in n late FIJI newspaper that no less than
twenty vessels are constantly employed in it from
those Islands alone, while the Queensland demand
for these labOrcrs is still larger. Many state
mcnts having from time to time got into print to
tie effect that this traffic in labor was nothing
more nor less than n slave trade, the authorities
of Queensland have established rules and regula-
tons under which " emigrants - Of this class may
be introduced, and a certain show of s~trictness is
business. But the pressing necessities of the
planters and the rapacity of the traders in men,
evidently results in a vast amount of stealing,
violence and oppression being practiced upon the
poor Islanders, which law does not reach, and
which %justifes to a great degree the title Of slave
trade, that has been applied to this wretched
business. The credulous people are often enticed
on board the strange vessel, lured into the hold,
and then the matches are put on and the vessel
puts to sea beyond the hope of returning by the
miserable captives to their homes. Or if they
make any troublesome resistance, force is used
and irons are put on. These kidnapping prac-
tices have become notorious, and in consequence
there are now some Islands where it is not safe
for even a missionary to land, the bereaved savages
being Justly incensed at all SO civilized - ~visiters.
Instances are known where whole boats crews
have been cut off. There are doubtless excep-
tions in this degrading traffic to the general rule
of deceit and violence, but the apologist has not yet
appeared who shall give in print an authenticated
account of one of these so-callcd expeditions
for contract laborers."
In the " seventh annual report of the voyages
of the mission vessel Dayspring, among the New
Hebrides and Hervey Islands, during the year
187O,'' published at Melbourne, during the pres
ent year, a copy of which is now before US. we
! find such statements as these, made by the mis-
sionaries The missionary work on Fotuna
has been seriously retarded duriug the past year
by visits of slavers from Queensland and the FIJI
Islands. = : . Should any of these people
ever return to their own Islands, they will be
different from what they now are. The civiliza-
ton with which most of them come in contact
has a demoralizing and hardening influence on
them. The most degraded characters We have on
these Islands are to be found among those who
have returned from the Queensland and FIJI
plantations. = = " A vessel recently called
It this Island from the FijIs in search Of natives.
/ Ihe Captain underworld by stratagemt to secure
some native women. He became enraged with
the missionary when he failed ir his attempts,
and put all sorts of mischief into the heads of the
natives against him."
1t must be n severe trial for these missionaries
to see those for whose good they have labored
thus snatched away when the fruits of their
labors just begin to appear. This little mission
airy publication gives numerous instances of the
outrageous doings of these men-stealers. A
canoe, passing from one Island to another, is
seen by a SLAYER (that is the title the missionaries
invariably give these a '~emigrant u vessels) and
run into. Another SLAYER sees the capture from
a distance and claims half the prize, with a
threat to inform (who , if it were not given.
The canoe obtains eighteen men and some hogs,
which are divided between the two vessels.
During a short stay of the Ddyspring at one
Island, no less than three slavers called there,
from the nothern Islands, each with her living
cargo, some OF whom were in irons. Some of
these importuned the missionaries to procure
their release, pleading to be redeemed from
slavery and taken to the missionary vessel. Two
lads had been sold by their own father for a
dOuble-barreled gun, and another, ian orphan)
was sold by a man with whom he had gone to
reside, for a piece of calico. The parties who
had sold the boys repented of their bargain. took
back the payment to the Captain of the vessel
and requested him to release them. The mis-
sionaries protested in 4 note to the Captain
against this g purchase of human beings as a
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