The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1872-10-02

to his own profits, and the laborer pasSively con
sents. Having come to terms with your labOrer,
the native Hawaiian being considered. the treat.
men; which he is TO receive viii go far to make
him . desirable laborer IT, as in too many cases,
he is poorly housed, stinted of food and that Of
poor quality, overworked as TO time, his CON-
plants unheeded for fear Of giving ofense to
some overseer who has 4 reputation for getting
the work out of men. we may reasonably count
upon having laborer who will leave when his
time is up to 60 North on a whaling voyage,
South on guano island, or in fact anywhere to
escfpe the possibility OF plantation labor, OF in
case all these means Of his livelihood fail him,
will turn again to the plantation, demand an IN
reasonable advance, spend ii ike fool, then sui
enly 60 to his task to shirk his duty when be can
Look into the makahiki house or quarters
where our labOrers are living, and how many of
them would pass the inspection of an eulighten-
ed. humane mani
Look in upon the accommodations afforded for
eating, il indeed they are provided for in this
way, and is the sight calculated TO entice man
to enter the service!
Imagine your laborer sick, fever being the more
common ailment; visit his quarters, squalid and
but poorly ventilated inspect his diet rarely diff
fering from what is given the well, and say if you
can that he is properly cared for.
We have no very elaborate stables in this city,
and yet can safely. say that have seen better
provision made for the care of horses than for the
men upon some Of our plantations. A man who
earns living by the work of horse will tell you
that it is poor economy to stint the horse in food
and care in order TO add to his own profits
1t is not at all times directly the fault of the
planter that these abuses exist, the matters of
detail are too often left to Indifferent or incom-
petent subordinates- Only lately a case came to
my knowledge where complaint was made by Ia,
bOrers of iusuiciency Of food, where, as could be
proved, the manager had given orders to the per-
son having the food in charge to give the men all
they wanted to eat.
To bring about some Of the reforms suggested,
particularly that of advances, We are told would
be to revolutiouize the labor system, cause loss
and perhaps ruin. ask, can they not be brought
about with less loss now than year hence
Can we not at least make an effort to gradually
bring reforms about in order to meet the con-
stantly increasing demands Of q progressive age?
Nh EDIToR: 1t is the opinion Of some thought.
full men among US that these Hawaiian Islands
are surely approaching crisis in their history,
and if we look about and note our surrounding
Il
exist as an independent community, We shall dis
cover that our prospects are as dark as can well
be imagined.
This state Of affairs concerns every one-rieh
and poor native and foreigner, the King on his
throne and the recipient Of charity at the hospital
ali are exposed TO- and consequently all are inter
ested in averting the evils that threaten US and
that they may be averted by united and intelli-
gent action not doubt exists.
But it will be asked, What are these evils 3?
how do they affec: US, and in what manner will
they continue to affect Us if suffered to 90 on IN
checked? These are some of them: constant
decrease Of population; lack Of enterprise; sta
tionary If not diminishing production withdrawal
Of capital from the country increased taxation for
the support of the increasing class of the diseased
and infrm, with visible decrease both of public
revenue and private means, at the same time that
the cost Of living is on the increase. That these are
evils none viii deny that We are already suffer-
ing from them all who care can know what
will result if We do not check them III time can
be surely foreseen. We shall dwindle from a
thriving, well-ordered community to disorgan-
lied and bankrupt rabble Honolulu dependent
upon the visits of the steamers and transient yes
sells for az gnoble existence and these fair islands
tenanted only by few miserable and diseased
people until some foreign Government should /
step in, seize the supreme power Danish the rem
nant Of the natives to close their career, isolated
and hopeless on one of the minor Islands of the |
group, while the few foreigners who we're unable /
to leave would be ruled without voice in the d.
rection of their own affairs, and for the benefit Of
that intervening government.
Our independence is as yet respected BY the 4
great powers of the world. the means to perpetu- /
ate it are in our own hands; it is our duty to .
preserve it, to build 10 these islands, and leave .
them Fai12Ole inheritance 10 our successors.
We have the intelligence 20 devise plans to
remedy the evils from which We are suffering, the
will and determination alone fail Us. We must
not destroy existing institutions, but strengthen,
and where necessary reform them; We must not
reduce society to chaos by compelling masters
and servants to change places, as has lately been
attempted, but keep each class il its proper
sphere, and see the strctezt justice meted out to
SILL
Order is Heavens first law, and this contest,
Some are and rus, be greater than the rest,
and so they must remain until the superior virtue
and intellect Of the subOrdinates conquer their
position.
I think Mr.. Editor have said enough for one
letter, but propose, with your permission, to re-
turn to the subject in future number, when /
hope to show the remedies for the disorders
which threaten our national existence.
Fiji Islands and Great Britain.