The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1877-06-09
THE B QUESTION.

The cultivation of sugar is unquestionably be-
coming the foremost industry of these Islands, and
bids fair to leave all others in the background.
1t may be said that the speculation in cane
growing is becoming quite a furOre, not to say
that it is rapidly progressing towards the %incipient
stage of a regular mania. Thus we hear, upon
all sides, of persons heretofore engaged in null
hilarious businesses, professional men, clerks,
employers, in short, individuals representing
all classes of the COMMUNICATING of max
ing a venture in cane culture. Each day the
example of adventurous spectators, who have
actually embarked in the sugar business, is
a new incentive to others who are hesitating
on the verge of such an undertaking. No
doubt, the fatteriDg prospects of those already
engaged in this important industry are well
calculated to attract spectators with the
necessary capital. Now, it is precisely from
the point of view of capital that We propose
TO make some remarks on this subject.
To Judge from the alacrity on all sides dis
played to embark in sugar culture, it ia reason
able to conclude that there is no lack of private
capital in this commercial community, Indeed,
we may state without fear of contradiction
that the question of capital is less a matter
of difficulty with actual or intending specula-
tors in cane culture, than the inevitable con-
comitant consideration of labor. With the
most abundant capital and a soil teeming with
fertility, what can the speculator in sugar
manufacture do, if the supply of agricultural
labor is insufficient, or fails completely This
is precisely the question which must force itself
upon all such spectators. Some may imagine
that they can depend upon this government
to meet this requirement. 1t is true that this
government is about to engage in a scheme
for the Introduction of immigrants of both
sexes, from the East Indies but a main object
of this scheme is to recuperate the Hawaiian
race, and a large proportion of the East Indians,
to be brought here by government, will consist
of women and children. On previous occasions,
we have suggested that the employers of agri-
cultural laborers here ought to take steps, in
dependent of all government action, to supply
the want of hands on their plantations. We
lately alluded to the likelihood of a supply of
South Sea Island laborers being obtainable at
the Fijis. We advised the planters to take up
the matter. charter a vessel, and with the
sanction of the British Governor of the Fills,
convey a ~ship-load or more of those Islanders
to these shores. 1t is plain that the planters
must exert themselves in this important matter
of hands for their plantations. 1t is useless,
it is quite unreasonable, for them to suppose
that this government can set itself up as a
labor agency for their sole benefit. This gov
eminent has done amazingly we'll for the inter-
ests of the sugar planters by securing for the
country the Reciprocity Treaty, for which the
Hawaiian Kingdom owes an eternal debt of
gratitude to the present able Minister of Foreign
Affairs. That treaty may be said to be actually
coming dollars for the Hawaiian planters, and
we heartily congratulate them on their good
fortune. But, on the ether hand, the sugar
planters themselves should do their own share
of the business, and instead of expecting TO
make a labor agency of the government, our
enterprising sugar planters, who. as we are
happy to note, have evidently plenty of money,
which may they augment q hundred and a
thousand fold-ought to adopt a course where
by they would be likely to secure for them
selves a regular influx of agricultural laborers,
if married couples with young families all