The New York herald., 1879-09-20


STATES AND ITS EFsEcTs-ExPERIMENTs IN
IMPORTING LABoR--CIvILIzATIoN AS DE-
sTRUcTIvE AGENcY-A PLEA FOR NEGRO
LABOR.
HONOLULU, August 4. 1879.
Three years ago on the 14th of this month ths
Reciprocity treaty with the United States was rati
fled by your Senate. Eleven days later our capital
in blaze of rejoicing the news. We had
waited long enough for it-thirty-one years since
the FIRST attempts for reciprocity were made by Mr..
James Jackson Jarves, in behalf Of the Hawaiian
government. with Mr.. Buchanan and Mr. Clayton.
Mr.. Jarves is better known as an art critic than
diploInatist The time was not ready for the eHort
and the much desired reciprocity was failure in
1s4s-i9. Now that it is a success glimpse at its
effects may have some interest bearing upon the
question of its possible renewal after the expiration
OF its limit In the first place. reciprocity
the increased cultivation OF sugar in the group.
In 1874 exported % 600 900 pounds OF sugar;
in 1S7S nearly A 900 600 pounds The figures for this
year-those of the third crop under the treaty-wil
be considerably larger Most of the sugar goes to
the refneres in San Francisco. The total value of
our exports to the United States in 1878 was
$3.Ooo,oo0 Of our imports Of grain from the United
States, S2.21O,Ol1: but have bought built in
the United States the small vessels used in the
inter island carrying trade, and this in part equal
ICES the balance Of trade.
THE TnHArY's VALUE.
1t cannot be denied that the treaty is in the word
of Consul Scotts report of year ago. go bonanza
these islands, especially to the sugar planters ant
rice growers" But, second the sugar planters and
rice growers by means the only classea
benefited. The land, provision and labor mar
kets are entirely RECONSTRUCTED" Sugar and rica
lands have doubled in value: the average
advance in real estate will not be less than thirty
five per cent during the past three The prices
of meats and vegetables have increased in u much
higher ratio; they recall the dearness OF the
Of life during the rush to California in 1s49 and
1850. when the miners. like our planters to-day were
flooding the market with money taken from the soil
Those high prices bear severely, Of course. on per-
sons dependent upon fxed income. Ali the ssla-
ried officers Of government clergymen and mission
aries, find their means reducedor rather their pur.
chasing power-from twenty to thirty-hve per cent.
This evi however, is that will right itself in
due time. difficulty OF which the end II not SO
easily is the growing scarcity OF held labor.
The fields require considerable cultivation be-
they will yield largely. One Of the planters.
gentleman born upon the islands, has already spent
SIS in the construction of ditch for irrigation.
| Larger works of the same sort are in prospect.
| NATIVE OPPOSITION.
| Now, the Hawaiian does not take kindly to ditch
| ing; not like to dig among the canes. Life
is much short for that, he thinks especially in
his He clearly perceives that the end OF his
race not tar away, unless something can be done
to seemingly incurabe infertility. the pre-
| potent cause of its approaching extinction. "rhs
and so the coming Of the foreigner destroys the
Hawaiian" With good tempered fatasm they de-
cline to entsr the competition III the labor market.
They cannot be depended upon to work the plants
tions. But the demand for labor aud the doubled
in many new residents to shores That the true
benefit of reciprocity to For the first time since
shows an Increase from ssS in 1872 70 81 ssS in
| 1S7S Much of this Is due to Chinese immigration
Cinnamon forming. thus far, our main resource TOR
| plantation hands. They good lsborers. The
trouble is that cannot get enough of them ut adj
vantageous rates of payment. They are quite
shrewd enough to ind out the market value OF their
labor. Sometimes. indeed. they succeed in getting
rather more than the market value. On some plan-
| tations they have been paid 81 q day. This wage
| rate however Is excessive for the planter.
CHINESE LABOR
The Chinese laborers are turbulent when har6hly
treated, but present the planters afford to
| treat them harshly, the motto OF the day being
"Make sugar while the sun Shines" Mean while the
labor question presses more sharply with each new
| crop cane The Chinese now employed are mostly
brought from California. aud by private parties nos
formerly by government and directly from China.
1t must be said that the American zed Chinainan Is
| poorer laborer and worse man than Cninamen di-
| recty imported. He is especially undesirable here
from the circumstance that he never brings his wife
and family with him Now our lack OF labor is an
incident of larger evil the lack of population, and
o chief need the islands is a class Of aborers who
will settle and multiply among u.s. The history OF
|
such class of laborers is already curious
one. / do more than touch upon it
", who brought laborers the MAnAhikt
group, ncighbors of 200 miles directly to tho
poynesian M peono doce and insesens race.
| The immigrants brought their families with them.
ana the promise seemed good for their taking per-
manent foothold among their Hawaiian brethren.
But they proved lacking in physical stamina; the
changes in their condition of life enervated them.
| The hard labor in the fields broke them down.
Wnat Polynesian has any fitness for hard labor in
the nedsp He has the finest physique in the world.
say the statsticiaps: in battle. in athletic games.
surf swimming and the like he will hold his own
with any savage; give him q hoe and moral pocket
handkerchief and he perishes. Christianity aud
civilization doubtless very good things for us.
but they certainly speedily and always fatal to
poor Msnshiri Islander: men and women sicksned
and died together under the changed conditions.
The experiment was q complete failure in spite of
the kindest treatment OF the laoorers have lived
twenty years in Polynesia and am not speaking At
random.
EAST INDIAN LApoRERs.
The next attempt III this direction to bring
aborers from the East Indies, especially the ryot
hill laborer of the peninsula whose type is presume
ably adapted to this climate and the conditions
that have to offer. In 1866 commissioner, DIR.
Hlliebrand from Honolulu TO the East to
anime the question. He reported uni avorsbly upon
the project aud IL was abandoned, leading reason
being .hs sres moray Q, tas NH ,,m cSoes ~ ,ron tna
survivors introducing that disease to the already
disease stricken groups new opening Of the Pam
dora's box OF civilization.
Repeated efforts have again been made to induce
Japanese laborers to immigr~te. Some were brought
to the islands by former governments of them. but
ali have been recalled by the Japanese government.
which to allow the laborer to expatriate him
self. Our Commissioner to Japan resigned his post
in 1873 account of his failure TO obtain the de-
sired permission to bring the Japanese away which
liz much to be regretted 1T Is probable that these
laborers would succeed better than any others
who have made the experiment.
Next n batch of Portuguese Western Islanders
were induced to come to us from Madeira ono
hundred and twenty men ana women together
reached Honolulu last September aud more have
arrived. They good citizens. but they do not
make plantation laborers. They go into less
| laborious occupations. The experiment ss regards
| the purpose for which II was made. has cvershos
| itself But our community and our population are
gamers
NEGROES FROM THE SOUTH
| Lastly, IL is now contemplated to import negro
! laborers IL possible, from your southern States
/ The plan is promising one The negro 10 we'll
/ ..ls.l snl