The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1881-02-05

fTOLecIOrale LOT tneSe Islands. The thing
is too absurd to have a second thought be-
slowed upon it, N we only recur to it to
observe, in excuse for those who may have
listened to N repeated it in other coun-
tries, that it is only too easy for a man who
has gone abroad as a Hawaiian Agent to
give by his own talk a little color to such
cdnGrds as this, however absurd they may
be intrinsically.
NOTWITHSTANDING the large arrivals of
Chinese, Portuguese, and South Sea Islam
ders, and other people, the planters still
need labor, and some say: eve must have
labor, and at lower rates, or the success of
many plan tationS is questionable"
The Government has met with the views
Of planters and their agents in making
regulations, that enabled the Chinese labor
er especially to get out of the hands of rings
of his countrymen, who prompted him to
hold back from engagements, until eXorbi-
tant wages and advances were secured, to
promote their interests. And the labor
market seems to be well supplied. A large
number of Chinese immigrants are now In
the city, not engaged and as about fifteen
hundred more are due at thisp ort,-we see
no reason for paying ten and twelve dollars
per month, and making such advances as
$50 or 500 to green hands, who have Just
left a country where So a month is regarded
as a good remuneration. We remember
some eighteen years ago, and a little later,
when contracts We're made with Chinese
immigrants at s5, and Sc per month for five
years,-their passage being paid as so much
advance on their wages. Immigration from
China is as free as ever, the value of labor
in China is as low as ever and so we can
only attribute the increase of wages now
secured:by the Chinese immigrants to their
better knowledge of the country, and their
better understanding as to how to manage
the planters.
We have received letters from both Hawaii
and Maui lately, IN which complaints are
made, that large numbers of Chinese have
formed into secret societies with officers and
funds to aid and abet runaways from con-
tract labor. Several plantations nave lost
quite large numbers of those recently en-
gagged, and only a Chinaman can identify
the runaways but no Chinaman will incur
the risk of looking up the absconders. And
this kind o conspiracy is intended to check-
mate the regulations of the Board of Immi-
grafton, which restricts the number of ship
ping agents. The Government has the
RO"SA W OAS1h Up phJ odSbii H COIl-
binations, and we expect that the Govern
ment Will take prompt and decided steps to
check any underhand work tending to Grip
pie our great agricultural enterprises.
But the planters are getting FESTIVE. on
other accounts, besides the frauds of Chinese
agents and laborers. One intelligent plant
er writes as follows.:-"Unless we are able
to cut down expenses, there are few, if any
NJ tho DlnnfnfsArn % 10 h4naGEfo1 H.
reciprocity to n great extent. Our con-
tract prices are no better than those obtain
ed by planters of the West Indies and
Mauritius /; and it seems to me we nave
managed to give away, in making our con-
tracts, all reciprocity advantages. And
though we contract, yet we are under the
same charges, as if our agents had to effect
sales. 1 pay q per cent commission for
shipping my sugar, or one ton in every
forty I; and 5 per cent for selling, or one
ton in every twenty, with all the other
charges attached thereto. Now why
should I pay one fortieth of my crop for
making out invoices (as all other charges
of labor &c are entered in account and
drawing drafts against the shipment, when
1 am told that 2 to 8 per cent premium is
realized, which I never see in my account;
and why should 1 be charged one twentieth
OF my crop for selling my sugar, when it
has already been contracted for but SIM
ply to see it weighed, and pay the drafts the
agents draw on sugar, or securities in hand,
and make out the account sales with in
terest Can plantations stand charges of
this kind ? Mine will not and L wish to
see this matter brought before the public,
before it is too late"
This matter Of agents charges we have
looked into, and have brought it to the
notice OF we'll informed parties to assist our
discussion.
We understand that nearly all OH planta-
tions pay p per cent commission on the net
sales Of sugar to their a~gents-(some three
or four pay only 2 per cent? but this is not
simply for the shipping of sugar &c, but is
for the whole plantation work ;%-making
purchases, any way from a paper attacks to
an entire sugar plant, paying orders, remit
ting money, and shipping laborers, and is a
very reasonable charge. There are some
few agents yet who charge p per cent. for
but that must soon become one
of the charges of the past. We cannot
whether agents pay over to planters
generally, the premium they receive in eX-
change lit properly should appear to the
credit of the planter. However those who
on to the premium when in their favor,
should not hesitate to accept the loss when
the boot is on the other leg.
But the payment of 5 per cent in San
for taking account of sugar, and
up account of sales is not reasona-
and we are surprised that our business
men. or planters will stand such a charge.