Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1882-11-04
ANOTHER SPECIMEN or A LABOR.
ER'S GR47Y7EDE.


his employer was not willing to do, nor did he
wish to spare any Of his hands but, with a
view to encourage him, promised to release
him in about eight months for the balance
then due, il he worked well. This would have
allowed him to leave fourteen months before
the expiration Of his contract But the offer
did not satisfy him, and he was very urgent to
see his commissioner and the EMPLOYERS
agents. "A few days absence was granted
him, and finally an arrangement was made be.
tween his employer and the commissioner for
his immediate release, but he could not be
found. And on Sunday, the 22d he undonbt.
edly made his escape as a stowaway on either
the Smfs or ZtlaHdia, without payment,
thereby robbing his employer and showing
himself TO be dishonest. This same man had
on one occasion deliberately and stubbornly
compelled his employer to go to the court in
defense Of his rights; and when he lost his
case, being mulcted thereby in the sum of
about SIS, his kind.hearted employer, at the
suggestion Of kind-hearted Judge, RENTED
the loss, retaining only the lawyers fee and
costs of court, or about So. Behold now his
gratitude
This is but one sample, and very mild one,
of the character and ways Of many Of the Nor.
wegian immigrants There are, of course, ex-
ceptions. Many of them have no regard for
their contracts, and defy the laws and even
the courts of the kingdom, submitting thereto
only when they can no longer stand against
them; as witness the twenty-five now in Oahu
Jail from Papaikou plantation, and other like
cases, concerning which any one wishing TO
know the truth can easily find out by inquiry.
The truth may as well be known and acknowl.
edged by those who are wont to believe every
outrageous falsehood that some Of these men
are capable of telling, and who have so much
TO say about their being beaten like brutes. 4"
II the superior education, intelligence and
social status of the employer is not guaran.
tee OF honest and right treatment of his labor.
ers, II is reasonably certain that his selfrespect
and business interest is Not but that there
are exceptions tchehy, perhaps, at the hands
OF lunas, and discountenanced by the planter, J
as there are in every industry in every part Of
the world; but these exceptions are rare, and
only prove the rule. The very nature of the
contract with the immigrant makes it the in
terest of his employer to jealousy guard
against every possible liability to charge of
dishonesty or ill-treatment for such charge
:, ,-,I, 4.
there any truth in it, would subject him to
loss, not only Of the laborer, but of all that
had been paid to him in the shape of advance
or passage money. That the planter is Jealous
OF his rights, and wishes to receive good, hon
est labor, is undoubtedly true, but it is also
true that he has heart well disposed toward
his men and means to fulfill toward them
every legal, humane and moral obligation. He
has himself, in many cases, been laborer and
understands the situation. He begins by, in
many cases, showing favors and doing more
for his men than the contract compels him to
do. He very commonly gives him higher
wages, and if the laborer shows himself faith
full and worthy, still higher wages, and even
helps him TO rise. OF course Just regard for
his own interest must place limit to this, but
the planter is not slow to appreciate faithful,
worthy laborer in substantial way, but he
does not receive much of that kind in return,
and least OF all from certain class of imported
labor 1t is high time that the position taken
on this subject by some outside observers was
changed; but it would seem that, like the San
Francisco Chronieie, they are impervious to
truth. They do not want the truth, and will
have none of it; hence these Norwegians are
created like brutes;" and the best lessons
some outsiders could have would be to put
themselves in the place of planter or man.
ager for six months. That day laborers on
some of these plantations will remain and
work steadily for some months, or even years,
and that contracted laborers will voluntarily
renew their contracts when they are at perfect
liberty TO 60 and can readily find employment
elsewhere, and this on the same terms for one
as for the other, save slight reduction in the
wages of the one who takes an aisuHee on his
contract, is sufficient evidence that there is no
ill-treatment on the plantation.
A word now concerning the course pursued
by the commissioner, and if the writer has re-.
ceived any erroneous impressions thereof he
begs to forestall his queries thereon with due
apologies. No one probably would adversely
criticise his attempts to secure for those Of his
countymen who wished it a cancellation Of
their contracts by payment of balances due
thereon, or transfer to other plantations ian
increase OF wages for men who were already
the most expensive on the plantation, and had
proved themselves unworthy of it, was scarcely
the fair thing to ask or expect, nor would it
have made the slightest difference in the con-
duct Of the. men;) but after seeing the unwill-
if he had become satisfied that the men were
properly treated, that they had no just cause
Of complaint, that they were, in fact, fos
,eaeiy to kick up disturbance and needlessly
entangle themselves in the law, as he had
ample opportunity to see in the Papaikou case
would he not have acted on sounder princi.
| pie, exhibited better sense of Justice both to
the planter and his countrymen, and done
more for the preservation Of law and order
had he, 6eing their countyman, still insistet
on their behaving themselves, abiding by tn,
law, and honestly fulfilling the terms OF the
contracts1 II. X.
| son IPI7H THE DANCE!"
Now is the appointed time. Come. oh y,
young Hawaii Step up to the front. WI,
will be the first to place his hard-earned dol
lars in the two million loan that the work OF