The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-01-21
TIE CASE OF THE SUGAR PLANTERS.

The producers of sugar all over the
world are in bad way. From such
accounts as have come before us we
are inclined to the conclusion that
they are worse off anywhere than
here. AS we write we have before
Us a number of documents setting
forth the condition of the sugar
industry in Queensland. With an
immense local market adjacent to
them and divided by wide stretches
of ocean from every other sugar pro-
ducing country, the sugar planters of
Queensland do not know how to COM
pete with foreign sugar in their own
country. We need hardly say that
their great difficulty is the labor
question. So it is with our own
planters, but whilst the latter have
legislative provision made for their
assistance and their needs watched
over with jealous care by the Gov
eminent Of the country, the hapless
planters Of Queensland have the pop
ular voice and all the influence Of the
Government and Legislature against
them. The white laborers, who con-
stitute majority of the electors of
the Colony, view with displeasure
the introduction of cheap eolored
labor even though they themselves
are not ready to work in canefields
under q tropical sun whose ardors
no heat experienced in Hawaii can
be compared with. By the aid of
South Sea Island labor the sugar in
dustry had reached the second place
In the list of export-producing enter
prises of the colony, the three largest
items of export having been during
1888, wool, $6,5OO,OOO, sugar $780,
Oo0 and gold 100000. There has
been collapse in the supply of Pa
ciic Islanders, and at the same time,
as we all know, too well collapse in
the price of sugar. The law of the
colony permits the importation of
cOolie labor from India whether
from China also we do not know,
but the Government answering to
the wish Of the Queensland Democ-
racy, as expressed at the polls, refuse
to carry out the plans of their prede-
eessOrs for the introduction of coolie
labor and also put down their feet
upon its importation by private per-
sons, thus obliging the Indian Gov
ornment to refuse this boon to the
planters. The result appears likely
to be that this industry, which is
said to represent ninety-three pei
cent Of all the agriculture of the
Colony, will collapse entirely, with
out much probability of its ever
being resuscitated.
1t would give our planters and
planters agents very useful politi.
cal lesson If they could be put for q
short time under the rule of de-
mocracy Of the American or of the
Colonial type. 1t is they with hon
orable exceptions) who form or favor
the bitter opposition to the present
form of government in Hawaii; to
the King and to the men whom il
has pleased him to place in power as
his Ministers. Some Of them are at
heart annexationists and fancy that
IL this were an American State OIL
Territory they could control the Gov
eminent and have things their own
way. Not q representative of their
class is Minister, and they cannot
any of them get into the Assembly
and they think themselves a neg
1ected and abused class, who having
''made the country" are entitled to 6
great deal more consideration They
are always engaged in grumbling at
and not seldom in libelling the King
and his Ministers. It would be use
full il they would just for once put the
question to themselves, "How would
they like to be Queensland sugar
planters?'' It is a trite saying thai
people seldom know when they are
well of, and this is particularly true
of the planters of this country in re-
gard to things political-and in say
ing this we include under the wore