The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1888-02-21
PLANTATION CRUELTY.
A Correspondent on Maui Heard
From.

EDITOR GAZETTE: 1t was with
pleasure that noticed in your issue of
Feb. 14th two communications with
regard to cruelty to animals, for it is
time that better state of affairs than
now exists in that line should be
brought; and to rouse public opinion
through the press is good way to ac-
complish it. We have a society for
the prevention of cruelty to animals
and good code of laws, but they seem
to be dead letter outside of Honolulu.
There is a great deal of truth in the
statement made by Wailuku1 that
we are afraidn to raise hand or voice
to protect the abused in the animal
creation-that it is not well to rouse
the animosity of people, for it might
be against our own interest. Some of
the most conspicuous cruelty to be
seen on Maui is on plantations where
cane is teamed to the mill. How
would it look to interfere with heath
Ell Chinaman bringing his fowls to
market strung heads down across his
horse, and take no notice of the cruel
neglect or wanton abuse to which PLAN
tation teams are daily subjected? For
example, teams of mules and horses
are hitched to large wagons carrying
heavy loads of cane, sugar or lumber
over billy roads, without any brakes
on the wagons, and no more harness
on the wheelers than collar and
names. On easy down grades the
wheelers hold back with difficulty
and apparent Iain) by the weight of
the heavy pole on the collar; but, on
the heavy grades this is impossible,
and the whole team has to make q
mad rush to the bottom of the hill TO
get out of the way of the relentlessly
pursuing wagon, and woe to the leader
that becomes cntangled in and upset
by the loosely flying traces. Most of
these wagons had brakes on them
when new, but as the brake shoes got
worn off so that they did not work
well, or they got out of repair gener-
ally, they were taken off altogether
And as for harness for holding back
why the class of teamsters employed
don't really know enough about har-
ness to adjust it so as to be anything
more than an incumbrance; they would
be sure to get it too tighter too loose. 1t
takes less of the managers time and at
tention, or one high-priced man less on
the plantation, to let the "teamingn
run at loose ends as now, than it
would to keep it up in ship shape.
To be sure, $500 mule is run over
once in n while and has leg broken,
but most of our plantation managers
will have him shot and hauled away,
and without any investigation to learn
how to remedy the evil, turn their
minds to think how they can make
the crop turn out half Il ton more sugar
to the acre. That is where the money
is made, and so long as enough ismade
to more than cover the losses in the
live stock account, it is thought all
right, even though il is not an uncom-
mon occurrence for plantations t. kill
nearly one-half of their working oxen
each year. This gives rise to the
question: Does not an OK that works
hard all day in the sugar business
earn his feed? If not, sugar planta-
lions should stop working oxen.
The Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals should have Off
GERS, or perhaps better, committee of
three in each of the populous districts
to look after the fair treatment of ami
mails. Were such committee, with
the authority to back up their de-
mands, to interview manager, call
ing his attention to any neglect or
abuse commonly practised on his PLAN
tation, nine cases in ten he would
politely hear them and have the mat
ter rectified at once, without any hard
feeling, while for any other man mot
Independently rich) to undertake to
bring about change, would but rouse
mostly as to deprive him of the means
of earning the bread and butter for his
family in this country. This is mat
ter that should have attention. Be
cause a joint stock corporation has no
soul is no reason why the amin ais it
owns should not be treated with
reasonable humanity. 1t would not
be right to protect the poor mans
fowls and not the rich mans cattle
IAIPARTIALITY.
MakawaO, February 18th.