The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1889-02-19
THE THREATENED EXODUS.

) their agents in Honolulu deny fatty
that the wages OF their Portuguese
laborers have been reduced, that any
men of that nationality have been
discharged to make room for Japan.
ese or others, or that they are con.
cerned in any such freeze-out" " as
has been represented. We have been
shown several letters of this charac-
ter. They were written in the regu-
lar course of business. and not in
tended for publication. We have
been permitted to read them, how
ever, and make copies of such por-
tions as seemed to bear directly upon
the statements that have appeared.
One manager writes as follows:
l have just received yours of 9TH inst.
III regard to Portuguese exodus. We
have nothing to do here more than we
have already done to be in line with the
action OF the Planters Labor and Supply
Co. We have never changed the rate OF
wages from that established three or four
years ago when their contracts began to
expire. 1t was so per month then, and
so 1t is to-day. We have as vet never
discharged Portuguese laborer except
for laziness or disorderly conduct, and
then only after repeated warnings, and
in most instances have taken the dis
charged men back after they had been
the rounds. We have men here who
have tried their fortunes four times else
where, and they are at work here to-day.
BY rule, after two discharges or volun-
tary departures, they come back the
third time at $40 month for three
months. We refuse new applications
when our quarters are full, or when we
have enough hands, and Just now we are
refusing till planting time which will be
/ in two weeks.
Our shifting labor proper is Chinese
and japanese. Between seasons we
kept but three Cinnamon, but not Por-
tuguese was discharged except for cause
At this moment we are just about equal
as to Portuguese, Japs and Chinese. l
can get Chinese for SIS. Our last hiring
is at that rate and we take only picked
men. The most of our middle men such
as teamsters, rough mechanics and trusty
men at odd jobs are Portuguese who
have extra wages, and we take a good
| deal OF pains to encourage them. They
are consummate strikers when they are
! on top, and good many otherwise good
men have lost good jobs by this trait
The writer then goes on to speak
of his experiences in visiting the
places of resort of the unemployed
Portuguese in Hilo. Among other
things he says:
In one gathering there were about
fifteen present and there was only one
man who cared to accept employment
with hoe. : y = The rest were all
CorpOrals, Sergeants and Lieutenants
with pockets full of money.
A gentleman well and favorably
known in the Islands, and who has
the general oversight of three plan
tations, writes to another house in
Honolulu concerning party who
had recently visited the district for
the purpose of inquiring into this
very matter. He says:
l showed him the pay roll OF the plan
tations and gave him every opportunity |
to talk with the men. He goes away
perfectly satisfied that the exodus OF the |
Portuguese is not caused by low wages |
or bad treatment.
The same letter is interesting as
containing particulars of the number
Of hands employed and the wages
paid for the various grades of labor;
There are two hundred and sixty-seven
Portuguese men, women and children |
working in the fields on the three planta-
tions. There are eleven gang lunas,
eight OF whom are Portuguese, and two
Of the others have Portuguese wives
lunas' wages $50 to $50. Portuguese
carpenters $50 to 500 Firemen $1.50
day. Centrifugal men $3.50 a day.
Teamsters 81 a day, and laborers $40,
so and S24 per month, exc 3pt when
man is old and weak-then SIC or SIS.
There has been no cut down in wages OF
Portuguese here. My orders to
are and have been for the last
three weeks to take every Portuguese
who applied for work.
That some Hilo planters are not
acting in a liberal and enlightened
way is quite possible. We have no
positive knowledge on the subject
We are assured by those who are in
a position to be well informed, that
if such is the case the instances must
be exceptional, and very few in pro-
portion to the whole number. We
desire nothing in this matter but the
truth. We have reproduced the
statements contained in the Aurora,
against which it will be understood
we make no charge OF Intentional
misrepresentation, and we have pub
lished such evidence as has been
furnished us in refutation of the
same Unfriendly relations between
employers and employed are always
to be deprecated. There can be no
dispute as to the right of any num-
Der of Portuguese, large or small, to
change their location if they believe
their condition will be improved
thereby. 1t would be most unfor
tunate, however, if any general
movement toward emigration