The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1891-10-30
POLITICAL MEETING.

"A meeting Of the Mechanics Union
was held yesterday evening at Robin.
son hall, at 7:45, between 40 and so
persons being present. The meeting
was called to order by President Phillips.
The minutes of the last meeting were
and approved.
The following persons were proposed
Tor membership: Alex. Lyons, G. w.
Ashley, E. II. H. Wolters, Matt. Nc
cam, L. Cronin, Alex. Lyle, and Hon.
j. Z. Bush as an honorary member.
Under suspension OF rules all were voted
In. A recess of five minutes was taken,
| during which the members elect signed
the rules.
For the Executive Committee R More
| reported that the committee had filled
up the vacancies in its membership.
Inc committee had conferred with the
! Executive Committee of the Hui Kalai
anna, but nothing oil importance had
| TRANSFERRED
| Mr.. More wished the names of the EA-
ecutIve Committee read, but the presi-
| dent stated they had been read at the
last meeting.
The president stated that the question
| for discussion was Plantation Labor.
| The labor question was burning one.
The Planters Labor and Supply Co. had
called Tor cheap labor, but gentleman
| we'll posted had told him that such labor
| was not absolutely necessary that cheap
| labor was not really the cheapest, and
that with skilled labor the work could be
more economically done. He would call
on Captain Ross. (Applause.)
Captain Ross supposed that all reason
| able men would admit that the prosper
ity of the country was due to the sugar
and also to the rice industry. The sugar
| planter thought only OF his own interest
and overlooked rice. Rice industry was
suffering for labor such as does not con-
fict with native and foreign. Others must
be considered besides the sugar planter.
The sugar planters owed their present
trouble to themselves. Four years
ago, when they were prosperous
they forgot to provide for the day
the present time they ought not to look
extravaganza. Reduce cost of flashy car
riages and large salaries, extraordinary
freights, large commissions to agents,
| and not take it all out of the bone and
sinew of the laborers. He wished to see
the plantations flourish, and there was
plenty of room for more. There is room
for other industries. Only one-tenth of
| all the arabic land is in use. Ii
these men (the planters) were
earnestly interested In the welfare of
this country they would invest some
| OF the wealth they had gained, here, and
not abroad. Thousands of acres on Ha-
wall were available for families to engage
in cultivation of coffee, etc. Had they
taken any risk to open up these in the
last few years? No; they take their
money and do Europe, etc. They might
go to Bagdad, if they would only show
disposition to spend some Of it here. A
planter who had been living with his
! family in Europe three years, complain
ed that he wanted 200 more men. He
| expected 5000 tons and had 1900 men en-
| gagged. / said &c You must have some
very cheap men. You have three-eighths
more now than the average plantation"
He admitted there had been waste of
labor. l was talking then to man who
| had only been two years in the country
and had come out of glass factory. The
plantation was run by cheap lunas. but
| foreigner or native asking for $5 adj
vance on his wages would be refused.
Such plantations certainly needed labor
ers for nothing and board themselves. All
| plantations were not like that. He
wanted plantations and more of them,
| but there must be some understanding
| between the plantation owner and others
who wanted to live in this country. The
Hawaiian was the son of the soil in this
country; the only true aristocrat, and
these others one saw were imitation, the
result of shoddy-and pretty poor mate
rial, too, some OF it. Planters might have
all the cheap labor they wanted, pro-
vided there was guarantee the country
outside of them did not suffer. Gap
plause.)
Mr.. Quinn said there was no doubt it
was a critical time. The plantations
must have more labor, but the me-
chanics and workingmen must be pro-
the matter if both sides would
Weld little. The constitution
must be amended. The proposed
amendment printed in the Bulletin
would enable licenses to be cancelled
when they ran out. If that were done
the restriction act might be repealed.
Mr.. Baldwin favored the amendment,as
he was glad to see. If an extra session of
the Legislature had been held when Mr..
Kinney brought up the Chinese agita-
ton, there would be no National Re-
form Party to-day. The japanese were
lust as bad as the Chinese. Nobody
could compete with either of them. All
the workingmen wanted was that
amendment. That one thing and they
would be satisfied. They did not want
to run the country. They should NOM
mate men of honor and principle who
will stan1 by their platform, a very
small platform would do. When the
election came he intended to vote for the
man who would do the best by the
party whether he was in it or not. Gap
plause
The lii citing adjourned at s 80 P. NJ,
subject to call of the Chair.
The Oahn Evangelical Associa-