The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1893-04-26
A Few Thoughts on the Annexatlor,
Question.
ENRON Byl1,nrIN;-

the SUil, whose all is invested iii |
and it's productions, | beg to EXPIRES
a few views in connection with this |
annexation movement, which has |
my sympathy, and will have my SUP
port, when | am convinced that !. |
viii be for the best interests of tn |
country as a whole, and for myse !
as an individual. am one of thos,, !
however, who cannot accept this
pure and simple annexation doc
tril e, as it were i'll the dark.
TO an American who thoroughly
understands the political economy
ano constitution of his country, h
doubtless believes and is convinced
that pure and simple annexation will
be the panacea for all our troubles
present and to come. To some of
us born under another flag, we may
not grasp the situation quite as
readily, at least until we have been
more enlightened on the subject. But
we have most emphatically seen
what pure and simple annexation
meant to this country as outlined
and offered by the late Government
of the United States. According to
the text of that bill, happily with
drawn, these islands in the future,
with such treaty, would in my
opinion ere long have become but a
winter resort for American million
! aires.
| think we all know how sacred
America holds her constitution, and
we have no assurance that this great
country will so amend its constitu-
ton that we shall be guaranteed
those civil and political rights, which
as free born men we claim and as
our birthright we would defend. On
account of our non-sutficient popu-
lation qualification, it must be thor
oughly understood by US all that
this country cannot be placed on an
equal footing with the States of the
Union, unless some special legisla
tion can be enacted which will admit
us to Statehood And as territory
we can but secure measure of local
government.
We know very we'll how bitterly
opposed the United States people
are to the introduction of Asiat:c
labor to its States or territores-ln
fact it is prohibited. Now comes
the most important of all questions
in connection with annexation.
From where, and by what means are
we gong to secure a sufficient labor
supply to successfully carry on tie
outy industry OF this country, viz.
IT. tropical agriculture? Allow Il c
10 ,,Uoin Il few statistics which we t
carefully prepared some months az },
showing lle condition OF our sug +
industry.
Ne fad from the various repor :
de at the lace annual meeting Di
Ia. Planters Convention, and fro II
Otuer data, that the present numb L
ui agricultural iaborcrs are mac =
4ua,c TO meet the demands OF O 4
agricultural industries. or avaiiat c
1t sucn races Of wages as will 81 {
su liclent returns for their emplo =
inont, 10 make those industries sc =
supporting. | think we all tn, :,
, oughly understand the cause of tie
depressed financial condition Of tie
co lntry, growing out Of the failu e
Of its only source of revenue, VII.
the products of its agricultural ia
. dustrics. We have only to deal wi h
the cold fact that, out of invest
mrnts aggregating over S3O,WU,Oot
in the sugar industry of this coun-
try, it is barely possible to sustain a
, credit sufficient to carry that indus
try along, and we see the opportu-
nifty for developing other and newer
industries slipping away, because OF
the unusual and abnormal expenses
r of labor preventing a fair competi-
=, ton with other more favored coun-
tries.
A liberal estimate for the sugar
crop of 1893 places the yield at OF
near 10000 tons, of the net value al
: the plantations of S6,0O0,0O0. Tt
> produce this crop, there has beer
, employed about 5000 laborers, anC
expenses have been incurred anC
paid approximately as follows:
1880 laborers at an average OF
SIG per month. h................ S2,o9O,O
I 1000 skilled laborers at an ave-
, rage of $50 per month. ....... $4,000
l 800 Lunas at an average OF 500 to
SIS per month ........,..... $500
100 Mechanics at an average from
= So to $5 per day .............. 125,OO
100 Managers, Clerks, ETC., at an
> average from $500 to $1,000
" per annum m.................. 1890
: Or total for labor of. ..... $3,627 ,OC
r. Government taxes, duties, rents,
Il etc c....................... 10000
l. Interest on Bonds and advances,
etc. 4sO,OC
r ~ percent. t...r......,........ 5000
Bags, twine, etc. 1O,Ut
l't for L. md
I etc. ........................ lOO,Ot
Wood and fuel for laborers, etc 75,0t
l. Insurance, medical attendance. 50,ot
s Losses by death and desertion... 10000
l. Or total of $6,152,00O expende
IL for one year on our sugar plants
4 tions.
- 1t is certainly unnecessary to poin
Il out, that no industry can long SUI
n yive this strained financial cond
q tiOn.
= BY reference to official reports y
frd that the hitherto largest plal
ta.ion in This country, which hi
,, .ucn 81 often pointed at with priu
II ~ showing the energy and sbi
IL Developed in these Islands, ma
= IA, actual loss npUn its crop for j
tspu 81 l-J- II $'24O,OOO.