The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1894-03-12

attract that labor or hOlu III. MS
j. no reflection on the Portuguese,
who would, we fully believe, be more
profitable to the planters, if handled
than the Oriental labor
they have been craving and, to
large extent, getting these many
years. The planters have shown ali
along that they do not want, in
either field or mill, more help than
is absolutely necessary OF any class
that is capable of maintaining what .
is known in civilization as the digni- /
" OF labor. When sugar yielded near .
ly twice a. much to them as it does /.
to-day, they insisted that they must
have cheap, cheaper, cheapest labor,
Or their ruin with that of the coun-
try was inevitable. There is some
excuse for their shyness Of what is
called civilized labor, both in the
nature of their industry and in The
experience. to take the nearest eX-
| ample. of agriculturists on th ePaci-
| lie Coast. A strike conducted on
! plan with which white men are
familiar, at critical period OF the
crop, would be calamtous all around.
such lawlcss demonstrations as have
Deen seen in California-when gangs
Of white loaiers went from farm to
'arm driving white workers from
their duty 10y threats OF violence
are q state of affairs that Hawaiian
planters may bc pardrued for doing
almost anything to avoid making
possible on their plantations.
Nothing in the perennial discus
sion Of the labor question has been
more frequently heard than the as
sertion that white labor cannot
stand plantation work in this eli
mate. This we believe to be one a.!
those llippautly uttered conclusions
which are passed from mouth to
mouth until they become generally
accepted a. aXiumat ic truths without
being thought worth while putting
to the proof. In this ease the con.
rlu.iou is one that has a great deal
of evidence to disprOve il. White
plantation uverscers have a. much
activity in exposure To the Hawai-
ian suu a any of the laborcr, under
their charge, yet they arc usually
the very pictures Of robust health,
The same may he said uI white men
who are operating cattle aud sheep
runs in thcsr islands. White mo,
: rhauics in our heated iuundrirs, aud
rugiir rooms Uf factories aud steam.
FRA. are as sturdy aud strong n
those Of their occupations IN other
4, countries. Carpenters and plumb
:. crs, bricklaycrs and ruuIcrs, of the
pale faces, toll in the sun aud III
cluse apartments, ia tho town 81
II Honolulu, yet there isnnt hcalthirl
= lot OF mechanics, il ~ safe I" say, ~
d any other town in the world. Give
II white mcu white mems wages on the
r plantations aud they will grow ra
}. 1t the work, but there j. No dpub
/. they would bo the most r"-tl"s
= class Of labor ever introduced There
Y they would be continually hauk"r
}. ing after employment in town, AM
:. The thrifty ones with only too man.
II of the uuthrfly would not br Ion
e in making the change. Their s""ta
IT, aspirations aud sociablc proclivttl"'
u together with the regard uf tamil
y mcn for he education rf their chi
lr drcn, would inevitably drive th"r
r this way. This would prove u cot
u slant source uf congestion Ia th
'n city's population, probably result
ing in a permanent class Of the III
employed eutirc'y new icatni
in the history of Honolulu. y
n. better demonstration Of tho accu
" acy Of this view could BE- domaudc
Dy than the existence Of the larp
er colony Of Portuguese, originally II
ii. troduccd q, plantation laHor, whic
by soon migrated int" town aud nov
l's with the great falling oil in til" pUl
iy- lie aud private demand for tabor
cr town. are the pioneers Of an un"n
Rs, ploy"d class that has been rapid
ny receiving accrctionS. especially
A. the past year, from the drift Of yar
m Gus natiunalitics.
ill From all the foregoing consider
il tious, two things are clear, VIZ:
ric 1t would bc the height OF absurdi
by to bring in more Portuguese f
IN plantation labor while those no
rst here hold out against taking al
le- ployment on the plantations at I,
he best terms thus far offered them.
be- There is little or no prospect "f
ca. early revolution in th" piantalI'
ase labor situation, whereby the bulk
/