The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-12-29

Mr.. EDITOR. Allow me to say
few words IN connection with your
recent articles, on what is apparently
the most momentous question of the
day in these islands, viz, labor.
In recent article you claim "The
brains of the laborer will further in
crease the yield of our staple crops"
If you are sincere in your assertions
and can produce proof, or statistics, to
bear you out in your statement, the
fame of past great men will sink into
insignificance beside yours, and there
will be little or no necessity for those
engaged in the agricultural industries
of these islands to further study agri-
cultural science with money and brain
power. What you state about "the
farmer and his wheat production" or
the shoveler of earth and his improved
shovel, in my opinion, hardly applies
to cane cultivation. In both of the
cases you cite for an illustration, the
grand results have been achieved by
plication. 1 think mechanical and
agricultural science have been the
prime factors of the increased yields
in both field and factory, as applied to
the sugar industry of these islands.
When you make the assertion that
the brains of the average labOrer, be
he occidental or oriental, will still
further increase our yields, am afraid
your knowledge of mankind in con-
re
must be limited. Theoretical ideas
are good when backed up by practical
illustration.
i have been personally connected
with the sugar industry in this and
other countries for twenty years, and
have had to do with the working abil-
tiles of nearly all nationalities under
the sun. 1t has been my experience,
and Il am convinced) Is the undlsput-
ed experience of all employers of agrl-
cultural labor, that, be the labOrer
black or white, he will only do an
amount of work equal to the remuner-
alton he receives. Granted that an
intelligent white man, working at or
binary plantation labor, were paid,
say 81 or even S1.50 per day; will any
sensible man undertake to make the
assertion that, even with his greater
brain power, he will do twice as much
as an oriental? Physically he cannot;
and the brain power required to intel
| ligently use hoe, or the dexterous
| use of fingers stripping cane, does not
require an expensive education.
But why this bitter outcry against
| the employment of oriental or cOlOred
| labor in connection with our agricul-
tural Industries? If 1T is the voice of
American philanthropists, allow me
| to ask them why white labor IS not
| more extensively employed by the
| Southern planters of their own coun-
try? 1t is because they cannot grow
| sugar and cotton without their cheap
| colored labor and compete with other
countries where, of necessity, such
| labor is employed. If it is the British
| philanthropist, allow me to point to
| this fact, that in none of the English
| colonies are white men employed as
| laborers in tropical agricultural pur-
| suits, with the exception of Queens
land. And the system there today is
| similar to that which was in vogue on
| these islands short time ago-and in
| some places may be still-which is,
| that one man, or a number of men,
| take contracts to bring fields of cane
| to maturity. In Queensland con-
| tracts are given during the grinding
| season to cut and deliver the cane to
1 Tue HUI dI ~ pei SOh- LAi
| direction there may be scope for brain
| power. But let the advocates against
| black or colored labor take a lesson
| and q warming from Queensland's ex-
| perience. When the dominant polIti-
| cal party succeeded in prevent
| ing the further introduction of colored
| labor to that colony, the result was
| that the sugar industry was paralyzed
| and a majority of the plantations were
compelled to shut down for lack of
suitable labor, thus crippling all
other Industries depending on sugar
and at the same time about bank
| rupting The Colony. Was this pol
| icy successful, especially considering
that there other industries besides
| sugar prevail? No. In order to re
| establish the sugar Industry the Gov
| ernu ent has had To come 10 its assis-
tance with financial aid, and other
! means of encourage ment There,
| small farmers now grow most OF the
cane for centrally locate q mills and
the importation of cOlOred labor II
greater than ever before, through ex-
| tending their source of supply To even
India and Japan. The result Is the
rapid extension of the sugar industry.
And where formerly one white man
could find employment now six have
no difficulty in obtaining it. In the
physical and political geography OF
the world we find civilized nations
engaged in agriculture, manufacture
] and co ommerce, possessing thorough