The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-11-06

any necessity to seek elsewhere for
labor. The tendency to strike and
desert which their well nigh full pos
session of the labor market fosters
has shown planters the great import
ance Of having percentage OF their
IabOrers of other nationalities.
The disposition to strike is one
which il is less difficult to account for
than il is to- control: the men are
well treated aud fairly dealt by, but
Notwithstanding this they never fail
10 seize on the smallest grievance, of a
real or imaginary nature, to revolt and
leave work, and il Is matter for re-
greet that the facilities in the shape
of free legal defence do much to
promote appeals TO the law courts on
frivilous pretexts. The demagogic
element among the laborers kindles
and keeps alive an antagonistic senti-
ment against employers which would
be non-existent but for the efforts of
the agitators, and when the specially
retained counsel of the Japanese gov
eminent in open Court justifies the
most fragrant outrages by laborers-as
was done in the course of the trial of
some strikers from Eva plantation in
September last-the possibility of con-
trolling the badly disposed among the
laborers becomes a work OF extreme
difficulty. 1t Is needless TO state that
ldWltSSIleS5
as that which is sometimes betrayed
by the japanese would not be tOler-
ated in their own country, and would
appear to have been bred Of the COM
parative comfort in which they nnd
themselves in this country. For this
tendency to strike the only remedy
possible is the introduction OF some
other class of labor to supplement- the
Japanese, and it is to be most earn
hot class.
be procured.
The desertion of contract men has
been, to a great extent, checked ny
the pass-book system brought into use
this year with the assistance of the
japanese Consular officials and in
spectors, and il the plantation mana
gers will rigidly adhere to the agree
ments made by them, and to the in
structions given them. there is no
doubt stop will be put to the deser-
tions. AS in every other matter of a
similar nature, community OF action
is necessary, and it Is to be hoped that
in the interests OF the whole body of
planters none may be found who are
not in sympathy with the pass-book
system.
GENERAL.
Your Committee believes it to be |
possible in different ways to confine
the agricultural laborers specially |
brought here for field labor to agricul- |
tural occupations, but in no way can |
this better be done than by universal |
registration law. Arguments against |
such a law have been frequently |
and forcibly made, but they do |
not alter the fact that the proper |
and thorough carrying out OF such |
q law would enable the Govern |
ment to control the occupations of |
specially imported agricultural labor |
ers, and to confine laDorers to the en- |
gagements they had contracted. 1t is |
easily to be imagined that in isolated |
cases the enforcement of such law |
would inflict hardship; but the same |
objection exists to many other laws. |
In a community like ours the injus- |
tice it would work would be lost sight |
of in the amount of benefit to be de- |
rived from it.
The suggestion recently made to the |
Government that we turn to Belgium |
for our labor supply-or part OF it
is one which should not be lightly |
acted upon, as Northern Europeans |
are unsuited, both by constitution and
inclination, for general cane field
work.
The precise number of agricultural
laborers in these islands it is not posi-
bic to arrive at accurately, as all sta
tistics of nationalities include traders
and mechanics as well as field labor
ers. The following figures, for which
we are indebted to Mr.. j. B. Castle,
Collector General of Customs, may
prove of interest, as showing the pro-
portion of the nationalities from
which the supply of imported labor is
mainly drawn.
Population, Chinese, males
January i, 1SS4........ ......- 1906
Arrived, Jan. j to Oct. 49,. 9S3
Departed, Jan. to Oct. 10. ia
2O9
Population Chinese, males,
October 10, 1S94-.........-.... IA, ia
Population japanese, males,
January l, iS94....: 2O,9lS
Arrived, Jan. l to Oct. 19..2595
Departed, Jan. l to Oct. 10. 1852
963
Population Japanese, males,
October 10, 1S94...... ........- II ,S76
Populati'n Portuguese, males
January /, 1s9l.............- 1855
Arrived, Jan. to Oct. 49, AS
Departed, Jan. to Oct. 10. Is
Population Portuguese, males
October 10, 1894 ............- 400
In response to a circular letter adj
dressed to- the managers of sugar
plantations on these islands, figures
have been received showing the num-
Der and nationality of labOrers on each
plantation. From these figures the
following table has been compiled:
MEN.
Not
Under Under
Comet Comet Total
Hawaiians 10000. 7O4 79S 1,502
Portuguese .-.......- 220 1,4SS l,7O3
Chinese ..... ......... 147 2,099 2,246
Iannnaaa fGa D RnG IL .n-G |