The Hawaiian gazette., 1894-07-27
A LABOR COMMISSION.

MI. EmIneluIn yesterday pre-
scented a resolution in the session
of the Councils calling for the ap'
pointment of a commission tC
investigate the labor question. No
action was taken on the resolution,
but it was made the order of the
day for the session next week.
! Mr.. Emmeluth's idea is an ex-
cellent one, and it should be car.
ried out without delay. The mat
ter should be carried, however, fur
ther than he seems to contemplate,
and bill should be introduced
authorizing the appointment by
the President of such a commission
to report to the session of the
Legislature which Will probably
be held before the close of the
present year. The commission
should be composed of five or per-
haps of seven members, represent
ing the agricultural, mercantile
and mechanical industries, and the
greatest care should be employed
in its selection. 1t must be com.
posed of energetic men who are in
tensely interested in getting the
problem solved, if anything is to
be accomplished.
The commission should be given
the power to administer oaths and
compel the attendance of witnesses.
Ample funds should be placed at
its disposal, so that the other ISL
ands can be visited, plantations
having unique labor features in
spected, and evidence obtained
which would not be available in
Honolulu. The labor systems in
vogue at Eva, Waiakea and Homo
mu should be thoroughly studied.
The commission should obtain
statistics upon the cost of sugar
production, and the proportion
borne by the wages of labor to the
total cost. The question of the
relative efficiency of Chinese, Jap
anese and Portuguese labor should
be thoroughly investigated, and all
the expert testimony obtained
which is to be had. Possibly the
commission will be able to find out
whether there is any good reason
why white men should be unwill-
ing to work on the plantations.
The foregoing indicates in a hasty
and imperfect way something of
what the Labor Commission will
have to do, if its inquiries are to be
of any value to the public. 1t must,
in word, collect and digest a
larger mass of information on the
conditions affecting labor in this
country than any man now possess
SEES. If it does not do this, its rec
concentrations will have very little
weight. There are two opposing
opinions on the labor question here
-one affirms and the other denies
that our industries can be carried
on without the aid of Asiatics.
One says Hawaii must be, the other
that it never can be "white mans
country" Let the Commission OBJ
tain the data to settle this dispute.
The final duty of the Commits
sion, having collected all the facts,
will be to make a report to the
Legislature embodying definite,
positive and practical recommen-
dations. The Government proposes
to evolve comprehensive land sys-
tenn; let the Commission match
it with worthy labor system. This
is no easy task, but there are posi-
bly, men in the country who can do
it. There are, at anyrate, men who
can grapple with it bravely, wheth-
er they are thrown or not. One
thing is certain, and that is that
labor in Hawaii must get upon a
more satisfactory basis than the
present if an abiding civilization
is to flourish in these seas.
Let Mr.. Emmeluth be ready next |
Thursday with bill. If it passes
and a Commission is appointed i'm
mediately, it will probably have