The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-08-13
Advocates Contract System Be-
cause of Conditions.
NOT ENOUGH MEN FOR DEMAND.
Not Particular as to Nationality-Dang-
ers of Strike With Free Labor.
Coffee Men May Lose Everything
when at Mercy of Laborer, Etc.

Joseph Marsden, Commissioner of
Agriculture, is again at his desk after
a six weeks tour of the Island of Ha
waii, most of which was done on foot.
While away he visited nearly all of the
coffee plantations and gave advice as
| to the methods of planting and cuiti-
waiting the coffee berry. He also ar
ranged with homesteaders and others
regarding the planting of various kinds
of seeds which he will. furnish them.
Asked regarding his utterances on
the subject of contract labor, reported
upon in this paper, Mr.. Marsden said:
81 seem to have been either mis-
quoted in Hilo or misunderstood by
your paper, and the impression has
consequently gone abroad that 1 have
been tramping over Hawaii telling peo-
pie that they must have contract Asiatic
labor or go broke. 1t is a mistaken
idea. do not care whether the labor is
Asiatic or white, or what the nation
ality is, but the men, poor men and
rich, who have invested their money in
coffee land must have some guarantee
that their all is not going to be swept
comes for the first crop.
81 did not wish to be understood as
saying planters must import their pick
ers from China or Japan! 1 don't care
where they get their labor from; if it
can be found in Honolulu, let them
come here and get it-come six months
ahead of time and contract with them
for the work. Without a contract, what
guarantee have they that the men will
be on hand? These Islands have not
superabundance of labor; if they had
there would be no necessity for the
numerous arrivals we are having by
every vessel. If the laborers are not
under contract, then the planter is at
their mercy, and he can be made to pay
Whatver the laborer demands to har-
vest his crops. Unless they are under
contract there is nothing to prevent
their going on strike at the most inop-
perfume moment.
Suppose the laborers on sugar plan
tations were not under contract. and
when the time arrived for cutting they
would lay down their knives and quit
what relief would we have? None
WE'LL it is almost identically the same
with the man who plants coffee. The
difference is that with the coffee planter
the loss in most instances would fall
upon one man, while with sugar it
would be. on company.
when there is a sufficient number of
laborers on the Islands, no matter what
the nationality, to supply all the de-
mands and have a surplus beside, then,
and not until then, will the planter be
Independent. 1 am as much in favor of
free labor as any one in the country.
but do not believe it is practical now
for the reasons have given Co-opera-
tive labor on coffee plantations will
hardly answer, because the conditions
are so different from a sugar p1anta-
ton; labor is not required as continu-
ously as in cultivating cane. One man
might be able to do the work during
| certain seasons, while it would require
half dozen at others. When they are
most needed is when they are apt to
strike work In OOlaa and KOna labor