The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1896-08-14
GENIAL JOSEPH
TALKS OF LABOR.
Advocates Contract System Be-
cause of Conditions.
NOT ENOUGH MEN FOR DEMAND,
Not Particular a. TO Sationality-Dang-
err OF strike With Free Labor.
Z Coree Men May Lose Everything
when AT Mercy OF Lsborer,s Etc


Agriculture. is again al 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
10 the methods Of planting and cult
waiting the coffee berry. He also ar
ranged with homeSteaders and others
regarding the planting Of various kinds
OF seeds which he viii furnish them.
Asked regarding his utteranceS on
the subject OF contract labor, reported
in The Hilo Tribune and commented
upon in this paper, Mr.. NarSden said:
i seem 10 have been either mis-
quoted in Hilo or misunderstood by
your paper. and the impression has
consequently gone abroad that l have
been tramping over Hawaii telling peo-
pie that they must have contract Asiatic
labor or go broke. IL is q mistaken
idea I do not care whether the labor is
Asiatic or white, or what the nation
atty 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 10 be swept
away from them when picking time
comes for the first crop.
i did not wish 10 be understood as
saying planters must import their pick
ers from China or Japan, I don't care
where they get their labor from; if it
can be found in Honolulu. let them
come here and get iJ-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 a
Superabundance OF labor: if they had
there would be no necessity for the
numerous arrivals We are having by
every vessel. II the laborers are not
under contract. then the planter is at
their mercy, and he can be made 10 pay
wharver the laborer demands TO har-
vest his crops Unless they are under
contract there is nothing TO prevent
their going on strike ar the most mop
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.
Well. il is almost identicaIly the same
wiki 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 il
would be on a company.
When there is a sufficient number Of
laborers on the Islands. no matter what
the nationality, 10 supply all the de-
--E-Ts and rar-o . -rr-rl,7s ba-s=a ,b,,,
and rot until then, will the planter be
independent am as much in favor OF
free labor as any one in the country.
but do not believe il is practical now
for the reasons have given. Corpora
tive labor on coffee plantations will
hardly answer. because the conditions
are so different from sugar planta-
ton; labor is not required as eontinu-
ously as in cultivating cane. One man
might be able TO do the work during
certain seasons, while II would require
& half dozen az others. When they are
most needed is when they are apt to
strike work IL Oolaz and Kona labor
is scarce today; they haven't enough,
really. 70 do the work required
You may say for me that I favor
contract labor, any nationality. sim
ply because the supply in this country
is not sufficient 10 put the planter on an
independent basis. When there are
enough people on the Islands able 10 do
the work required. and willing 10 do it
without being under contract. but al q
rate which viii allow conducting plan
tations al a profit, then abolish the COT
tract system