The Hawaiian gazette., 1896-04-03

camille business, as there is more liza,
bility TO losses that are not protected
by insurance, etc. When the year \
favorable and prices good every ons
says, The planters will pay so Del
cent. this year" but We never hear any,
thing about the years when assess.
ments are levied on the sinking fund
heavily drawn upon. but TO prove thai
sugar is king" ask the carpenter. the
mason, the merchant, the commission
| men. the real estate dealer. etc. etc
how his business is when sugar is being
made at loss to the planter. There
seems 10 be disposition upon the part
of many to kill the goose that has been
laying the golden egg, and they have
been so loud in their invectives toward
anything that grew stalk of sugar
cane that it is no wonder that others
have imaginary pilikias.
If the plantations stopped tomorrow
how many papers would be sold upon
the streets of Honolulu inside of one
year? How much would we hear OF
the --latest political news?" There
might be a few coffee around, but the
steamers would stop bringing them
their mails. as there would not be
enough coffee to make it pay" We
cannot bag the goose yet and stop the
gold until we have as good fowl TO
keep on laying without any break
between the change from sugar to 90.
There are years when a plantation will
- II,
it will not pay 10 per cent, and then too
nften others when an assessment will
be levied or the sinking fund drawn
heavily upon.
How, then, can planters pay wages of
81 per day with the price OF sugar al
an average of 8 cents? If any COM
munity, sect, race or political body in
this country think they can, why do
they not offer the planters a guarantee
of Is TO 20 per cent. income upon their
plantations, and compel the planters TO
pay dollar day to the laboring man.
The planters are not to blame if any
race or community of people do not get
as much as they would like when the
circumstances are such that to give
them what they ask would soon put the
giver in the place of the asker. Many
a man in this country gets better in
come from his small capital than the
planter does from his large capital
There may be cases where the natural
conditions are so favorable to cane
that immense yields per acre would
warrant the paying of high wages, but
they are not general.
Many of the Portuguese who came
here TO work upon the plantations have
moved to Honolulu, where they could
get more wages Tor imagined they
could, and for political and other rea-
sons have displaced the native Ha-
waiian. and how much this has hurt the
indigenous race Of these islands, those
who saw the inside workings of the Ha-
waiian Relief Society can testify. Why
do not the Hawaiians form themselves
into a body and petition the Govern
ment to employ them upon the roads
where they have always been given the
preference in years gone by? They
would have as good right to complain
of Portuguese invasion" as the Portu-
guese have to complain of Asiatic in
vasion.
l would venture the assertion that
there is not a single worthy Portu-
guese in he city of Honolulu who could
not find employment upon almost any
plantation if he would only make the
application.
To illustrate how Portuguese have
been treated by the Makee Sugar Co.,
list of names from our rolls will show
that they have nothing to complain of.