The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-10-29
BLACKS FOR THE FIELDS
OF PROCURING
FEW AMERICAN NEGROES.
Views of a Plantation Man and of
Two Travelers-Day Wages High
Year Hands at Less than Asiatics.

of work. no matter what kind of work
it may be, the main thing taken into
consideration by the employer is what
the services of the man will be worth |
to him. Especially is this necessary |
in determining the wages to be paid. !
SO it is with the manager of sugar |
plantation.
Those races which are employed !
chiefly on sugar estates or in other
fields similar, such as cotton planta-
tions, orange groves or in agricultural
work. are Portuguese, Negroes, Ar
menians, Chinese and japanese. Each
of these classes are good field workers
but which class surpasses Ce other is
matter over which there has been
much said and about which there still
exists many differences of opinion.
r. j. Putnam of New Orleans, La,
is at the Arlington, having arrived on
the Australia last Saturday. Mr.. Put
nam has come direct from Louisiana
and he will be employed on Eva plan
tation as chemist. He is thoroughly
posted on the conditions surrounding
the American negro and his work in
the Southern states and talked quite
freely on the subject this morning.
"To the sugar planter down in
Louisiana and adjoining states," began
Mr.. Putnam, this question of labor
is one of great Importance. AS it is
now, the sugar planters of the United
States are quite well satisfied with
the negroes they have employed in
their fields. During the agricultural
or planting season, which extends
from February to the latter part of
June, the men employed in the Louis
lana sugar fields are paid so cents a
day and women go cents a day. The
average number of days put in by the
men is twenty, which would give them
monthly salary of SIG. There are
those who put in twenty-siX days dur
ing the month, thereby increasing
their wages to $20.S0.
During the grinding season the
men are. generally paid 81 and $1.2j
per day. During the whole year the
men and women must feed them
selves. They are furnished house
and a small patch of land to work for
their vegetables.
There are a few sugar plantations
in Louisiana which are worked on
shares. The land owner furnishes the
land, teams and horses with feed to
start with. In the division of the
profits two-thirds go to the workers
and the remaining third to the land
owner. A number of cotton planta-
tions are also operated throughout the
South on the same plan, only the prof
its are divided up into fourths, the
land owner receiving but one-fourth
for his share.
"There are districts in the state
where the men are paid by the month.
These men are excellent workers but
receive low wages. In Texas, planta-
tions are worked by convict labor, so
far as it will go around, the state re-
ceiving SIP a month for each criminal
employed. The state is compelled to
feed the prisoners and pay for the
services of the guards under the terms
of these contracts, the employer fur
nishing the houses only"
Are the American negroes good
workers." was asked Mr.. Putnam.
Eyes, sir. The negroes are faithful
and steady workers when properly
handled. They must be driven, so to
speak, i'm their work. BY that | mean
to say that their overseer should keep
n constant watch over them. ! have
no hesitancy in saying that they are
preferable to Japanese or Chinese on
an equal scale of wages. They are
generally clean and make much better
citizens than Asatics.
"Would they be willing to contract
for labor in Hawaii for a certain per-
iod of time, do you think?"
"Yes, ! think that they would. The
American negro, it strikes me, would
be adapted to the needs of this coun-
try. especially so at this time, when
the Chinese and Japanese comprise
pretty much all the labor. The dis
tance to bring them is quite far, but
after all, is not too far to go in search
of better class of citizens than the
Asiatics."
James S. McCandless, while on his
recent visit To the States, was in
formed of sugar plantations in Louis
lana, where the men We're paid So per
month for field work. They were sup
piled with quarters and given monthly
rations, consisting OF one bushel OF