The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-10-05
LABOR CONDITIONS

v
ed States Senator Cockrell, of Missouri
says:
81 have been a resident of Mexico
for five years, have been engaged in
raising sugar cane, coffee and other
tropical fruits on a hacienda near San
Juan Evangelista, in the State of Vera
Cruz, and have had exclusive control
of Mexican labor. | find them class
exceedingly susceptible TO the manage
men by which they are controll-
ed; they are easily rendered useless by
injudicious management, and may be
maintained at a high standard with
care, and by a rigid enforcement OF
orders and rules, with no familiarity
whatever exercised toward the men, as
that encourages characterization. The
lower the wages, the better the service
even though below L cents day, as
then they have no excess to waste and
not so many holidays on which to
waste it,
A writer thus says of the Indians on
the Isthmus of Tehuantepec:
1.-The Indians on the isthmus are the
most Industrious, honest and peace
full in Mexico, of mild and gentle dis
position, and not inclined toward war
or disturbances of any nature. They
are very muscular, and possess won
derful endurance. In color, they are
lighter than our own Indians; their
features are much finer and the ex-
preston of the face more pleasant.
cat present, abundant labor is avail
able at an average cost of so cents per
day for full-grown man, and, if en-
ployed regularly, from SO to $12 per
month (Mexican silver. Women and
children do a great deal of the work
on a coffee plantation, and during the
picking season the major part of it, for
which they receive a much smaller
compensation than men. After plan
tation is five years old, the owner can
figure his labor at an average cost of
% cents per day"
CAUTION TO UNITED STATES IN
VISITORS.
created in the United States by the
real estate agents, the tourists TO Mex
leo, the agents of railroad and steam
ship lines, as well as many of the resi-
dents here engaged in other business,
it may be well for me to suggest to the
people of the United States not TO be-
lieve all the exaggerated reports sent
out from this country. l take this
special means of doing so. Many of
the reports are highly colored for a
purpose. In the unsettled condition of
the agricultural and Iaboring popula-
ton of the United States, these boom
ers see their opportunity, believing
there may be disposition to believe
that there is spot of gold at the
end of the rainbow" and that all that
is necessary is for them to come
here and regain their failing fortunes
without much labor. This is a serious
error. As in all other countries, man
gains nothing here without early and
late labor. AS rule, l would not re-
commend anybody to undertake coffee
raising in Mexico without sufficient
capital to pay for $50 acres of land,
cash in hand, and have at least $4,000
in Mexican currency to meet the first
years expenses. In corroboration of
the above statement, l quote from a
report on coffee raising made to the
British Government by Francis
StrOnge, secretary of the English le-
gation at this city:
The intending planter will find a
capital of FL 500 amply sufficient for
requirements. 1t is far better to begin
planting on comparatively small scale
and to gain thorough experience of the
country and the business before en-
barking ON an unnecessarily large
undertaking. Some $50 acres is as much
as a beginner should attempt TO deal
with, and even of this only 200 acres
should be planted with coffee, the re-
naming so acres being left under tim
Der or applied to other purposes.
Good lands for planting can be OBJ
tanned at from 1Ss to FL per acre, and
sometimes cheaper. If, then, the mean
between these two prices is taken,
$50 acres would cost $500, and the
planter with FL 800 capital would still
have 81 200 in hand with which to meet
initial expenses and to maintain him
self until his plantation came into full
bearing. At first sight this sum will
seem unnecessarily large, but in a
country where credit is not easily OBJ
tanned, and where the interest on bor-
rowed money is very high. it is we'll to
hold reserve of capital as an insur-
ance against unforeseen accidents. The
failure of large number of foreigners
in this country may be attributed to
neglect of this precaution."
Two or more individuals may club
together and aggregate the above men
toned capital, or more, and accomplish