The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-08-14

may continue to come until their
wages are reduced to nearly the level
prevailing in the countries from which
/ they come, instead of Being kept, as
in the case of Asiatics. AT u level sew
eral times higher than prevails in the
Orient and at twice their cost of liv-
ing here. When once white laborers
come, they will remain; and, unlike
the unmarried Asiatcs. they will
multiply here Let the immigration
of white laborers once get started,
and the labor question will take care
of itself so far as the planters are
concerned. The planters will not
have to obtain continually new labor
ers and then, as soon as they have
broken in the raw recruits. see them
leave to return home. Fourthly. our
contract system. This. so far as re-
tanned. would be an obstacle to the
immigration of white laborers. but.
as we have seen. it could be abandoned
without loss. So much for obstacles
Now, as to inducements.
After what has been said about OBJ
stacles. but one inducement to the
immigration of white laborers need
be mentioned. that of the opportunity
of lettering their material condition.
make the pecunary inducement as
large as possible is to introduce some
system under which the laborers will
share in the results of extra care and
eXertion on their part 1t may be a
purchase system. or some form of
! profit sharing. 1t will increase the
rewards of both laborers and capital
lists by increasing the efficiency of the
laborers. But the principal gain to the
planters will be in keeping the labor
ers from leaving to engage in other
pursuits. for it will give the latter.
so far as possible, the benefit which
they would seek to gain in those other
pursuits. 1t would give them an in
terest like that of ownership, which
turns sand into gold" This would
be of advantage, whether the labor
ers were white or Asiatic. but it
would be more advantageous in the
case of white laborers, because of
their greater intelligence and the
fact that they would be permanent
settlers. With the opening of our
vast areas of coffee lands the sugar
planters will in the near future find
greater difficulty in keeping the la
borers from engaging in the coffee
industry, whether for themselves or
for others, than they will have in in
ducing them to come to these islands.
Having done away with the con-
tract system and introduced some
other system agreeable to white la
borers, the only thing remaining to
be done will be to furnish the labor
ers with the requisite information as
to conditions existing here. 1t will
require some thought and expense 10
get the movement started, but once
well started there will be no further
difficulty, if it is a success.
Whether it will be success or not
under the conditions above set forth
will depend entirely upon whether it
is easier to make living in these ISL
ands than where the white laborers
now are. 1t would be strange indeed
if a man could not make "A living here
more easily than in most countries in
habited by whites, considering the
sparseness of our population, the SUI
perority of our climate and soil, our
favorable geographical position, the
character of our main products, which
are portable, durable and in world
wide and increasing demand; or con-
sidering the history of our past, in
which hard times as known elsewhere,
have not so much as been tasted; or
considering that all foreigners now
here, whether Americans, Europeans,
or Asiatics, maintain their acoustic ned
standards of living more easily than
they could in the respective countries
from which they have come. There
is widespread impression, it is true,
that the white man cannot work in
the tropics. But we must remember
that he would not have to work as
hard here as in his own country in
order to maintain the same standard
of living. The same amount of la
Dor, on account of the superior le-
sources of nature, would produce
more; and there being no severe
winter, man and nature can produce
the year round, and need provide for
but one season. Further, though
within the tropics, Hawaii is near
their outer edge and on account of the
trade winds and cool ocean current,
has temperature much cooler than
is usually found in our latitude, so
cool indeed, as never to induce sun
strokes even in the warmest locali-
tics. White laborers now work in the
fields in America, in the South as well
as in the North, East and West, in
| much hotter summers than we have
here. Skilled white laborers and pro-
| fessional men now work here. Some
| unskilled white laborers are already
| working in our fields. 1t is said that
white laborers are now working in
the cane fields in tropical Queens
| land, where until recently only Asiat-
les and Polynesians were employed.
| White laborers do much better in
their own countries than do the
Asiatics in their countries in the
| same industries and under similar
climatic conditions. Asiatics do
much better here than in their own
countries. Is it not probable that
whites could do better here not only
than the Asiatics do here, but than
they themselves do n their own coun-
tries?
The notion that white laborers can
not work in the tropics is based
| chiefly on the fact that they generally
have not done so, but that fact can
be explained on other grounds than
| that theV could not. If neither