The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1897-04-02

fed the conditions are no worse than
in the vineyards around Fresno, where
the thermometer registers 10 deg. in
the shade, and the work has to be
done in stopping posture. consider
that the most laborious work in our
State, and when 1 have applications
from vineyardists for grape pickers, I
an careful to send only certain class
of men. For instance: The nature of
the work is such that tall men cannot
perform it, and I send men not above
5 feet. 6 inches tall. Their 'stoop' is
necessarily less than would be the case
with tail men. l find this plan works
admirably to the employers and en-
plOyes. Few of the men we send to
Fresno quit work until the season is
over.
"The source of our supply is so great
that we are able to fill orders for any
nationality that may be wished. If an
order comes to US for one or so Ger
mans not to be more than 30 years of
age, and to be tall or short, &c the
case may be, men answering the de-
scTiption are sent, none others. I be-
lieve, always, that the man who sends
the order knows better what he wants
than ! do, and for that reason I fill it
as required. Private employment
agents find it to their advantage to
send out poor labor, because it doubles
their fees by the men having to come
back again for other situations.
Now, then, as to the benefit our
labor bureau is to the men: We are
their agents, attorneys and friends
without charge. They present them
selves for situations and we provide
them. If there are differences between
capital and labor, the laborers bring
their case to us and we settle it as
their attorneys without cost. For
these acts We have their respect and
our department has the cooperation of
labor unions throughout the United
States. When I undertook to supplant
the japanese in California with white
men, it was war to the knife. but at the
very beginning I had encouraging
kilograms from unions as far East as
New York
You are having here the same diff
Guilty with students that we had, but
I began by carefully investigating the
status of every japanese student who
came to California l found that each
carried a certificate which acknowl-
edged the receipt of 10 or 90 yen. in
consideration of which the emigration
agent guaranteed employment or SUD-
port during sickness while they were
in California. Each emigration COM
pany in Japan referred the student
to its California agent. Throughout
my investigation I failed to find a sin
gle agent in California.
"The step your Government has
taken in excluding the japanese has
won the admiration of the people of
California. They feel that you are go
ing to show them that you are in earn
est regarding the laboring classes of
Hawaii"
Messrs. Fitzgerald and Green will
go to Eva plantation this morning and
remain several days investigating the
conditions there. This place is selected
for the reason that it is the largest
plantation here, and the one on which
the cooperative plan has been tried.
Next Tuesday they will leave for Hilo
and inquire into the conditions on the
plantations in that district. When they
have finished, they will continue their
work into the coffee plantations in
Olaa.