The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-04-09
MORE STATISTICS
Small Planter" Gives
Labor Figures.
He Says Their Condition Is Not
Bad-He Has Assisted Some
to Return.

Mr. EDITOR-Allow me to correct
a misleading statement in one of your
editorials Of the 22nd inst, under the
heading: Driving good men away
in which you state that Portuguese
with large families are not considered
desirable on the plantations" You also
| state as a fact that Portuguese are
offered $3.50 a month for their labor
to support a wife and family and that
| they are denied even a small parcel of
land on which to grow home supplies. -
In reply, 1 assert that you are either
dreadfully ignorant of the conditions
| which prevail on the plantations, or
that you are wilfully preyaricating, for
reasons known to yourself; but I think
fairly we'll understood by large num-
bers of your readers.
The true condition existing on the
plantations regarding Portuguese labor,
is quite the opposite TO your assertions.
The demand for good men on the plan
tatiOns is always greater than the sup
ply and their labor always commands
the highest wages; my books will show
that Portuguese are paid from SIT to
$40 per month for the same labor done
by Japanese and Chinese. The latter
receiving from $3.50 to $1,000 per
month. Even Portuguese minors earn
ing from $140O up, according to their
industry and ability, and their parents
are supplied with ample land for
gardening purposes.
The foregoing conditions prevail in
my district and are somewhat different
from what you assert to be the regular
plantation wages "Of $3.50 a month"
which you inform the public is the
average plantation rate.
Here again you mislead the public
regarding the rate of wages paid on the
plantations, for though contract wages
may be nominally $3.50 month, you
fail to make mention of this fact, that
the plantations have to pay the labor
er's passage to the country and to his
destination, besides all incidental eX-
penses, such as quarantine dues, hos
pital fees, doctors bills, taxes, etc.
$14.5O, besides the risk of desertion,
which is the sugar planters loss; but
the coffee planters gain. AS the coffee
planter prefers Asiatic for the reason
that he will work cheaper than the
Portuguese. Therefore in an indirect
way, and to his own loss, the sugar
planter is really supplying the coffee
planter with the necessary labor. All
ir1+p in i0ip 10 hOY NJ V
please bear this fact in mind, that the
sugar planter not only pays heavily for
his own labor supply, but incidentally
supplies the coffee planter as well.
If good men are going away Mr.
Editor, it must be on account Of the
natural law of trying to better their
condition. And they must have been
able to save some money too from
the starvation wages you try to make
people believe is paid them. At the
same time allow me to inform you,
that good men are constantly return
ing, even from that land of plenty and
where good wages are said to be paid.
These men had money to go away with,
but they have none with which to
return.
I have assisted several to return and
others who pose as the champions of
the poor mans cause were to be told
by these returning unfortunates Of the
harsh treatment and abuse they have
been subjected to, by their employers
of the golden west, and of their de-
light to return, to labor in peace on
the obnoxious penal settlements of
these islands, and by the side Of the
brown men who you say are driving
them away. 1 say, the above facts may
astOnish you; but they are only too
true.
What think you Mr.. Editor, of the
German sugar beet growers move, in
Chinese into Germany, to
labor, in order to cheaper the cost Of
their sugar product? A truly ominous
sign! Let absolute facts and the truth
prevail at whatever cost.
Yours respectfully,
SMALL PLANTER.
n. K, Hawaii, March %, 1898.