Evening star., 1898-12-10
An Important Problem Which Will
Have to Be Solved.
CONTRACT SYSTEM TO Be ABOLISHED
Planters Are Preparing to Meet the
Changed Conditions.
CONFORMING TO OUR LAWS
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
| No more important or moro interesting
| legislation will come before the present
! Congress than that bearing upon Hawaii,
| the new mid-Pacific possession of the re-
| public, and Of this legislation none Will
attract more serious attention than that re-
| lating to the employment of contract labor
| there.
The contract labor problem, indeed, has
| been one of the greatest stumbling blocks
| in the way of Hawaiian annexation for
| years. The employment OF contract or
coolie labor, which is In effect limited"
| slave labor. Is not only contrary to the
spirit Of American institutions, but is spe
officially forbidden in the Constitution and
| the written laws of the republic. Yet the
major part of Hawaii's material prosperity
| has been built up on this system, and il
has been assumed by many in considering
| the annexation OF the islands that It's con-
tinuance would be urged by the Hawaiian
planters. This fact has aroused the bitter
| est opposition to annexation In several
quarters. especially among trade unionists
and discussion of the anticipated Hawaiian
| hight against compliance with the law viii
take UP q considerable part of the time of
the Federation of Labor convention to be-
gin at Kansas City on Monday next.
Ready for the Change.
The truth of the matter, however, lies in
| exactly the opposite direction. Instead of
preparing to fight the contract labor law Of
the United States, the Hawaiian planters
| are getting ready to obey 1t. As long ago
| as 1882, when annexation under the Harri-
| son administration was thought to be as
good as accomplished, the plante foresew
| that the end of the system there must
| come as soon as the Islands were made a
part of the republic. Ever since then they
| have been studying the problem of its aboli-
ton In all its bearings, and last summer
when word was sent to Hawaii that annex
alton might come at last, as a war meas
| ure they renewed their diligence. Today
thelr preparations to substitute free for
contract labor are we'll under way. and, ac-
cording to Robert w. Single, Hawaiian
| commissioner to the recent Omaha exposi-
| ton, these preparations of the most
| thorough and practical nature.
Contract Labor in Hawaii.
MIR. Shingle is native OF the United
| States. but his relations with the author
| tiles and the planters of Hawaii are of the
| most confidential nature as is abundanrIy
| shown by his official position; he has been
| in constant communication with Hawaii
| throughout his stay here and much Of the
| information which follows is taken from
4 letters recently received from there by him.
| 1T is not only true today that all the
planters are preparing to obey the contract
| labor laws of the United States,' said Mr
| Shingle, in talk with the correspondent
| yesterday, but it is also a fact that the
| majority would prefer free labor and would
| nave put it in the place of contract labor
| long ago had such course been thought
| feasible. At the same time 1t is only right
| 10 say that there are planters who fear the
| greatest trouble from the free labor sys-
| tenn. They are in small minority, how
ever, and are naturally the most conserva-
| tive men on the islands. There is a much
4 n fan 1n1i1 tl,nf
| might be good thing to introduce free
| labor at once. These hold that while white
| tree laborers demand and must be paid at
| least one-thirc more than virtually en-
| shaved orientals. the change would in The
| long run be profitable. One white man.
they say. will ordinarily do as much work
| as two Asiatics and If this should prove
| true in Hawaii there would be an actual
| money gain in the substitution Besides.
| LOCO Anglo-Saxons would be preferable as
| residents to 1000 orientals in any part of
the islands.
Danger of Strikes.
"One of the greatest objections to free
labor in the past has been the danger of
strikes. Sugar is not like coal, Coal can be
| dug at one time as we'll as another but
\ when sugar cane Is ripe 1t must be cut A
delay of two or three days might cause
| total less. This fact has always been con-
| sldered OF great weight in considering the
| SubSbilullUH OI Tree contract la
Dor on the Hawaiian sugar plantations.
| Naturally efforts will be made to provide
| against danger of enforced stoppage of
work in displa0ing contract laborers with
| tree men, and 1t Is believed that this will
| be possible under the United States govern
| ment, though II would have been imprac-
| ticable under the Dole administration and
still more so under the monarchy.
AS a matter OF fact, there are now thou
sands of free laborers in Hawaii. Rice,
| taro. coffee, pineapp es and bananas are all
! among Hawaifs staple crops, and few con-
| tract laborers are employed In cultivating
| them. The great majority OF these are to
| be found on the sugar plantations, though
| thousands of free laborers, both natives
| and Whites-Germans. Scandinayians and
| Portuguese chiehy-work in the cane also.
| The contract laborers are all Japs and
Cinnamon. / rannot make an accurate
| statement as to their number, but / should
| say that there are about 10000 japanese
| and as many Cinnamon, or 10000 in ALL
Earnings of Contract Laborers.
They get s15 month gold the Iaborers
| finding themselves in food and clothes and
| their employers furnishing living quarters
! and fuel. Every month $3.50 is deducted
| from the pay of each man and deposited in
the government postal savings bank, where
| 1t Is allowed to accumulate for the three
years t3b months) comprising the term of
| the contract. The S54 thus placed to each
! mans credit is used to buy his passage
back to his native land. AS the average
| Chnaman or Jap can live on s.. % a month,
| most of them save up from $500 to stn0 In
| gold while in Hawaii. and this, being
| changed to Chinese or Jap yen tsilver), be-
comes from 5000 to $500. Either of these
sums is large enough to support low
| grade oriental for the remainder of his nat
nral life AS matter Of fact there arc
| large numbers Of returned contract ,abor-
| ers both in the howery kingdom and the
| empire OF the rising sun who are now SUBJ
sisting on the interest of their savings h,
| Hawaii. put away in three years.
| Not Such n Hard Lot
you can zee, therefore, that the lot of
| the oriental contract laborer In Hawaii is
| far from hard. according to his view point.
He may undergo some privations, to be
| sure, but they are Of his own choosing,
since he Is not obliged to save as he does.
| and when his contract is up he is ready to
go home and pass the rest of his existence
| In idleness. like any other capitalist, retired
! on his money. 1t should also be understood
J IN considering the pay of the Chinese la
borer in Hawaii that he averages a better
| net income than any officer under the rank
| OF captain in either the Jap or Chinese
army. Such officers aho he sap,a