The Hawaiian gazette., 1898-10-07
NEW SUGAR PROBLEMS

We print In another column eX-
tracts from a personal letter received
! from Or, Walter Maxwell. The sug-
I gnstiOns and comments are so valu-
| able, we venture to print extracts, IN
stead Of using them as material for
our own remarks. DR.. Maxwell's views
are tentative and suggestive. AT the
| same time they open up lines OF
thought which present serious ques-
tlons for the future.
The early political union Of
Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippines
with tho United States, In some form,
more or less intimate Is probable. The
result may be the extension OF our
present protective tariff To these conn-
tries. We may then look within n
few years, 10 u surplus Of sugar pro-
duced within American possessions or
| colonies. The moment that surplus IL
reached the price OF sugar Will fall to
che level Of the worlds price. When
ever American protected" articles
Oycrsupply the home market, they
compete with the foreign article
abroad, and, 50 far In the history Of
trade, either dcprcss or tend TO de-
press prices,
In the competition which viii then
take place In sugar production on
what may be practically American soil
the question OF labor will determine
which State. or territory, or colony,
Will survive. I Cuba, and Porto Rico
and the Philippines have the adyant-
age Of cheap labor. II 1t Is an adyant-
age. IL IL not an imported labor like
the Hawaiian. II II indigenous and
sufficient to supply the needs OF many
and vast plantations. On the other
hand, the tendency In Hawaii h to-
ward an Increase in the rate Of
wages.
We believe, on the testimony OF
many Of the largest employers OF
labor In the world, that the least cost
OF any product IL more u question OF
brains than Of cheap labor" Many
Of our planters do not accept this
proposition, and cling TO the belief
that the cheaper the labor, the cheap
or the cost of production. These mel
become somewhat confused " the ex
perlcnce Of these Islands IL put befor,
; them. namely, that the enormous In
crease OF sugar per acre IL due to In
, telllgent work. brain work. In thu
study Of irrigation. Of fertilizers. an(
Of machinery. They are now forced L
accept what the scholars tell then
about the value Of brain work, bu
hands.
But II Hawaii IL to be- ~ u disad
vantag" ID obtaining supply Of chcaI
labor, II IL only 10 hold It's own an,
advance by the best use Of labor tina
II not cheap" In the ordinary sense
but cheap In the sense that Carncgi
uses II, when he says he has men VIII
"arc cheap at so per day"
There appears to be no other alter
native for Hawaii. But In spite Of Ia
black cloud rising In the sky. there /
BtIll no serious effort being made T.
p meet the coming storm, though It b
afar on
. The experiment Of introducing Amer
: lean labor on the'Ew plantation
most interesting, and no doubt vii
, be pushed actively, But anyone IA
. miliar with the habits, ana inheritc
Ideas Of American labOrers, will fore
see that II Will be- some years befor
its success can be determined. Tina
the movement can be made success
Is beyond quoStIOn. That II will b
, made u success IL quite another qucs
, ton. The history Of commercial an
agricultural enterprises IL that OF fal
urcs when there might have been ~,
ccss"s and Of final successes foundc
" on repeated failures.
v