Evening star., 1898-12-10

does as little as he possibly can. The
treatment that Is accorded him in Hawaii
may be harsh according TO the ideas of
American la6orers. but the adoption Of
other tactics with the coolies would GER
talnly result most disastrously.
me oriental contract laborer's universal
method of getting out OF work IS 10 felgn
Illness Every plantation employs one or
more doctors TO look after the health of its
employees, ana the majority OF these doc
TORS nave their hands full every morning
examining those who say they are not well
Ihey rarely describe their symptoms Vel
lee sick Nellee sick being the extent OF
thelr statements on such occasions as a
rule III the doctor finds this plea sound
well and good: the sick man IS properly doc
tored and nursed and allowed to lie Idle
I'll ne Is well aFain. Procedure In cases Of
81 anHning differs on different plantations of
course. Sometimes "A man with a rawbide
whip Follows the doctor. The persua sion
ahorded by few blows from this instri-
ment of torture is invariably enectlve.
such treatment doesn't seem right2 We'll
the Hawailans understand that Ii won't eu
under United States laws and that is why
they are trying to get ready as fast as they
can for the inevitable change. Ii isn't
universal now, by any means: the law al
lows the sending Of a recalcitrant contract
laborer to jail and this course is often
adopted. Besides there ere other methods
OF bringing them to time. but most of them
would hardly be allowed here.
THE quarters furnished contract labor
ers on the sugar plantations of Hawaii are
much better than the homes they would
provide for themselves and are quite as
good as those furnished TO the free lahor-
ers. They consist of low one-story frame
buildings, inclosed with rough boards as n
rule and whitewaShed. Each building VIII
accommodate five six men. They sleep
in hunks and cook for themselves. They
two NhiaFx Unmarried from
China, which can he laid down In Hawaii
at from s. to 81 hundred pounds. about
81 hundred less than the going price OF
the Hawaiian grain. The free laborers are
lttte1 paid than the others. say from SIS
to $50 a month, and planters prefer them
as a rule since they do more work for
each dollar of wages than the orientals.
They do not make as much net for them
selves, though, for Ii costs them more TO
live.
THE employment of contract labor In Ha-
wall began IN 1876 and has, therefore, been
in force for twenty-five years Ii is attend
ed by many drawbacks. not the least OF
which is the fact that quite two-thirds OF
the earnings of the laborers is boarded and
taken out of the country for expenditure.
Thus each of the 10000 laborers virtually
takes so In gold from Hawaii every month.
That il the equivalent of 100000 month
in the aggregate, or 81 So0,8o0 a year. In
twenty years this would be s96.oo00U. I'M
der the system OF free labor the vast slnls
of which Hawaii is being drained
would remain right there and contribute -
the development OF the islands. This cir
Cumstance alone Is enough to make NIL
thoughtful Hawaians welcome the comirs
change.
THE Hawaiian commission consists of
Senators Cullom and Morgan and Represen-
| tatiVe Hit for the United States and Pres
ident Dole and Judge Frear for the isl
ands." said Mr.. Shingle. These men are
all now In Washington. save Mr.. Dole He
will be here in a short time. They will rec.
ommend that the entire contract labor syS-
tenn be wiped out within "A reasonable t'I,e,
and as l have said. the sufbr planters
themselves are preparing az rspidl. a. they
can for the change.
Cooperative Cane Rei.ing.
Perhaps the most interesting steps are
being taken by J. b. Atherton. presid. Mt Of
| the Hawaiian Sugar Planters Association.
| and also president OF the Eve cpronuwaed
Ev-a) plantation, unQuestiOnaby the
largest single tract OF land unaer sugar cul-
tivation In the islands. Unoer his direc-
| ton w. J. Lowrie. manager ot the plante-
ton, recently spent some time IL CaiifornIi.
where he arranged with twenty-five Amer
leans to go to Hawaii, taking their fam lies
with them, for the purpose OF working the
Eva Plantation on the cooperative or per
centage plan. Under this pisl the CORPORA
tion will allow each man certain number
or acres FOR cultivation. All cane RAISED
under this arrangement win he groGEu at
the EVA planta tion mill, the farmer receiv-
ing percentage Of the proceeds In pay
| ment for his cane. The piar has beer very
carefully wrought out, and 3: is estimated
that the net earnings of the vest mon will
not be less than $40 month tne mos- it!-
dolent and unfortunate canact easily DR. ID
below SO, while the average will be nCt fer
from $50. The twenty-five Americans ar
rived in Hawaii late in November, AMI are
probably now beginning the,r WORK. This
experiment will be watched With The great
est interest by all the Hawaiian piantars
and IL it works well on the Ewa plantation
the same will he adQnfRl of her
parts of the island"