The San Francisco call., 1898-12-11

1Liu2Se UT JdpdueSe yen tSllNGTJ De- comes from $500 to $500. Either of these sums is large enough to support low grade Oriental for the remainder of his natural life. As matter of fact, there are large numbers of returned contract laborers, both in the Flowery Kingdom and the Empire of the Rising Sun, who are now subsisting on the interest of their savings in Hawaii, put away in three years.
 You can see, therefore, that the lot of the Oriental contract laborer In Ha- waii is far from hard, according to his view point. He may undergo some pri- vations, 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. It should also be understood in considering the pay of the Chinese laborer in Hawaii that he averages a better net income than any officer un- der the rank of captain in either the Japanese or Chinese army. Such off, cers get about the same gross sum as the laborers, but out of 1t they have to bear many special expenses, such as the keep of horses, club dues, showy uni- forms, etc.
 'It would be altogether impracticable for the Hawaiian sugar planters to de- pend on the Orientals as free laborers. for the simple reason that were they privileged to work or not as they please at any given time they might easily ruin planter through sheer laziness. The Oriental contract laborer is un- questionably the most indolent, most obstinate human being alive. He does not propose to work at all if he can help it. and when he does go out he does as little as he possibly can. The treat ment that is accorded him in Hawaii may be harsh according to the ideas of American laborers, but the adoption of other tactics with the coolies would cer- tainly result most disastrously.
 "The quarters furnished contract la borers on the sugar plantations of Ha- waii are much better than the homes they would provide for themselves, and are quite as good as those furnished to the free laborers. They consist of low, one-story frame buildings, inclosed with rough boards as rule, and white washed Each building will accom- modate five or six men. They sleep in hunks and cook for themselves. They live chiefly on chea- rice, imported from China, which can be laid down in Hawaii at from s2 to s a hundred pounds, about s1 a hundred less than the going price of the Hawaiian grain. The free laborers are better paid than the others, say from SIS to $20 month, and planters prefer them, as a rule, since they do more work Tor each Qol- lar of wages than the Orientais. They do not make as much net TOT them selves, though, for it costs them more to live.
 ''The employment of contract labor in Hawaii began in 1876, and has, there fore, been in force for tWenty-tWo years. It is attended by many draw backs, not the least of which is the fact that quite two-thirds of the earnings
 ial ;e,I rda ad and taken nllt of the country for expenditure. Thus each of the 4ooo0 laborers virtually takes Sl0 in gold from Hawaii every month. That is the equivalent of S400,0 900 a month in the aggregate, or S4, 800 900 a year. In twenty years this would be S96,000,000. Under the system of free labor the vast sums of which Hawaii is being drained would remain right there and contribute to the de- velopment of the islands. This circum- stance alone is enough to make all thoughtful Hawaiians welcome the cominr change.
 "The Hawaiian Commission consists of Senators Cullom and Morgan and Representative Hit for the United States and President Dole and Judge Frear for the islands" said Mr. Shingle. These men are all now in Washington. They will recommend that the entire contract labor system be wiped out within a reasonable time, and as I have said the sugar planters themselves are preparing as rapidly as they can for the change.
 Perhaps the most interesting steps are being taken by the Hon. J. B. Atherton, president of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters Association, and also president of the Eva (pronounced Ev-a) plantation, unquestionably the largest single tract of land under sugar cultivation in the islands. Under his direction w. J. Lowrie, manager of the plantation, recently spent some time in California, where he arranged with twenty-five Americans to go to Hawaii, taking their families with them, for the purpose of working the Eva planta- tion on the cooperative or percentage plan. Under this plan the C. rporation will allow each man certain number of acres for cultivation. All cane raised under this arrangement will be ground at the Eva plantation mill, the farmer receiving a percentage of the proceeds in payment for his cane. The plan has been very carefully wrought out, and if is estimated that tie net earnings of the best men will be not less than $40 a month; the most indoent and unfor- tunate cannot easily drop below SEQ while the average will be not far from $50. The twenty-five Americans ar rived in Hawaii late in November and are probably now beginning their work This experiment will be watched with