The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-07-24
As OTHERS SEE US.
San Francisco Opinion on
Labor Question.
. ne Labor Coureu Goes surtn,r
Than ;ne Fee;s Warrant - Duty
CT Congress Not Performed.

Taa san FgLa..-.H Labor Council
has sen. a circular letter 90 -u. Pope
and he authorize and trades union
leaders Of Italy. warning them lglias.
the scheme of 'h- Hawaiian planters
to- secure col.rEgs labor from that
country. TIe circular SAYS that the.
contract system 6. Hawaii Isl % form
Of slavery enforced by greed and cruel
~ and protected 10y Du.l island law
and the laws uf t-a United States. The
picture Is drawn 1t uves~. srs. with
whip in hand. urging On the toi!crs in
the cane fields - harder labor. and
the promises 90 the planners agents
are bIuusly described as lies. The
radical members OF the Italian Parlil-
ment are especially importuned 20 use
their Influence In common with trades
union men 20 prevent any contracts
being made.
In It's zeal % prevent a wrong the
San Francisco Labor Council goes fur
Their than ,hs facts warrant. though
there remain sufficient grounds for OBJ
lection 80 The contract system as Il
stands. The Chronicle has more
;han once been represented by staT
correspondents in Hawaii. part OF
whose du,y 60 was TO investigate the
life OF the cane fields and report its
conditions. Though opposed to- the
system of labor We are bound to- say
shat the oy,rsc,- with the whip Is a
freak OF the psrturhcj Imagination and
never a real presence. The usual at
titude OF the luna. or overSeer. in a
Hawaiian cane field IS that OF an honest
foreman on = san Francisco job OF
street paving. He sees that 50 much
work Is done fer 30 much pay. The
difference Is that. instead of discharg-
ing a mutinous lgborcr the luna re-
ports him TO the civil authorities. and
Il the case l. aggravated enough the
man goes to Jail. " OF minor conse-
quenCe the remedy j. a fine. We have
never known OF any cruelty practiced
On these plantations. From anything
OF hat kind the foreign contract labor
er is protected by his Consul. For the
and. 50 far rs the Chronicles various
Investigations have shown. q better
time than he usually enjoys gt home
But the face remains that the inn
| rovi1iioa OF foreign CONTRACT labor Is
| uu-AmeTicJu and ought not to be per.
mi,tsd on United States soil. II 4.
also unlawful. despite the contrary i'm
preston which the labor circular rath
g- disiurenuuus'y undertakes to- con
vey. But for the failure 81 the las
Congress to- pass the bill extending tn,
labor laws o. this country to- Hawai-
the importation us CoutrlC. field hand
would now be- impossible. either from
Italy, China. Japan or any other for
eign country. Congress neglected t.
duty in that respect. hut will doubles
perform &; neyc winter. as the claim o
the planters that free labor would ruii
the island industry cannot ~ substan
tiated. The plantations could pay dou
BILE the price for labor now ruling o'
American farms and at the same tim
declare larger dividends ON the capita
J invested than any other lrE.timat
business of which We have any kuowl
edge. When dividends 20 MP from I
TO 60 and so and then 120 per cent. an
beyond. and when plantations like IA
Eva make so much that they p-cseu
each s-ockholder with an amount
shares equal to his original holding :
rs to reduce the prepos;crous ratio {
his interest. Il is idle to- talk Of n
stern necessity OF cheap labor. Such a
industry as that OF island sugar coul
he compelled 20 employ free and lie.
labor from the United States wi;ho'
doing It the slightest injus;iCe.-S.
Chronicle July 10.