The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-07-11
PROSPECTS

The fact that Senator Cullom has sent
Secretary Ray of the Interstate Com
merce Committee to seek for further in
| formation upon our labor conditions
shows how alive to the possible struggle
against the admission of Hawaii as a
| territory our friends in the Senate and
/ i'm the House are. The labor question is
going to be the lever used against us,
and it will, in all probability be seri-
ously misrepresented by the opposition.
The members of the commission who
have framed the acts which will be re-
ported to Congress are then very wise
to send out and get what information
there is to be obtained, practically up
to date.
When the commission was here last
year it devoted great attention to the
labor question, and in the bill which
Senator Cullom presented to the Senate
December 21, 1898, the masters and SER
wants act was among those which are
specifically named as abolished. The
commission could not countenance that
act, and as is well known, there are
many planters who object to the penal
clause in that act But however well
| the commissioners were informed when
they left here, there are many things
which have happened since then which
they should know thoroughly.
Though for a long time our people
seemed to be apathetic and to be con-
tent to let matters slide, without fac
ing the inevitable, they have at length
Weakened up and orders have gone for
ward to Italy for laborers from that
source. 1t is well that we can show
the commissioner that we have been
making use of our period of probation
and that we are no longer putting our
hope in labor from the Orient, but that
we have gone to the Occident to obtain
the same class of immigrant which is
weekly pouring into the United States,
through the port of New York.
That the change may prove more
costly, apparently, is true, but the Ital-
ian laborer will, in the long run, prove
more remunerative than the Oriental.
DR.. Maxwell in report to the Depart
ment of State, showed that the cheap
laborer Is by no means the cheapest in
the end. The Italian can do far more
work than the Oriental can accomplish,
man for man, therefore it will require
less men for the same amount of work
That the Italians can work in our eli
mate, and that the heat is not too great
for them, has been proved by the exper-
iment made by S. M. Damon on his es-
tate at Moanalua. The men he has en-
E,,l
them, and have no such extremes of
heat as they used to experience upon
the plains of their native Lombardy.
This was an idea not thought of when
! the commission was here, and now,
! though not completed it is well under
/ way. This will serve to show our read
mess to adapt ourselves to the new and
changed conditions, and will serve as a
counter to some of the attacks
Since the commissioners visited the
Islands there has also been great ex-
pansion Of area of cultivation, and new
enterprises have sprung up upon all
the Islands. The fact that we were an
nexed, and that revolutions and revolu-
tionary politics had become a dream of
the past, caused very healthy expan-
sion to take place. Political safety
means public confidence, and confidence
means commercial progress, and COM
mercial progress means getting upon a
level with the most advanced states.
Here again is something that the
commissioners must be thoroughly in
formed upon, for it is one of the many
things that may be advanced against
us. They want to know as accurately
as possible, what work has been initial
ed since the commissioners were here
what prospects there are for further
expansion, what amount of labor will
be required to carry the enterprises out,
and in what direction are we looking
for that labor supply.
These things must be known thor
oughly and it is fortunate that so able
a man as Mr.. Ray has to conduct the
Investigations and make the reports.
Mr.. Ray is no stranger to the Islands
he has visited them before and in con-
versant with our conditions. He can
judge better than anyone what the
| prospects are here, and how we propose
to make use of our prosperity. 1t is for
him to judge upon this point, and as
soon as he has collected his information
he will make full report to the commits
sion. Knowing us as we'll as he does,
he can give us advice as to what course
we should take, and advice coming from
| Mr.. Ray, with the means he has of
knowing what is going on in Congress.
will be well worth considering. We have
excellent and powerful friends, but we
want to help those friends and to
strengthen their hands as much as we
can.