The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-08-25
ABOUT LABOR PROBLEM
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as heretofore enforced has been of great
benefit in maintaining law and order,
and has been somewhat in the nature of
a police regulation.
LAS to the best provisions to be made
in the future for agricultural labOrers,
| believe that it is for the best inter-
est of the planters and of the commu-
nifty that greater effort should be made
to encourage American and European
farm laborers to come here. Much,
doubtless can be done to encourage
these classes to come by means of CO.
operative and profit sharing methods"
Associate Justice Frear says:
The penal contract labor laws should
be abolished. The penal enforcement of
labor contracts is not necessary to pro-
tect employers in their investments.
Employers would have no difficulty in
retaining labOrers in sufficient numbers
and at satisfactory wages on their plan
tatiOns if there were a sufficient number
| of laborers in the country. In order to
assure the existence of sufficient num-
| Der in the country proper means should
! be employed, first, to induce them TO
come, and, second, to induce them to
stay, especially the latter. One of the
best means of accomplishing this is to
change the labor system in such a way
| as to make ii attractive to persons 9TH
| er than ASiatiCS and then to ascertain
the best sources of such other classes
of labor and acquaint them with the
facts.
| "A scientific man should be employed
to study the conditions in these Islam S
| and the sources of labor supply else
where and to make recommendations as
to the best labor system to be adopted
| here and as to the best sources of labor
supply to be drawn upon. scientific
man is needed just as much for the in
| vestigation of the labor problem as for
! the investigation of problems of cult
walton and manufacture. This man
should not be merely a so-called 'prac-
| teal man. He should be a thoroughly
scientific man."
Paul Neumann says:
II am opposed to penal contract labor
laws. They obtain in Guatemala and
other well regulated republics, but we
do not favor them in the Hawaiian ISL
ands aside from their being in contra
IVention of the laws of the United States.
l beg to refrain from suggestions for
| the protection of employers. Appar-
emily they have hitherto been well able
to take care of themselves, and will /
hope, continue to do so. l do, however,
not object to being consulted upon that
point in a professional way.
"On this: Let Congress repeal the
laws against contract labor and assist
ed immigration. There is no 'raison
d'etre' for such legislative stupidities."
A. S. Humphreys says:
| 'Emphatically no. The employers of
labor here need no protection in their
investments except such as is afforded
to such employers in other civilized
| countries. Legislators are concerned in
other countries about protecting labor
against capital. The employers of labor
/ i'm these Islan's can easily stand an in
! crease in wages of 80 per cent, and with
such increase a sturdy Anglo-Saxon
yeomanry can be secured for our plan
tations, In these Islands, as the laws now
| exist and are enforced by cOmpacent
officials, the laborer is regarded as
neither worthy of his hire nor his lib
eTty.
! 1T is not possible to secure self-re-
specting white men to work on our
plantations, under penal contracts, for
$l5 or 500 a month. Plantations that are
| paying so per cent on watered stock
have ii in their power to dispose or
what they are pleased to call the labor
problem by paying better wages"