The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-09-17
MAUI JAPANESE DESERVING
EMPLOYMENT.
Grinding is Much Delayed and the
Planting Greatly Hindered-Govern-
ment Employment of Asiatics.

That there is much in the labor stu
alton on the plantations that is far
from satisfactory is shown by the fol-
lowing from Maui planter in reply to
The Stars circular letter on the subject.
'The first question you ask is, Are
the plantation laborers leaving the
plantation ard in what numbers?"
"The laborers are leaving the planta-
tions in large numbers all over Maui
and are going to Oahu where they
claim they can make as high as $500
per day. One plantation has lost fully
500 men and since payday of this
mcnth alone about It's have gone"
What nationalities are thus affect
ed?"
japanese only"
How is the work on the plantation
affected?"
"The crops on some of the planta-
tions that should have been finished
by the last of July are still unground,
land some of the plantations will not
4inish grinding before the latter part
of October. And, as for planting there
is not one-tenth as much going on as
there was year ago today"
t'Are the laborers leaving the planta-
tions entirely or simply wandering
from one place to another?"
"This is q difficult question to an
swer, quite a number of them are
wandering from one place to another
OuI lue maturity are ledNluS
rs this condition in your opinion,
simply a transient one that will soon
right ITSELF or is it likely to be a con-
tinuing one?'
Il think that this is not simply a
transient condition that will soon right
itself. 1t seems to me that it Will
never right itself until there are more
.laborers brought into the country, to
fill all the wants of the plantations.
"It might be greatly relieved If the
government would refuse to employ
any Asiatics on any government work
throughout the Islands. 1t is fact
that a great many plantations, and l
know of one, that has got a balance of
over 1000 n it's books for expense in
bringing immigration into the country,
to say nothing of the many thousands
that have been written off the books and
charged off to the monthly expenses
and claim that the plantations have
spent these vast sums of money to get
labor into the country and the very
minute that they become free the gov
ernment hires these laborers for its
work which is, in my opinion, great
big mistake. If the government were
to refuse absolutely to employ any
Asiatics on it's work you would find
that these laborers would very soon
return to their plantations and make
three or four times as much wages as
they would make in their own homes
and this situation which is very seri-
Gus one, will not be righted until the
government sees the folly of its ways
and corrects them"
Us it true that cane is going to waste
because of lack of help to mill it?''
"Cane that should be ground in July
is still 'Inground in September and
October is certainly going to waste, 1t
is deteriocating very rapidly and the
only reason for this deterioration is the
fact that there is lack of help in the
mills and in the fields to cut and load
it."
rs it true that cane is being burned
for the same reason?"
"I have not heard of any cane being
burnt, for the sake of saving the ra-
toons. This, am satisfied has not oc-
CURED on Maui.
"I have answered your questions tc
the best of my belief and opinion and
cannot urge too strongly that the
government should refuse to take the
plantation laborers, because If this
thing continues and the plantations are
seriously crippled I do not see where
the government is going to come from
If the sugar industry is crippled l dc
not see where the taxes are coming
from to run the government and II
seems to me, that the quicker the gov
-ernment sees the folly of this and modi-
fies somewhat the better ii will be fol
plantations and the whole country"