The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-12-18
BLACK MEN
FOR HAWAII
An Ideal Land For the
Negroes.
COOK is ENTHUSIASTIC
Returns to the States to Tell His
People Of the Delights Of
the Islands.
DEv. JOHN HENRY COOK. one of

DEN. JOHN HENRY COOK, one OF
Of the best-known negroes of
Mississippi. who has been in Hoo
nolulu for the past few weeks investi-
eating the labor conditions in these ISL
ands, returned to the Coast yesterday
afternoon on the Zealandia with j. b.
Collins, who went to the States several
months ago in the interest OF various
sugar plantations in the Kohala district
on the Island of Hawaii.
1t will be remembered that Mr. Col
Inns went to the States to endeavor to
bring about the immigration of negroes
to these Islands from the Southern
States.
Mr.. Collins was not able to persuade
any negroes to come back here with
him but ne aroused such interest
among the colored men of Louisiana in
the hawaiian Islands that they select
ed Rev. John Henry Cook to come to
this country and look into the labor
situation and report to them.
For the past few weeks Mr.. Cook has
seen great deal of the life on the su-
gar plantations, has made himself thor
oughly familiar with all the conditions.
wages, work. hours, homes, climate,
cost of living, surroundings, and so
forth, and is now in a position to cor
rectly inform others of his race as to
the exact prospects.
Cook is enthusiastic over the matter
himself, and believes that the negroes
will come here in large numbers after
reports have been sent home from the
first lot which is TO come out here.
Cook said in an interview with an Adj
vertiser reporter yesterday afternoon,
Il am going home to tell my people
what a glorious land this is. 1t is an
ideal country for the people of my race
and ! believe that eventually the plan
tations of these Islands will be worked
by negroes from the Southern States.
"One man came over from the States
with me- He brought his family with
him and has since secured work on
plantation in the Kohala district, Ha-
wall He is more than satisfied with
the prevailing conditions and has writ
ten back home telling his people all
about the country. lie is enthusiastic
over the change in his affairs. You see,
a man can secure good steady work on
a sugar plantation here, have house
to live in, good wages, better by far
than he could ordinarily depend upon
the year round in Louisiana, a climate
suited to him and work that is in no
way difficult for him to perform
II will tell the colored people when I
go back that they should certainly
move 10 tne ffaWalldn
OF them suffer very hard times in tho
part of the country from which come
and would greatly benefit themselves
by moving out here. Work Is never
steady in the South for the negroes.
and a farm hand is only paid about $40
Il month, anyway.
Here in Hawaii the men will get $40
a month, houses to live in and free
medical attention. Besides it is summer
all the tine here, and it is never cold |
The colored man doesn't like cold at
ali. This is the best country in the
world for him."
Mr. Collins goes to the States to Sc
cure fifty colored families for the va
rious plantations in the Kohala dis |
-rict. Fifty families will number about |
loo individuals. Collins will bring this |
lot to Hawaii within sixty days. Cook |
will return to the Islands some time la
ter with, probably, a much larger lot.
1t is Cooks intention to bring his own
family out here and settle here perma-
lently.
Cook is a man of about so years of
age, about feet 10 inches in height,
we'll built in proportion, and "A man of
strength and great energy. He has I
eleven children living, several of whom
will go to work on plantations in these
Alexander & Baldwin, sugar factors.
after thoroughly investigating the
southern States in search of negro la
oorers for the plantations OF Hawaii,
rave decided to await further action in
he matter to see what the Porto Rican
aborer can do in the fields. If he is "A
success, others can be obtained more
'asily than the negroes. If the Porto
iican experiment is found to be UNI
successful, the efforts of the sugar fac
ors will be redoubled to secure the i'm
of as many negroes with fam
James b. Castle of Alexander & Bald
win spent much of his time on his last
visit to the Mainland in the South and
made a thorough investigation of the
'lasses of negro labor obtainable While
south he established n recruiting agen-
" at Montgomery, Ala, and the Plan
ers Association patroniZes another To-
'ated at Nashville, Tenn. with these
wo central stations, 1t is believed the
,ffort to secure negro labor will be sue