The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-09-15
VAGABONDAGE AND ERRANTRY
OF JAPANESE
Great Reduction in Efficiency both In
Away to Escape Debt-Suggestions.


bondage, emeutes, strikes and disorders
among plantation laborers are con-
tinually coming to Honolulu from the
other islands, that the exact situation
is hard to determine. These conflicting
rumors give room for the most absurd
and exaggerated statements to find
place and must in the end seriously af-
feet the Islands. At the same time, be-
fore any wise corrective measures can
be adopted to end or minimize such
evils as do exist, the exact facts must
be known.
In order to get at the exact facts, The
Star has addressed a circular letter to
plantation managers asking for those
facts. A number of replies have been
received, and two of them are herewith
published
George II. Fairchild manager of the
Makee Sugar COMPANY writes from
Kealia, Kauai. as follows:
"The situation on Kauai, so far as 1
know, is not so serious as reported Still
| it is far from being as favorable as for
merly. The great difficulty is to keep
| the laborers at work and to get the
| same amount of work from them that
we did before June 14th. Under the
| contract system we were always able
| to count upon from so to 80 per cent
of our laborers in the field each day, but
now we have so per cent absent at times
| thus we have our houses full of labor
ers, all the way from 25 to so per cent at
home each day. If we demand of the
| laborer the same amount of work that
he performed formerly, he refuses
| promptly and starts travelling until he
| finds a berth to his liking. Thus we are
unable to keep all of our laborers at
work, and when working, unable to
demand a good days labor from them.
! There is enough labor in the country,
but when 1t is loafng half of the time
and when at work doing 25 per cent less
| than II can and has done, 1t is evident
| that the available supply of labor is
| greatly decreased.
"There is another source of hardship
to the plantations. A great deal of la
Dor has left the plantations to take em-
| ployment on Government works, such
as the sewerage system in Honolulu,
etc. but that cannot last forever. Under
the contract system the Japanese were
obliged to deposit $3.50 each month with
their Emigration companies, and at the
end of three years they had money
enough to take them to Japan; but now
having refused to allow this to be paid
from their wages, and released from be-
ing compelled to work at least % days
a month, they are unable to save
| enough money to go back to Japan ana
thus the country will have large Ia
boring class but cannot expect much be-
nefit from it until the new plantations
and Government have finished much
of the new work they are now en-
gagged in and hunger forces the laboreT
to work full time. With wages at Sl1Oc
a month, the laborer must work 20 days
to earn enough money to satisfy all his
wants. They live in camps at from st
to 81 per month and require about as
much again for clothes, tobacco. etc. A
great many of the contract laborers
were in debt to their camp cooks or
gambling friends, and saw that deser-
ton was the easiest way of liquidatine
their debts Already the camp cooks
are refusing to feed any man who Will
not work enough to pay for his board
and necessity therefore will drive many
of the loafers to work
There is another class of men who
are anxious to do work by contract
and many of these are men who are
anxious to earn as much as they car
and they will work hard If there is 6
chance to make any thing on the con
tract These will eventually go back
to Japan on their accumulated savings
again, there is another class who de-
sire contract work so as to be under nj
luna. They will work hard for a few
, days and earn enough in a week to al
low them to loaf a month This clas:
will probably never make enough tC
get away to Japan.
II all the Plantations WOulu us
charge from their camps, all well, able
bodied men who persist in working onl!
, half of the time, there might be an i'm
provement along this line, but as man!
are hard pressed upon new work o.
! some kind, they keep the labOrer ever
! though he works but half the time, feel
ing that half a month from man II
| better than none. This of course meant
house, fuel water etc. for twice th'
laborers necessary. To avoid this man!
are giving out the cultivation of thei
t cane to contract also the loading, cut
ting. etc, and this will ~robably be
2 better system than to work as we are
2 Still it has many disadvantages owin
to the nature of the people one has t
deal with. The old system was prefer
5 able where a plantation was not popu
lar with laborers owing to climate, 10
$ calty, ETC., There Is a great deal Q
7 changing about, relations and friend
II coming together, Some of the planta
h tions have the reputation of being cas-
: with their labor and others hard, an
thus many men are seen each day wit