The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-09-18
A SERIOUS QUESTION.

Continuing the series of letters upon
labor which The Star is publishing, and
which are written by the leading man.
ayers upon the islands, representative
manager of Maui was given space yes
terday. The Maui man has a stronger
complaint than Manager Fairchild of
Kauai. In fact it has been well known
for some time that the labor conditions
in certain parts of Maui have been very
unsatisfactory. The why and the where
fore of this it may not be the time to
discuss, but certain it is that some
plantations can hold their labor and
even turn away labor, while others are
suffering severely from want of labor.
The manager whose letter appeared In
last nights Star is suffering from a
scarcity of labor.
The gist of the letter under review is
that if the government did not employ
Asiatics upon the public works, there
would be ample labor for theplantations
This charge may or may not be true. It
is certainly matter for careful inves-
uEation, and will be investigated. 1t is
really matter which should occupy
the attention of the planters association
If the government is paying a scale of
wages which takes away the labor from
private enterprises, 1t is high time that
halt should be called. The govern
ment has no business to be entering in
to labor competition with the agricul-
turalists, and it has no business to be
paying fancy wages and thus wasting
the money of the tax payers.
Upon the charge against the govern
ment, however, there must be more
definite light than vague generalities.
1t must be borne in mind that the peo-
pie of this territory have been prone in
the past to throw all their responsible
ties upon the government If labor was
to be obtained, it was the government
that had to negotiate for it and get it.
If a broom was to be bought for a
school house in Kau, government
machinery at headquarters had to be
put into action to buy it. Great or small
everybody leaned upon the government.
1t was the fault of a system of centra-
lization, and we are now striving earn
estly to decentralize and get responsible
lily placed upon the shoulders that
should bear it.
There can, however, be nothing more
serious to the progress of the Territory
than the Gripping of it's main industry.
If according to the letter under review,
cane which should have been ground in
July is still unground in September, 1t
is very plain to any one that it must
be deteriOrating and that the plantation
as an investment must be going be-
hind.
Now it is all very well to line up and
talk about sugar barons and enormous
profits, and so forth, but if the main
industry of the country suffers, we are
all going to suffer. We have large i'm
ports and our wharves and haDbor are
full of shipping. What does that de-
pend upon but sugar. Destroy the SUI
gar industry and would there be 1.-THE
of the vessels in the harbor, would we
require the 1.-THE of the coal, the hay,
the grain, the provisions, the dry goods,
and the mass of merchandise that pours
into the port and then is distributed by
steamers and schooners to every portion
of the group.
Ifethe sugar industry suffers all the
skilled labor in the territory will suffer. |