The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-07-03
TO QUIET labor UNREST.
AND TO MAKE THIS a WHITE
MANS COUNTRY.
Suggestions From DR.. Maxwell From
Thinks VIII Build up Citizenship.

EDITOR STAR: In reply to your re-
marks, | will say that / am only able
to speak by the aid of my personal
notes, not having copy Of the Labor
Act of Queensland with me.
The motive and primary principle of
the Queensland Labor Act emenated
from the friends Of white labor. and has
in view the reservation Of the most de
sirable kinds of labor for the white man
who may be British, American, Ger
man, or other nationality. The result
of the operation Of the law is as fol-
lows: Labor employed in all public
works, domestic work and private en-
terprises in towns, in sugar mills and
other manufacturing concerns in the
country and labor employed for team
work ON plantations, farms, or in for
ests or mines, must be white; the en-
gagement of AsiatiC and colored labor
being restricted to the common acts Of
hand work, and of team work. i'm the
field
The above division of rights in lab
or, in the main, works to sound advan-
tage: 1t guarantees to white labor its
prior rights, and keeps the imported
Asiatic and coolie labor upon the plan
| tations and farms by stipulatinG that
they shall not be employed in tow ms,
on public works, or in any labor that
white men can do.
Whether the local legislature of Ha-
wall has competency to enact such a
law, | am not able to say; but that a
measure, embOdyino the primary prin-
! Ciple of the Queensland Act and mOdi-
fled to fit local circumstances, would
| furnish stability of labor upon our
| plantations, and incidentally protect
the position of white labor upon the
Islands, is evident on the face of it,
Every day we witness the effects of
I the absence of such a law Look at
To-,
streets of Honolulu alone, not to speak
| of the constant work upon roads on
! Oahu and the other Islands, and con-
slider the numbers of Chinese and jap
nese that are employed Then note the
numbers of Asiatics engaged in dray.
! building and other work in the town,
and consider that all those men have
| been withdrawn from field work on the
| plantations;'tO which add the final re-
membrance that it was plantation cap
ital that brought those men to the
country.
have said several times to certain
managers upon plantations that I
thought it was wrong policy. and would
have bad results if labor became free
| the giving of jobs to Cinnamon and
Japs in the mills that white men could
| do. A manager should surround him
self with the largest staff of white help,
| even if it is at a larger cost As to
public works, | believe it will be found
part of a large and far-seeing policy
! for the government to restrict itself
| largely or wholly to the employment of
white labor even at a much larger cost
| to the public treasury. 1t is already
well understood how desirable ii is to
| increase the relative number of white
| people, and to establish white settle
ment on the islands. The restricting of
| public labor to white men, even at a
higher cost, will be a means of drawing
such labor to the country, and this lab
or will gradually strive to settle itself.
Moreover, the government would cease
to compete for a kind of labor that was
brought to the country at private cost,
and which it should be the public en-
deavor to keep upon the plantations
AS already remarked l do not know
whether such a measure is practicable
now in this country; but if it were |
believe 1t would work towards a larger
influx and settlement of white popula-
ton; to the greater protection of white
labor already on the islands, and to the
restraining of Asiatics from coming to
town and seeking town employment
and to the stability of the situation on
the plantations.
WALTER MAXWELL.
Honolulu, July 3.