The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-03-16
CHARGES Or PtTTIsRtW
Lcanl-na.A Iram rae. ID

Senator " these contract llhorsfs Who
seem tn he yum.ng 90 Hawaii 100 such
large numbers dlsp.ace other labOrefa
10 the Islands In other words u they
we're not brought there, "a the supply
~ labOrers sufficient % meet the re-
quiremenis OF The islands, know
nothing about it and would like TO OBJ
tain Information.
Mr.. Pettigrew. presume, Mr. Pres.
idcnt, that In measure they displaoe
day laborers, and that an additional
number Is also needed TO help take the
place OF those who returned to Asia,
their contracts having expired. They
are also needed to open mp new planta-
tons. For instance. when the anneXa-
ton of Hawaii was talked OF, we were
told 1t was the best coffee country in
the world, and that great coffee plan
tations would be opened upon the an
nexation of that country to the United
States. But there Is no duty on coffee
from any country to the United States,
while we have levied duty of almost
cents a pound upon sugar.
The result is that since annexation
the sugar business, which is exceeding
ly profitable, has taken the place of the
coffee business; and we no longer hear
about the raising of coffee in Hawaii,
but they are blowing up the coffee
plantations and putting them into SUI
gar. In fact, the profits of raising su-
gar are enormous under the bonus we
give in the way of remission OF du-
ties to the sugar planters of Hawaii,
amounting this year to nearly $4,000
900, which we would collect upon
like amount of sugar from any other
country. This enormous bonus goes TO
nj n n orr yyhn have absorbed all
the land of that country and who pay
the most meager wages to the slave
labor which is employed to raise the
sugar.
Mr.. Gallinger Will the Senator
permit an interruption?
Mr.. Pettigrew. | will.
Mr.. Gallinger. l was interested
when the Porto Rican bill was under
consideration in the committee of
which chance to be member to learn
the fact that in Porto Rico they only
produce from one to two tons OF sugar
per acre, while in Hawaii they pro-
duce from six to eleven tons per acre.
That is very productive sugar land;
perhaps the most productive in the
world. ! want to ask the Senator, who
| think has been in Hawaii and has
Investigated these matters, If these
poor Asiatics are not taken there as
contract laborers, would they voluntar-
lily go and labor there under better
conditions than surround them as con-
tract laborers-their lot seems very
hard, according to the statement of
the Senators, as contract laborers-
would they go in sufficient numbers TO
meet the requirements of the planters
in Hawaii for ordinary laborers?
Mr.. Pettigrew. Undoubtedly they
would go there If the wages were high
enough to induce them to go, although
| believe none have gone heretofore,
practically, except those who have gone
under contract.
1's Mr.. Spooner | desire to ask the
Senator a question.
The Presiding Officer (Mr Nelson in
the chair. Does the Senator from
South Dakota yield?
Mr.. Pettigrew. Certainly.
Mr.. Spooner. | tried to obtain rec |
ognition before l asked the Senator to |
yield. l desire to ask the Senator
whether the labor contracts referred
to reserve the right to dock" the Ia
borers, as he used that word?
Mr.. Pettigrew. Oh, yes, Mrs. Presi-
dent; and have the report here of the |
secretary of the bureau of immigration,
plantations, and in his report showed |
the methods pursued In one case the
contract called for twelve dollars and a |
half a month, the laborers to board |
themselves; but he says in his official
report that they only receive from six
to seven dollars a month, because the |
superintendent would dock them If
they were slow, If the men did not |
move quite fast enough for him.
Mr.. Spooner. If the Senator will per-
nit me, l put the question to him for
the reason that, perhaps, in his alb
sence the bill has been amended, part
ly on motion of the Senator from Min
nesota mr. Nelsonl who occupies the |
chair for the moment, so as to provide
that no suit or proceeding shall be
maintained to enforce specifically any
contract heretofore or hereafter en-
tered into for personal labor or sery-
ice; nor shall any remedy exist or be
enforced for breach of any such con-
tract, except a civil suit, brought sole
ly to recover damages for such breach.
While that, of course, guards against
almost all of the hardships and evils
which we want to reach, it would not
guard necessarily against the right re-
served in the contract, If 1t is in the
contract, to arbitrarily dock laborers
because they are not fast enough; and
it was with a view to ascertaining
whether the amendment which has al
ready been adopted was sufficiently ex-
plicit and broad to eXtirpate these trou-
bles that put my question to the Sen
ator; and I should be glad to have him
answer in that view.
Mr.. Pettigrew. | was aware of the
amendment we have already adopted,
but it is not satisfactory to me for the
reason that it provides a civil remedy.
The legislature over there is quite liza
BILE to be controlled by the vast inter-
ests we have built up there. We have
RENTED duties to the amount of $780,
100000 to the sugar planters there; we
have taken that money out of the
pockets of the people of the United
States and paid it over to them, be-
cause their importation of sugar did
not reduce the price in the United