The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-11-27
TO SOLVE LABOR PROBLEM IN
THE ISLANDS.
j. B. Collins Returns From Inspecting
Thinks Negroes viii Come Here.

j. b. Collins who has been absent in
the Southern States since last July
studying the labor situation there with
view of bringing negro laborers to
Hawaiian Islands to work on the plan
tattons, returned on the China from
the Mainland. While his mission did
not result in his inducing a large
number of COlOred people to emgrate to
the territory, MIR. Collins is well pleas
ed with the trip for he is confident
that he laid the foundation for securing
ample help in the future from the
southern cane fields Mr.. Collins was
formerly the chemist at the Kohala
plantation and when the plantations of
the Kohala district wanted the labor
situation Investigated he was selected
to represent them.
During most of my absence" said
Mr.. Collins, Il stopped in Mississippi
studying the labor conditions there
The reason l selected this state and
devoted most of my time there was be-
cause l was more familiar with it's sit
uation and regarded the prospects as
more promising than in Louisiana,
Kentucky or Tennessee or Georgia
where | also stopped for brief periods
II was seriously handicapped by the
conditions of the cotton and cane crops
which are at their highest stage from
| the middle of September until January.
! In this period the demand for laborers
| is unusually heavy and every available
negro is used to help gather the crops
! The wages are also much higher there
at this time than are offered here the
laborers being paid from $1.25 to $500
| a day. During the rest of the year
! wages drop, the men getting from IS
to $40 a month and rent free. Natur-
/ ally under these conditions it was very
difficult to induce any of the laborers
to leave their positions when they had
The advantages in getting the laborers
from the district where l inspected
would be numerous for the men are
acquainted with the work, many hav-
ing served in the Louisiana cane fields.
Another condition which will even
tually prove favorable to our inter
ests, although 1t had just the contrary
effect at the present time, is the fact
that the agents of the sugar planta-
tions in Louisiana are sent out every
season and import from 5000 to 5000
labOrers to gather the crops in that
state. A large number of the extra
laborers come from Mississippi and
having once experienced the novelty OF
emigrating several hundred miles from
his home to work, it will not prove such
II difficulty to induce honI to move to {
greater distance.
1.-THE wages of 500 month and the
other privileges which l offered, seem
some other agent of the planters who
understood represented the planters
was in New York and advertised from
$22 to $25 a month for Portuguese lab
orers. When the negroes heard of thi:
they demurred to accepting our figure
and seemed to think that they shoulC
receive the same offered the Portu
guese.
Another element which works
+ against inducing the negro TO emigrat
, here is the great distance from hi
= home. Like many white people he i
: ignorant of the real conditions her
and has no appreciation of the adYan
!, tages which would be offered to him
= The negro seems to think that the Ha
G waiian Islands are a sort of wild un
civilized place where the people vii
put him into bondage. In fact man
of the white people of the district
i down south secretly influence the ne
: gro against coming here. They tell hir
;, that his new masters will put him int
Z bondage and that the ship will sin
n with him, or else they tell him som
y improbable story which will pray upo
g his credulity by arousing his fear
n this place.
- - I'm order to allay their fears
brought with me two colored men. on
- a laborer and the other colore
.s preacher. Rev. John Henry Cook of II
20 Methodist conference who is to stud
- the conditions in the islands and rt
- port upon them to his race. He WI
=, remain here several weeks and retur
ts to his home in Hazehurst and be alb
'a to give the negroes advice.
n 81 am very we'll pleased with II
" prospect for bringing the negroes he
- and am confident that as soon as u
,d present crop down South will ha'
ta been gathered many colored lahore
,o can easily be induced to move here
work on the plantations, and event
ally they will be brought in sufficie
numbers to satisfactorily solve the la
-