The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-09-15
EXACT LABOR CONDITIONS
(Continued from page one)

their packs on their backs, hunting a
place of easy work"
THE best solution Of the problem is
to introduce more labor, of class that
Is thrifty and wants TO work every day,
There Is already a good colony Of Por-
tuguese in the country and they are
good laborers and excellent citizens.
The plantation can afford to pay them
more for they work regularly and their
children work as well.
THE average Negroes reputation for
work is not good and the South will not
let it's good negroes leave. The Porto
Ricans will not fill the bill. The State
should come to our help and allow us
to procure a class of labor that will
work i'm the cane fields and raise fami-
lies that will be a credit to the country,
and will not be a cause for regret in
years to come. Why try new coloni-
cation scheme with any other class OF
labor? The success of the Portuguese
in Hawaii is the best card to attract
an increase to the present colony and
the writer knows of many good fami-
ly in Portugal ready to come II the
means for transportation are provided.
Surely the Government of the United
States did not annex us to bring about
ruin; it is anxious to see a good class
of citizens here and one that will con-
tinue to raise cane, for every extra
acre put into cane means so much more
work for the mechanic in the United
States in the making of machinery, sup
plies. etc. To expect the American to
come down here to hoe and strip cane is
an idle dream. but the more cane that
there is to hoe and strip, the more work
there will be for the American teams
ters, mechanics etc. Because the Anne
rican enlists readily for military service
abroad at a low wage. is no sign that
he would enlist as eagerly to cane
field work at twice the price. cane
field under the Southern Cross in need
of hoe is quite unlike a war in China
in need of guns; one appeals to the
bread winner instinct, anything but ad-
venturous, the other to patriotism and
love of adventure. No one has heard of
any United States deserters at Honolulu
turning up in a cane field armed with
Mr.. Markham's renowned hoe.
Our delegate to Congress should
see to It that Hawaii is allowed to be
colonized with tillers of the soil, and
Portugal has good material, far better,
probably, than Italy or Spain. The
bringing in of these people should be
allowed as they will not come into COM
petition with any of the laboring classes
on the mainland and they make good
material to put into the future bull
warks of the state.
Suggestions:
81. That the Planters combine and
agree not to give houseroom to laborers
who, when well and able, persist in loaf
ing.
80. Government discontinue drawing
its labor supply from the ranks of the
plantations.
"3. Uniform wage and contract sys-
tenn based on consideration for climate
and local conditions.
"a. An earnest effort to induce good
Portuguese from agricultural districts
to come to the islands.
"5. See that such a colonization
scheme is allowed by the United States
and does not conflict with the Emigra-
ton laws"
Another Kauai plantation manager
writes
1.-THE plantations on this Island are
certainly short of labor, and work is
much retarded for this reason; the
situation will become even more accen-
tuated as the grinding season APP
proaches"