Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-08-14
NEWS FROM
OUR COLONIES.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

There Is but one serious problem con-
fronting the sugar planters of Hawaii.
said Civil Service Commissioner Roden.
berg, who has just returned from those
islands. THAT Is the labor question. The
proper kind of labor Is scarce already.
and future agricultural developments VITA
be greatly retarded unless some provision
Is made to supply this element in the
community. The Chinese are the ideat
sugar plantation workers They are bet.
ter workers than either the japanese on
Portuguese, and, BESIDES they give no
trouble. They are quiet and always live
up TO their contracts. Since the islands,
were annexed, however, no more China
men can be secured. and sugar planters
are much exercised regarding this ones
ton.
"a strong effort will be made by Hae
waiians at the next session of Congress-,
when legislation on the Chinese question
viii be made necessary by the egpiraton4
Of the Geary act, to have a clause in
the new law providing that Chinanens
| may be brought from China to the Ho-
| waian Islands under contract TO do pure.
| ly agricultural work FOR period not to-
exceed ten years, when they will be dc -
| ported.
1.-The Porto Ricans who are now in the
| Islands as an experiment are not Prov
ing generally satisfactory. They have to-
great extent the disposition OF the ma
tive Hawaiian and love ease great deaA
more than work. IL is not likely that ans
effort will be made to increase by impof
tation the Porto Rican population OF the
islands
There is also another contemplated
solution of the question which is receiS.
ing serious thought and investigation at
the present time, and that is TO import
native Filipinos 10 work on Hawaiian sii
gar plantations"
Aduiteration Of indigo by the natives.
of the Philippines has almost ruined the
export market for this product of the
archipelago, and has eul ,se price in half.
According TO reports received at the War
Department. years ago indigo was one
OF the important products of the islands.
In quality the Philippine rrtiele com
pared favorably with the best grade OF
the Guatemalan product. Ii used to-
bring from 81 to 60 cents per pound hut
in 1870 the price fell to % cents. At
present it fluctuates between so aud 30
cents. The decline in price was brought
about by the deterioration In the quality,
that resulted in a greatly lessened de-
mand. The cause of this deterioration ~
explained by the fact that years ago tho
native growers knew and practiced only
the most primitive methods OF preparing
indigo, but with the arrival of large nnm-
hers of Chinese in the Philippines the,
original process was abandoned and the
natives began to initiate the Chinese
practice of adulteration. 1t was found
that by the admixture of small quaint
ty OF lime with the indigo the coloring
matter could be precipitated and the pro-
duct prepared for the market in a much
shorter period. While the more rapid
process provided source of temporary
profit, the effect upon the quality os the
indigo was soon discovered by the pur
chaser, and the Philippine product. owing
TO its extensive use of lime, fell into
discredit In foreign markets.
-
During a long talk on affairs in The
island Of Guam, Gov. Tilley recently gave
President Mckinley some valuable and
interesting information. One Of the Gu
rious facts brought out was that civil
izhtt0n had introduced tuberculosis on
the islands. Before the advent of the
trousers, shirt and coat the native did
not suffer from colds and coughs When
il rained he or she smeared the body
with oil Of cocoa and the rain had no
effect The native, however. has not
learned how to handle the wet shirt or
trousers emergency and the American
clad native is therefore contracting the
diseases consequent on wet clothes dried
on the body The native mothers, it *
said, were wofully ignorant about how to
rear babies. The diet never changed
when the children were sick. II thew had
cholera infantum they were dosed with
bananas, cocOanuts or raw sweet pickles.
whichever happened 20 be in stock But
for all this Gov. Tiley declared peaple
Of Guam are u manly. vigorous race.
aud anxious 20 become good eiti-
zens Gov 'riliey impressed on the Pres
ident that there were great needs for the
islanders for industrial and agricultural
education. Their ideas were as yet very
crude, but they were making progress.
-
Cuba has population of about I.5O0,-
600, OF whom 100000 are native whites.
142 600 foreign whites, 234 900 pure
blood negroes, 2S5, 600 muistto or half
breeds and $4,000 Chinese More than
40 per cent are unable to read or write