The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-11-26
PERTINENT QUESTIONS on
SUBJECT OF LABOR

- AAAAA 41r I'LL NA@At@& 14-A@S
he past months relative 10 the labor
question in Hawaii. and as the white
-aborers here have been held n very
InfavOrahle light IN many OF the a.
ticIes in question. trust you vii per
nit me 10 set before the general read
ing public a few points. either misuu-
derstood OF deliberately misrepreseut-
ID by many.
During nv sojourn on these Islands.
covering a number OF years. il has
been NY privilege not only TO be in
position where could observe meth
DDS employed with the laboEers. but
10 also be personally acquainted With
labOreFs themselves, and have heard
both sides OF the story.
It is q matter OF almost daily re-
mark that the white laborer from the
States viii not work in the cane fields
Of our plantations. on account Of the
heat and the peculiar trials OF such
life The people OF these Islands
seemed TO have overlooked one point
in the evidence. especially when so
anxious TO advertise the climate TO the
would-be tourist
/ contend that the labor in the cane
fields of Hawaii, with the thermometer
seldom ranging above So degrees, and
the laborer not required to exert him
self TO an extreme extent. is no more
trying than the work in the harvest
fields OF the States with the Their
mometer ranging as high as Ito de
grees in the shade. work rushed to its
fullest extent by the use OF rapid
working machinery. and the hours OF
labor often extending from 4 o'clock in
the morning until I and S o'clock at
night Yet the white laborer of the
States willingly performs this work,
demanding. however, just wages for
the same. The trouble with Hawaii
is that the white laborer of the States
is not willing to go into the cane fields
and work beside the uneducated, mon
grel labor employed and for the wages
offered. And | consider this TO his
credit when | watch the work OF the
average Oriental laborer in the fields,
and see the debasing lives they lead.
However. the Oriental laborer is
here. and many years must pass ere
he can be replaced by the white
labor of the land. if ever he is re
placed. The point, however. which
has attracted my attention is the in
consistency of the situation.
The plantations of these Islands
have entirely 10 their credit the Just
reputation of using a most excellent
class of machinery to assist in their
work. yet, let US examine the existing
conditions. We must not visit any
one plantation but may take them al
most as a whole. Indeed. we need
not visit the plantations at all, but
take the labor reports themselves TO
be in a large measure convinced,
Here We may have steam plow en-
CINE. costing thousands OF dollars.
and even more expensive and compli-
Gated than the locomotive of same
weight. BY whom is it run? A jap
anese. In one case to my personal
knowledge, by a Japanese who ar
rived on the Islands three days prior
to commencing work on the machine.
and who had never before seen a ma
chine of this character. nor could
speak word of English. All he knew
was TO open the throttle, move the
reversing lever, shovel coal and feed
water. The engine was run until it
was found necessary TO send to the
shop for repairs. Again, We have
new pumping plant, costing over
one quarter of a million dollars. We
employ a white engineer at $3.50 per
month and give him a Portuguese
wiper at $50 per month as assistant.
Said assistant is given quietly to I'M
derstand that it will be to his interests
to learn how to run the plant Within
two months the services of the white
man are dispensed with. although his
work has been perfectly satisfactory.
The Portuguese assistant becomes en-
gineer. with a Jap assistant. The
same details are gone over again. and
soon we find the japanese, man with
no knowledge of the principles of
construction, running the plant with
Japanese assistant, the two cost
ing the plan alton in wages less than
| $50 per month. The original white en-
gineer with his family is set adrift
and shortly returns to the States for
| lack of work This same principle is
followed throughout the entire planta
| ton work We find Orientals running
our mills, our pumps, our locomotives
and traction engines. carpenters, ma
chinists, blacksmiths. book-keepers
| time-keepers, surveyors. etc, etc, and
| yet every one of them are what we
so much condemn in the States
'picked-up-workmen."
All of our great concerns in the
/ States. and throughout the world
have long since realized that this prin
ciple of employing labor is the most
expensive that can be used for many
reasons. even barring the social and
political.
The Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pany. one of he corporations which has
done much TO demonstrate the value
of educated and skilled labor. now re
| quires that all of their section gangs
be recruited from among the gradu
ate engineers of our land. or those
studying TO become engineers. Why
First. because they obtain better re
suits directly, by employing men
whose brains work with their hands
and second, because they can ill their
higher Offices by the promotion of men
who not only understand the minutesi
detail Of the work but are educated
to advance.
The question naturally arises in the
mind OF the observant American
What is Hawaii coming TO under the
present regimen
There is no question that our plan