The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-12-17
WHITE
MEN WILL
NOT WORK
Experience of One
Contractor on
Hawaii.
SPENDS HUNDREDS
UPON A FAILURE
His Men Too Fond of Good Living
and PleaSure-Had TO
Take japanese.
FTER REPEATED efforts. rang

A FTER REPEATED efforts. rang
lE ing over a period of some five
4 a years L. NJ. Whitehouse, the con
tractor who has been concerned with
some of the largest contracts in the
islands, and who now has charge of
the construction of a division of the
new Hilo railroad, is convinced that the
ordinary white laborer will not work at
ordinary manual labor. This conclu-
sion was reached after experiences
costly and varied and while the con
tractor still looks for white men who
fulness in the search.
The most recent, most costly and
most depressing experience was an at
tempt to secure white labor to construct
the Hilo railroad division, contract for
which was let to Mr.. Whitehouse. The
desire arose from the fact that to take
any other course might have an effect
upon the labor supply of the Olaa
plantation. So it was that a contract
was given to certain labor contractors
here, to enlist white men to go TO Olaa
and take sub-contracts on the railroad.
Previous experiences had discouraged
the contractor from attempting to hire
the men and put them to work In a
gang Re knew they would not work
unless they were of a type different
from any he had been able to find be-
fore. The labor contractors, three in
number, had to give up their search
when they had located twenty-eight
men and temporarily admit defeat
The work provided for the white men
was of such a nature that there was
plenty Of choice. The right of way had
to be cleared before there could be any
grading There was wood cutting,
grading and some rock work. 1t was
figured out by the contractors that
white men should be given not less
than 0per cent more wages for the
same labor than any other kind of
workmen and the rate for a days work
was placed at about $500. The con
tracts were so arranged that steady
work would net from $1S to $50 a week.
This would mean that the workmen
should put in ten hours a day in the
forest
OF the twenty-eight men one only re
maiued at the end Of two months. The
men began to drop eff after the first
week Some Of them soon learned that
there was a difference between the
rates Of the white and Japanese labor,
and to the surprise of the contractor he
found that his costly laborers had en-
ticed hands from the plantation and
had developed into Iunas in a small way
and We're working as little as possible
them selves. but were anxiOusly watch
IN 6oua nv (F-.iay,t11e tho
percentage was not sufficient to main
tain the luxury which thOse laborer3
insisted upon and they drifted away.
The principal reason assigned for the
men falling to stick to their small con
tract was that the cost OF living was
too high. The men collected here had
gone over together and had been board
ed for two weeks at the expense Of the
contractor. Yet when n came 20 work
time they would not live in company.
Instead each one had his cabin. There
he lived IN absolute independence. max
ing drafts for advances from the con
tractor. There was no attempt at econ
omy In fact. the men lived on timed
groceries at a high rate all the time.
and never tried to utilize all that came
10 them. In most instances these la
bOrers spent 50 n day for food alone
The class OF labor. while the very
best obtainable. was not good. The men
had a dislike Of continuous endeavOr and
after a few days work would 20 70
the nearest japanese joint and indulge
their appetites for intoXicants. which
meant n rest Of several days before
they we're ready for a new start. while
this experience with the first lot was
being obtained a number OF Italians
We're sent down from this city. They
lasted a little longer. Then the Japa-
nasa bad 70 be taken up and that class
~ l2hor VII complete the road. Alto
gethe- Mr.. Whitehouse says he is out
over Ssoo by his white labor experiment
in this instance alone.