The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-08-24
LABOR
EXPERIMENT
Continued from Page l.,

ter IS running into the ditch is such |
ilght work that 1t Is often performed |
oy women. 1t can be done only SO fast
tor the man must stay in the ditch to
see that the water is coming all right |
IN this 1t is clearly to be seen that an
American cannot do more than the
most ignorant. of Orientals.
When the cane is ripening the lower
leaves must be stripped from the
stalks. This work was essayed by the
members of the California colony. but
they would not continue to do it. The
STOPPING position necessary for the
labor was harder upon the stalwart
american than 1t was upon the little
brown man. Actual tests showed con-
clusively that the Japanese could do
more than the Californians and it was
only short time until the white men
utterly refused to go into the close
rows of cane and strip. When the cut
| ting season came on the white men had
been hiring so much of their work
| done that they tried this branch of the
work without much heart for it. The
swinging of the cane knife is not es-
sentially hard work. but the men woulo
not take to It. and after slight trials
| they gave up and this ended their ac-
| tual labors with the crop, for they
consistently said they could not load
cane after they had seen how the Jap
anese walked over the broken fields up
to the tops of cars with a heavy load
of the stalks upon their toughened
shoulders. AS the cane was planted
and ready for the first cultivation when
the colony took hold, it is seen that
there was only one of the several proc
esses in the making of the crop. at
which the Americans worked, and at
this they will not do any more than
did any other laborer. while in the 9th
er processes they fell behind the Orient
ais and gave it up.
| The conditions met by the members of
the experimental California colony were
not to be despised. The terms of the
contract fixed what the men were to
have and they got all that was prom
ised. AT the settlement the company
erected nine houses. which were all that
were required by the members. These
were of twenty-four feet square, with
verandas at the front and back. and with
| a kitchen separate. There were four
rooms, each of about twelve by twelve
| feet These houses were not set upon
the road but there was left front gar
den. and behind a larger one. The lots
| were approximately 100 by so feet. and
there were constructed such irrigation
bitches made 1t possible for the small
| planters to have all that they wanted
| in their own gardens The houses were
unfurnished. but they were supplied with
plumbing, and there was every eonven-
| fence that the ordinary farmers house
contains. There was pipe line which
carried water for household use.
All fuel that the planter might want
was furnished, the only duty that the
planter had in this connection being its
cutting. In addition there was pastur-
age for any domestic animals that the
planter might have The colony is three
miles from the school and the plantation
| furnished a train to bring the children
and take them. There was some objec-
| ton to the children going to the same
| schools as the Japanese but even now
there are many children in the same
schools, doing quite well. The attend
ance by the physician was of course in
cluded And as the colonists were not
in the best position financially, it was
provided that an advance of SIS d month
| in cash. was to be made for the living
expenses of the Individual planter.
| The other side of the arrangement was
| that the planters should take care of the
cane just as they were directed by the
plantation men. That every process of
the cultivation should be followed and
that the plantation should have the right
| to hire extra labor and charge it to the
cost of the crop, If there should be neces-
sity for it. The division of the returns
was to be five-sixths for the plantation
and one-sixth for the planter. This gross
amount was to be divided on a ratio
decided upon by the planters themselves,
in he for
any immediate settlement the basis
should be $50 per ton, the balance to be
| sent settled later 1t was upon this basis
that the final settlement was made.
Each of the men who stayed received
$40 for each month of his service and
the two men who had to leave, owing to
i'll health and the death of wife, re-
ceived the same rate.
OF the causes which were ascribed for
the failure there were none which were
on all tours with anything that the man.
agement expected 1t was agreed by the
men that there could be nothing done by
the plantation that would aid them, ex-
cept pay them more money. The rate
paid them was more than twice what
was being paid for the same labor to
men of other nationalities. The young
men who deserted in a body said that
they were homesick. that they could not
agree with one another, and that the
returns were not what was expected.
There was no charge that the planta-
ton did not do all that was promised
but the fact remained that the men
could do better in other lines, and they
would not work in the fields
| AS to the internal disagreements they
were many. The men could not agree as
to which one should have charge of the
| irrigation bitches, the man who was
responsible for the amount of water
turned into the fields. Then they did
not agree as to their relations In their
homes. There was constant squabbles.
until the manager, who was looked to for
the settlement Of all these little matters,
used TO set his horse to hard gallop
when approaching the colony and galIop
past so fast that he could not be
stopped Now 1t was one neighbor using
the water when it was wanted by an
other Then II was pipe which was
stopped up.
Summing up the whole matter it is the
| opinion of the plantation men who
h.