The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-08-24
How it Worked on
] a.SmaH Scale
at Eva.
UTTER FAILURE OF
CALIFORNIANS
Had Fair 1rsstmen. But Soon
Gave Up Their Contracts
and Went Home.
WI ITH conditions which they ad-
NV nitted couId NOT ha mora 70

w mitted could not be more ia
vorable, with every possible
concession that they could wish except
higher pay, fourteen Californians came
to Hawaii two years ago to work on a
sugar plantation. To the party of four
teen were allotted 13i acres of the best
land Of the Eva plantation. and yet
with every advantage that they asked.
and without any objection to the man
agement, of that number only five re-
manned until the first crop of cane was
matured.
Although they made for the entire
term of their service with the planta-
tion $40 per month. with house, fuel.
water, a garden OF 5000 square feet.
schools and train to convey the chill
dren. physician when they called on
him, free of cost. not one of the five
though two are still with the Eva pfan-
tatfon, as. oyerseers. And more. when
the cane was arriving at maturity, the
men who remained refused to either
strip, cut or load theirs crep and this
work had to be done by Japaneses
These facts tell of the first serious
and the only determined attempt to
plant purely American colony upon
a Hawaiian cane field. It was to be the
forerunner, for had it been successful
there would have been carried out the
original plans, made by former Man
ager w. j. Lowrie of the estate, which
contemplated the cutting up of the
plantation into small fields. Of an ay-
erage of 100 acres to fourteen men, to
be cultivated by the members Of the
hui, and the planting of an American
plantation of above 1000 men, AMI
their families upon the broad acres of
this estate. The total failure of the
experiment, for Japanese huis now do
the work upon the very plans followed
by the company in the arrangements
with the Americans, convinces the
plantation men who came into contact
with the trials that the white man can
do any kind Of work that Is necessary
upon plantation with sugar cane, but
that he will not do some kinds of work
on any basis, and that he will not do
any kind for long time.
OF the men who took up their homes
at Eva, five were married and had
families. The desertions began when
the colony had been on the plantation
only month. The first man to leave
went because his wife would not stand
the quiet life; the wife of the second
died within a few months and he would
not stay; the third had a quarrel with
a neighbor and quit; another soon after
was taken Ill and left for the Coast, and
then, six months having elapsed, and
the cane being in fair condition, FIVE Of
the young men deserted the plantation
in body, taking only their personal
belongings and surrendering any prof
its; which might come to them under
their contracts. OF the five remaining
two were old men. one was a middle
aged man and two were boys. They
stuck sit out and then when the cane
was milled they took the money and re-
fused to longer work at raising cane
That they were not extraordinary men
in any way is further shown from the
fact that at the present time, OF the
9. 100 men on the plantation there are
working with teams. There have been
many more, but during the two years
OF the administration of the present
manager there has not been an Ameri-
can who would do manual labor In the
cane fields and keep at it
Without going into the various jeai-
ousies and petty auarrels, which IN
the old days back East would have
been called CLOTHES line fights" which
kept the colony in a constant turmoil.
the capacity Of the CaIifornians to do
hard and constant work was brought
into high light. The oft-repeated as
sertion that one Intelligent American
workman is worth two or three cheap
men. was conclusiveiy disproyen. The
greatest amount of labor in the cultiva-
ton of cane Is In irrigating and hoeing.
This is not hard or fast work. There
must be let into a ditch just so much
water. More will wash the land; less
viii not keep the cane up to It's grow
ing powers for the nine days. To hoe
the cane along the rows while the wa