The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-12-31
ABOUT NEGRO LABOR.

w. n. Armstrong writing to the
Southern Workman, points out why he
considers that the importations of ne
groes into the Territory proved a fail
IRE. Mr.. Armstrong lays it down to
the lack of study, in advance, of the
subject and to carelessness in the Sc
lection. His advice had been, he says,
that a body of fifty families should be
selected, even if it took a year to get
them, that these should be placed on
a plantation and carefully tried; and
that if, at the end of a year or more,
the scheme was successful, some of
these laborers should be employed as
missionaries who should return to the
States and invite their brethren to emf
CRATE"
Mr.. Armstrong goes into the terms
offered consisting of, free transporta-
tion of families, free houses, free me-
dical attendance, free schools wages
from SIS per month with bonus for
steady work and then says,
My suggestions We're not followed.
Laborers We're sorely needed, and the
transportation company wished to en-
gage in large business at once.
Tramps We're ready to come, but reli-
able people heSitated for fear of being
deceived Southern white men told
them that they would find slavery law
tul in the Island. Many hesitated to
leaVe home for a, distant place. This
was perfectly, natural Though the
statements Of the Transportation
agents were true, the people had no
means of verifying them. About nine
A L.,
bama and Tennessee, On the VOYAGE
nom the mainland they were we'll
cared for. Many of them had never
seen such a variety of food as was
placed before them. / was on the same
steamer with the largest body of them.
IN May of this year. the immigrants
reached the plantation and were soon
put to work. Higher wages were given
IN many cases than had been promised.
But the experiment has been sad
FAILURE. Some of the men have proved
10 be excellent workers, but the ma
Jority are not Too many city tramps
were in the lot. These soon became
disconnected One of them committed
highway robbery on a japanese, and
The numerous Japanese laborers rose
mp and demanded the expulsion of all
of the negroes. The plantation sent
away the worst men, though it sustain
ed much loss by so doing. Some of
out to do field work; some said the
work was too hard; some wanted to Sc
lect the work they preferred. Some of
them when they heard of the payment
of higher wages in the town. left and
abandoned their contracts, which in
volved loss to the plantation. Six
months have passed and the feeling
here Is strong against any further ex-
periments of this kind. 1t is believed
that these immigrants are a fair sam
pie of negro labOrers. This is unjust
1t is unfortunate that more care was
not taken in the selection"
To a certain extent Mr. Armstrong
may be right as to his views upon this
matter. The total sum of negroes upon
the plantations is very small, and most
of these are negroes who came here of
their own accord, some of them long
ago. But considerable work in "look-
ing over the ground" was done before
the last imported negroes were actu-
ally brought, and good deal of pre-
caution was taken. That we got about
as bad a set Of negroes as we could
get and that no, one will seriously talk
about bringing negroes into the Terri
tory is, moreover, an undoubted fact.
aatGI a,ar esg'.'nt o. ''.,