The Hawaiian gazette., 1901-07-26
|P|NOS
WON'T WORK
UnempIoyedStrike
Without Any
Cause.

Filipnos as laborers seem to be inn
possible in their own country. Already
there is demand in the islands of the
archipelago for more laborers. the i'm
petus given to trade and agriculture
by the closing of active warfare hav-
ing made the demand greater than the
supply. The leading journals of Ma
Mia are now agitating the importation
of Porto Ricans to work in the cane
and hemp fields.
With such a record as is given to
these laborers by the newspapers of
their own land and by every army Of
ficer, it appears that they would offer
little aid to local industries, even If
there appeared no obstacles to their
being brought here. The conditions in
the archipelago are now such that
there is "a demand being made for the
continued bringing in of Chinese and
Japanese in large numbers. This Is
said by the Manila Times to be neces-
sary to make the progress which is
hoped for by those who are now pro-
noting the exploitation of the indus
tries of the islands.
Should there be no restriction of the
immigration of the Orientals into the
Philippines, there would be offered a
chance to secure many of these labor
ers for the plantations here. The wages
offered here are better than those paid
anywhere else, for the Same labor, ana
there would be attracted large ship
ments of the Japanese and Chinese, if
the ruling af the war and treasury de-
partments should be that men could
come from the islands.
AS indicating the status of the labor
ers in Manila and the islands general
y, the following from the Manila
Times, is conclusive:
The strike among the employees of
lot,
the Civil Commission is an indication
of what may be expected continuously
if native labor has to be depended upon
for the development of the industries
of the Philippine Islands, and is a for
chile argument against the exclusion
of Chinese laborers. The labor syndi-
cate of which these natives Were en-
ployes was formed by the Civil Com
mission at the request of a number of
leading Fiipinos for the purpose of
relieving the present distress and as |
sisting the natives in obtaining en- |
plOyment This employment was found |
on the Benguet roads for those who |
were willing to accept It, and $50 of !
the unemployed We're sent up by the |
syndicate and given work, provided |
with good food and given a liberal |
daily wage. In addition to being paid /
80 cents a day, the men We're given |
three meals daily, and this generosity |
has apparently spoiled them. Every |
protection should of course be given |
to the Filipino laborer in his own
country but if he fails to rise to the |
occasion he cannot complain if other |
Asiatics are imported who are capa-
bic and willing to do the work which |
he, through his natural Incidence, is
unwilling to perform.
The labor question is one OF the |
most perpleXing questions in the de-
VelOpmpnt of the islands and II has |
been said with a good deal of truth
that the only solution of the problem
is through the Importation of Chinese.
The timber forests and mining resour-
ces of the Malay states and Borneo
would never have been developed with
out Chinese and Indian labor.
IF there is any objection to Chinese
labor, why not import the surplus sup
ply of Porto Rico, the same as is being
done in Hawaii. During the past few
months over 1880 men, women and |,
children have left for Hawaii, to the
order of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters
Association, and it is stated that about
5000 men will be sent to those islands
shortly. The emigration of her labor
class may be considered a blessing for
Porto Rico. The island is exceedingly
over populated, and there is no work
to be offered to the vast army of the
Those who are left be-
hind have more opportunity to better |;
themselves, and those who emigrate, II
especially those who go to Hawaii, or
who may come to the Philippines will
be given permanent employment. The
climate and style of labor would suit
them, as being that to which they had
been accustomed, and the importation
would have the effect of rouslng the
Filipino laborers to a sense OF what
they are missing"