The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-07-24
F|L|P|NOS
WON 7 WORK
UnempIoyedstrike
Without Any
Cause.
DEMAND MADE
FOR CHINESE
Development Said to Depend on
Orientals = Supply May Be
Drawn Upon for Hawaii

Filipinos as laborers seem to be i'm
| possible in their own country Already
there is a demand in the islands of the
archipelago for more laborers, the inn
i petus given to trade and agriculture
by the closing of active warfare ha,y-
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 record as is given to
these laborers by the newspapers of
their own land, and by every army Of
ficer, 1T 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 neees-
| 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, and
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
! ly, the following from the Manila
Times, is conclusive:
THE strike among the employees of
the labor syndicate recently formed by
: the Civil Commission is an indication
of what may be expected continuously
. | if native labor has to be depended upon
J. for the development of the industries
: of the Philippine Islands, and is for
chile argument against the exclusion
of Chinese laborers. The labor syndi-
3 cate of which these natives were en-
3 ployes was formed by the Civil Com
4 mission at the request of number of
leading FiIipinoS for the purpose OF
z relieving the present distress and as
q sisting the natives in obtaining en-
8 ployment. This employment was found
8 on the Benguet roads for those VINO
Z were willing to accept 1t, and $50 OF
3 the unemployed were sent. up by the
= syndicate and given work, provided
3 with good food and given liberal
daily wage. In addition to being paid
3 80 cents a day, the men were given
Z three meals daily, and this generosity
3 has apparently spoiled them. Every
& protection should of course be given
3 to the Filipino laborer in his own
3 country but if he fails to rise to the
= occasion he cannot complain IL Other
q ASiatics are imported who are capa'
. BILE and willing to do the work which
q he, through his natural Incidence, Is
q unwilling to perform.
y THE labor question is one OF the
& most perplexing questions in the de-
q velopment of the islands, and 1t has
B been said with good deal of trutr
= that the only solution of the problem
8 is through the importation of Chinese
q The timber forests and mining resour
3 ces of the Malay states and Bornet
q would never have been developed with
g out Chinese and Indian labor.
3 IF there is any objection to Chinese
8 labor, why not import the surplus sup
q ply of Porto Rico, the same as is being
q done in Hawaii. During the past few
q months over 1880 men, women ant
II children have left for Hawaii. to thu
g order of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters
= Association, and it is stated that abou
e 5000 men will be sent to those islands
q shortly. The emigration of her labo
g class may be considered a blessing 70
q Porto Rico. The island Is exceediugl.
g oyer-populated, and there is no worl
g to be offered to the vast army of tn
g unemployed. Those who are left be
x hind have more opportunity to bette
g themselves, and those who emigrate
8 especially those who go to Hawaii, o
s. who may come to the Philippines, vii
B be given permanent employment. TIL
g climate and style of labor would sui
g them, as being that to which they ha
u been accustomed, and the importatio
XVO1lld nf
e Filipino laborers to a sense of wha
g they are missing"