The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-04-24

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|. Hon Clarence, w. Ashford, who re-
turned, to Honolulu a few weeks ago
after. ann absence of seven years. was
asked; yesserdaygCwhat he thought of
the future sof the Islands and what. in
his ,opi1ion,I they must depend upon
for their COMMERCIAL advantages.
Upon, the epastfj heard what hard
jimes there7were in. hawaii" said Mr..
Ashford, "and this Information came
ma Inly from Honolulans. Since 1 have
been bacKcih Honolulu some people
8aye snaeaYo5sd to tell me why the
times were hard but from all that
have seen and heard IT seems to me
that, with the natural fertility and
wonderfuf prodnooiveness of the soil,
without = considering other elements,
these, islands are,net now in a bad way
ana are going to forge ahead CONNER
cially. 5Ehe degree Of prosperity may
be. and Will be- measured. more or less,
Blythe expense of producing our great
staple That practically is the whole
thing IN, a, nutshell Sugar is a COM
mon need and we, can produce plenty
of at here. s;Ets :.
,When l. Was i'm politics here years
ago il seemed to me there should be
something in the Islands besides a big
sugar field, but I don't think now.
There has been a great deal of talk
about small farmers. Very good in its
way. but it would take mighty lot of
them to throw into the scale against
one plantation in a commercial sense.
o"StiI. diversified products ought to
be 1fostered as much as possible. in or
der to produce on our soil here what
we need for our own consumption, more
especially in the way of food stuffs.
But, with, regard to the great staple
and the, cost of production. the plan
tations have been pinched between the
upper and neither stones in this way:
The price for labor has gone up. the
price OF thee product has gone down,
and if this keeps on there will be moth
ing in either, but don't believe this
Viii be the case. The cost of produc-
ton depends very largely upon the
price of unskilled labor-probably more
than anything else.
/. 'Tyyhile- L have done a great deal OF
taikingsiIs former times in and OUT of
the Hawaiian. Legislature, in favor of
Chinese restriction, the conditions were
greatly different at that time than at
presents AT that Time the sugar area
was muc3I less than now-probably not
more -than one-half of it's present
boundarEes+ahd The number of Chinese
rnalessiss the country was vastly greater
than it is now Under the conditions
as they existed in 1SS7-1SSS, when Chi
nese legislation was taking up consid-
cradle time. restriction seemed to me
highly desirable. but 1 am sure that
today would not find me supporting re-
strictive measures.
The condition. now with reference to
Chinese labor, as 1 view it, is this:
That the great need of sugar planters
is cheap labor. Their product is brought
into competition with the product of
cheap labor sapd bounty-fed sugar
throughout the world, and if we don't
have cheap labor for our plantations 1t
wiz Seriously impair the profits. if not
eventually wipe them out altogether.
THE cheapest. because the best, that
mas ever been utilized on these plan
tatiops,. is. Chinese labor, and am most
decidedly, in favor of such conditions
as win alloy The. planters to recruit
their labor FROM China and retain it,
With such INCIDENTAL protection to the
White artisan as may be possible under
the existing circumstances. But, after
all. ii nnIist be remembered that if there
is. no labor there win be no sugar. and
II there. is no sugar there will be no
work for White artisans, or for those Of
~ cntir1 fry "