The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-10-07
INVESTIGATING
LABOR SITUATION
SPECIAL AGENT OF THE UNITED
STATES BUREAU OF LABOR NOW
AT WORK IN THE ISLANDS.

Victor Clark representative of the
Bureau of Labor at the head of which
is Carol d. Wright, is now in the ter
ritory making an investigation Of the
conditions of labor here andaof the
labOrers. His work here is to enable
the United States Commissioner of La
Dor to comply with section 76 of the
Territorial Act which provides: 1T
shall be the duty of the United States
Commissioner of Labor to collect, as
sort, arrange and present in annual re-
ports statistical details relating to all
departments of labor in the Territory
of Hawaii, especially in relation to the
commercial industrial, social, educa-
tional and sanitary condition of the la
boring classes, and to all such other
subjects as Congress may, by law, di-
rect. The said Commissioner is espe-
cially charged to ascertain, at as early
date as possible, and as often there
after as such information may be re-
quired, the highest, lowest and average
number of employees engaged in the va
riOus industries in the territory to be
classified rs to nativity, sex, hours of
labor, and conditions of employment,
and to report the same to Congress-"
Mr.. Clark is gathering by actually
personal investigation and inquiry a
great deal of the information regard
ing labor and employment that the
Senatorial Commission sought to elicit
by examination Of witnesses. Very full
reports on this subject have already
been made by the Commissioner of La
Dor, giving in detail and in statistical
form much of the information that the
Commission of Senators only secured IN
general statement.
Mr.. Clark was an official in the Unit
ed States Educational department in
Porto Rico during the military occu-
patton of the island by the United
States troops under General Miles and
for considerable time afterwards,
while the American school system was
being introduced and established in
that island. 1t was while he was there
that the terrific storm occurred which
devastated so much of that island, and
reduced the people to so much poverty
and suffering. Not only We're the crops
and means of sustenanCe destroyed, he
says, but the plantations were destroy
ed, the soil in many places, especially
in the higher attitudes being washed
away. One result of this was that the
population from the interior crowded
into the towns on the coast to such an
extent that labor could not be provided
for all of them, and thousands starved
to death.
1T was no unusual thing at this
time" says Mr.. Clark, "to look out over
the plaza in Ponce in the early morning
and see several dead bodies, the re-
mains of those who had died of starva-
ton during the night. 1t was from
conditions such as these and from
among a people largely reduced in num-
Der by starvation, that the Porto
Ricans brought to Hawaii were recruit
ed. That they did not prove altogether
satisfactory is not surprising. 1t is
easy to fancy that their being brought
here was a great deal better for them
than for the territory"
Mr.. Clark is making very complete
investigations into school matters, the
nationality of pupils, and the charac-
teristics they develop in the schools, as
well as the effect of American schools
on the children of diverse nationalities
and races so far as it can be seen.