The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-02-27
HAWAIi'S@ PROBLEM
tContin led from page II


means. and in every way found their
condition much better than at their for
mer homes.
During the few years next preceding
annexation. in anticipation Thereon, many
new plantations were started, thus Great
ing larger demand for laborers.
| With annexation al contracts, OF
course terminated. Demand was at once
made for higher wages, and tbs condl-
ton of things threatened 20 cause chaos.
! In addition thereto the low price OF
I sugar and the restlessnesS caused by a
new form of government, with the uncer-
tainty thereon attendant, rendered the
condition of affairs at Hawaii very seri-
GUS. The necessity for additional labor
erS apparent to all, put the prop
lem was how to obtain them.
! An attempt was made to induce labor
ers to come in large quantities from Por-
to Rico This attempt was, in part sue
| cessful; but the men who have come
from that island have been SO poorly
/ nourished in their own home that some
time is necessarily spent in building
! them up to the standard of good labor
ers; nor are they proving satisfactory as
| to honesty. Theft seems to be inbred In
many of them.
| Every endeayor has been made to in
duce the Portuguese to continue to come,
| but the people are too poor to pay Tor
so long a journey and under the laws
of the United States the planters are not
| permitted to pay their passage, although
j they would gladly do so If it We're posi-
BILE.
1t seems. therefore, necessary to turn
, to Asia for help, unless, indeed that help
| could be obtained from our own country.
1t will be interesting in this connection
| to tell you of an actual experiment made
in this direction.
| In the early part of 1897. Mr.. Fitzgerald,
! the labor commissioner of the State of
California, was invited to the Islands to
attend a meeting of the directors of the
| Eva Sugar Company. The invitation was
accepted, and the commissioner was fur
nished with every opportunity for obtain
| ing information.
| Before leaving, he expressed his opin-
| ion that white labor could be successfully
introduced for the cultivation of sugar
cane upon the plantations
After considerable correspondence the
manager of the plantation visited Cali
forn!a, went into various agricultural dis
tricts and succeeded in obtaining only fif
teen farmers. ten of whom were single
and five married men. to go to the ISL
ands. Their expenses were paid and
their existing Indebtedness settled
These farmers were engaged under a
plan wereby they were to cultivate and
care for the, cane from the time 1t re-
ceived it's first watering up to maturity,
and were to receive one-sixth of the ac-
tual profits the sale of the sugar pro-
duced from the cane Each was allowed
an advance of S1S per month and was
furnished, free of charge to himself,
house. fuel, water and medical services
Good schools were maintained contiguous
to the plantation. Each was also allow
ed small piece of land adjoining his
home on which to cultivate vegetables,
and water necessary to irrigate the same
was furnished.
Thus an honest effort was made to in
troduce white labor especially white far
for the of clltiVa irp the
cane upon the plantations
AT the time this experiment was under
taken the joint commission sent out by
Congress, consisting of Senators Cullum
and Morgan and Representative Hit,
were at the Islands, and were much in
terested in the effort, and expressed the
hope that it would tend to solve the labor
question at the Islands.
a field of deep,rich soil, already planted
with seed cane, and water was allotted
to these farmers for their cultivation.
One of them was elected by them for
their Sub-overseer in the distribution of
irrigating water, and they commenced
work.
The following is a record of the time
each man stayed and the reasons given
by each for dissolving his connection
with the plantation.
One man worked one month-Wife dis
satisfied
Two men worked seven months-D,ssat-
isfted and quarreled with rest.
One man worked seven months-Dissat-
isfied with the work.
Two men worked eight months-Dissat-
iSfied with the work.
One man worked eight months-Dissat-
isfied with the work: returned to Cali
fornia.
One man worked nine months-Wife
died at Portland, Or.
One man worked u months-Illness.
One man worked u months-Ill and dis
satisfied with the work
Five men worked 16 months-Dissat-
isiied with the work, but stayed until
crop was mature to fulfill agreement
In all, the Is men worked 159 months.
General average OF time at the plan !
tation 106 months.
From the outset there was dissension
among these farmers Complaints. trivial /.
and otherwise. were constantly made:
extra men were always needed to keep
their fields in order: and although only
five OF the fifteen remained, these We're, (,
however, dissatisfied and stayed only I'M
til completion of the maturity of the ,
crop TO obtain the benefits therefrom.
During the time of their employment
they had received each over $40 per
month in cash. free rent, firewood, water
and medical attendance-more in fact
than the plantation could afford to pay
for profitable cultivation; and yet these
five men refused to entertain a similar
proposition for continuance Of the field
work.
The experiment was a failure. Not one
of these fifteen farmers was Incorporate;
they quarrelled and were dissatisfied:
said the work was mental. laborious and
distastefUl to white men. AS these Were
all respectable. law-ab. ding, temperate
men, the only conclusion that can be
reached Is that American farmers viii
not work in the cultivation OF the fields :
OF the Hawaiian Islands. The work was
d!stasteful to them in the warm climate.
The farmers performed but one. and that .
the lightest portion of the work to Wit,
the hoeing and irrigating of the cane,
consisting of removing by the hoe the
weeds from the burrows and turning in
water IN the various water courses for
irrigation. They did not cultivate so well
or so much land as the Asiatic laborer.
No complaint was made by them that
the plantation had not fulfilled its agree
ment
1t was the aim OF the company at the
outset TO establish further colonies of