The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1902-12-12
Alfred SteadS Exhaustive Article as
It Appears in the Current
Golfers Weekly.


a hand-to-hand contest between capital
and labor. whose scars are not yet
healed. While this tremendous strug-
gle has been going on let us see what
has been doing in an American country
which it would be well for the Amer
lean toiler to remember more frequent
ly-"the United States of the Pacific
Hawaii the land of sugar and coffee.
and many other things.
Small as are the Hawaiian Islands,
and insignificant as they may seem
when compared to other portions of
the United States, yet they contain an
object lesson which statesmen ut
Washington would do well to study on
the eve of the reconvening of Congress.
The labor problem in all its ramifica-
tions is the one huge question which
today holds the attention of the entire
civilized world The labor problem of
the Hawaiian Territory contains many
aspects which must be encountered in
the development of the Philippines.
1t is true that the lessons are in minia-
ture, but this has only the effect of
rendering them more easily studied AMI
learned.
The difficulty of obtaining la
Dor from the outside to cultivate
fresh territory Is here very clearly
demonstrated. Every year it becomes
more and more difficult to obtain fresh
supplies of the same labor at a work
able price and thus Hawaii has become
a regular sample land of unskilled la
borers.
The Hawaiian Territory has an area
of 6,449 square miles, and the Philip
pines one of $1,000 square miles-thus
the area of the latter is about eight
times as great as the former. In the
Hawaiian Territory the land is capable
of sustaining a population of 10000;
and at present there are only about
100000 Thus there are necessarily
vast tracts of country totally untouch-
ed, and the question inevitably OBJ
trudes itself. if this is the case in Ha-
wall. will it not be much more so in
the larger group of islands?
WORKERS OF MANY RACES.
The reciprocity treaty with the United
States in 1876 had created an urgent
need for labor, and an attempt was
made to utilize Hindoo coolies: but
discouraging reports caused the idea to
be abandoned. In 1878, $50 Portuguese
laborers were introduced without hav-
ing signed contracts before arrival.
This condition was, however, made
compulsory in the same year. The sue
cess of these laborers led to AZ immi-
grafton treaty being signed with Por-
tugal, under which 1000 immigrants
arrived within the next six years
chiefly from the Azores and Madeira
During the six years from 1878 to 1884
upward of 1000 South Sea Islanders
were introduced, but without success
1t may be noted that it has always
been found difficult to induce immigra-
ton to the Islands owing to the fact
that the government had no land to
grant as homesteads to the immi-
grants.
In 1884 the Japanese government
consented to allow emigration to
Hawaii, and in the following year $50
japanese arrived. A lack of proper
arrangements led to a suspension Of
the inflow, but in March, 1886, the
emigration convention was signed.
The immigration assumed such large
proportions as to lead the Hawaiian
authorities to believe that it would
become unmanageable. Accordingly
several of the ships containing Japan
ese laborers were sent back without be-
ing allowed to land their passengers.
A Diplomatic rupture resulted, which
was about to be referred to arbitration
when the annexation of Hawaii caused
a hurried payment of $4,000 in settle
ment of her claim for damages. Be
tween 1886 and 1896 there were 32,O56
japanese immigrants, and only 1868
departures back to Japan. In 1899
20,55S males, 1922 females and 633
children arrived, a total of 26,103 (out
of a total immigration OF 32,725); and
only ESQ left -2,074 men, AIT women
and 2S9 children. And these figures
must be considered in the light of the
fact that there are no longer any as-
sisted passages, all laborers having to
pay thir own fares.
Attempts to introduce Porto Rican'
laborers are now being made, arrange
ments having been concluded for the
supply of nearly 10000 OF whom some
2 900 have already been sert in 1901.
Negroes have been tried, but have
caused endless trouble, and the plant
ers do not favor further immigration.
Recently Portuguese from Massachu-
settles. and Greeks, were being brought
]
disinclinatlon to come; OF a body OF
go on their way only IA arrived at their
destination. II has never been found
feasible to induce large bodies OF white
| immigrants 90 come, though the au-
thorities tried hard 10 Induce white
immigration,
The total number Of laborers oi all
nationalities on the plantations on De,
az. al. n
whom some 20, $40 were under contract
The Hawaiian Territorial act however
put an end % all such oontrael' maze
since the annexation ~ the Islands u
the United States,
.
Mafalda, said the bin was ~ great I'm
porlaroo, not alone 90 llaly hul n
Montenegro who're me nunbrr ~ NV
D Nh. I'M