The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1903-06-12
FINDS MUCH
TO COMMEND
Wright's Report on
Labor in
Hawaii.

Carol d. Wright, the Commissioner
of Labor, does not find any Of the
abuses of labor which certain reform.
ers" circulated so industriously at the
time of the visit to Hawaii of the
Mitchell Senatorial Commission. In
fact he finds much to commend and very
little to condemn. The material for the
report, copies of which have just come
to hand, was collected by Victor S.
Coark, and the Labor Commissioner
recommends that hereafter annual re-
ports be no longer required as provid-
ed by the Organic Act. One report in
four or five years, the commissioner
says would answer every economic and
social purpose"
The report opens with the chapter on
the general condition of labor and in
dustry in the islands, with a description
of geographical position, population,
soil, etc.
CONTRACT LABOR LAWS.
There Is a full history of the penal
labor contract in the islands, which a
certain element has characterized as
slavery Mr.. Wright takes an exactly
opposite view. The system arose in the
first place he says, from the fact that
many of the first plantation managers
were seamen. and the native kings
finally adapted the seaman's shipping
law to the whaling fleet, and it after
wards became the labor law of the ISL
ands.
INFLUENCE OF MISSIONARIES.
"The planting interests have long
constituted a sort of Industrial oil
garchy in Hawaii" the report says
''and even their passive influence has
counted for much, both in legislature
and in hall of justice. But it does not
necessarily follow that this influence
was detrimental to public or private
welfare, or exercised as a rule for sell
fish and short sighted ends. 1t doubt
less tended to preserve internal peace
and order under the monarchy, hasten
ed the material development of the
country, and was otherwise potent in
evolving modern civilization in the ISL
ands. But the commercial spirit has
not dominated alone. The missionaries
brought into Hawaii a temper Of New
England altruism so practical and
progressive that it has always con-
stituted an efficient force in shaping
public policy and private practice in
matters of civil right. Local public
sentiment was strong enough to cor
rect evils that were arising in 1870 and
there Is little doubt that such sentiment
would have led ultimately to -a=termi-
nation of penal contracts even had no
such emergency as annexation arisen"
THERE WAS NO SLAVERY.
Several individual cases of abuses are
cited but the report says Physical ILL
treatment of contract laborers was the
exception" Further, There seems no
ground therefore, for believing that the
former contract system in Hawaii was
system of quasi-servitude for labor
ers after the reforms of 1872, or that
1t was marked by extreme injustice or
brutality, Europeans who have work.
ed under 1t seem to regard it with no
special antipathy. A man who had
himself risen from the position of a
field cultivator to the highest ranks of
plantation administration, stated that
he had seen more abuse of men in a
single watch upon an American sail
ing vessel than in twenty-one years of
| life in the Hawaiian cane fields. 1t
was not n system that an American
1t would be practicable to revive, but
1t ought not go down in history bur-
dened with any particular odium. 1t
was simply an adaptation of a United
States statute to n particular situation
to an end no less eXigent for the coun-
try in which 1t was enforced than is
the end which justifies. in the opinion
of our Supreme Court, the existence of
our seamans shipping act, in spite of
our constitutional provision against in
voluntary servitude."
NO PLACE FOR THE NEGRO.
The report then deals with the va
rious efforts to obtain labor from
abroad. AS to the negro the commits
sioner considers that there is no induce
ment for them to come here from the
South,
Furthermore" he says. "a prejudice
has always existed in Hawaii against
the Importation of black labor, which
has found voice in at least one occasion
in special resolution of the Legislature
opposing such immigration, There are
social reasons that make the negro an
undesirable settler in the islands. the
| Hawaiians are not allied racially with
the negro. For these reasons, political
and social, Hawaiian public sentiment
considers II undesirable that an ele-
ment be added to the population that
would be certain in time to disturb
the existing happy conditions and TO
create or emphasize unnecessary pref
udices.'
SHOULD NOT DISTURB MAIN IN
! DUSTRY.
The commissioner finds that all the
planters do not favor Chinese and
points out some objections to that
class. AS to Japanese he also sees OBJ
lection, and finds that the Asiatic
labor checks the emigration of eau
casions and limits the market for white
labor and thus tends TO hinder the
building up of a strong, self-governing
| cnnmnnity In the mid -pacinc Wara