The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1905-01-10

The committee found the houses,
Quarters and buildings In excellent con-
dition with scarce an exception, and
much attention paid to sanitary con-
ditions
Hospitals are shown in album -
pages.
Schools are shown in album -
pages.
Plantation houses and quarters are
shown on a number of pages.
Third: The present industrial situa-
ton and the possibility Of q material
change in its character.
There Is great dissatisfaction among
the white laboring classes over the
present labor situation.
They see men who in their private
utterances advocate American labor
and who are jealous of their own sta
ton in life, giving their patronage to
Japanese labor because their individu-
al selfishness Is served thereby.
They recognize there is a law on the
Territorial statute book which is in
/ tended to protect citizen labor in Gov
eminent positions and contracts, yet
they see contractors trying every
scheme to evade the intent of the law.
They recognize the efforts of the Gov
ernor and heads OF the departments
but ask for a more rigid enforcement
1t would be folly to indulge in charges
| on one side or the other for the past,
| but the fact remains, white labor has
| right to compete when allen labor
| Ia fully occupied and white labor is
| not.
Against the mechanical establish
ments, of which we can support but a
few, and those only by the patronage
| of the plantations, there is no COM
/ Maint, for the Honolulu Iron Works,
Cation, NELL e. Co., and others EN-
ploy only citizen labor exclusively.
In the years 1S99-'900 and 1901 (parD
there was a marked expansion of the
plantations of the Territory and a
boom in the cities of Honolulu and Hi
10, our only large towrs.
| At the same time the revival of bust
ness in the United States rendered la
! Dor scarce on the mainland, and diff
| ficult to obtain In Honolulu, and much
| more so on the plantations. Planta-
tions sought and vigorously competed
with each other for all classes of la
Dor and were forced to employ any la
Dor they could get that could possibly
carry out their improvements, regard
less of nationality.
During the latter part of 1901 and 1902
the reaction set IN and became very Sc
vele, not only on labor, but the in
! yestors in plantations. lator suffered
as 1t always does after a boom. The
present higher prices for sugar prom
ises some relief. but the sugar crop
! of 1904 was mostly marketed before the
rise in prices.
The leaf hopper pest mainly destroy
ed 1900 tons Of the sugar crop of 1904.
This pest completely destroyed all the
growing cane of TIE Haraiian Agri-
cultural Company, so that under the
most favorable circumstances that
company cannot harvest a crop until
1907. We make this statement to H.
iustrate the uncertainties of the bust
ness Of growing sugar cane.
! On an investment Of approximately
s91, 2S0,617.29 The plantations made for
the year 1902 book profit of only
SS95, o27.95, while the Federal Govern
ment, on its, investment of $4,000 900 in
the purchase OF these Islands cleared
$1,143,5l995 net.
In the year 1903 the plantations clear
ed a book profit of .0499 per cent and
declared dividends at the rate of .024t
per cent. The profits OF the Federal
Government did not vary much from
the previous year.
When 1t is borne in mind 96% pei
cent of the income of the Territory was
thus affected its seriousness may be
realized
The committee finds the business OF
raising sugar varies much in its profits
and losses according to the advantages
or Disadvantages possessed by indi-
vidual plantations.
The extremes OF depression and high
prices affect sugar as well as any Other
product.
1t has seemed best to give a table
of the years the plantations have ex.
listed as at present organized, computed
in totals.
Total years established. rs.
Years dividends have been paid in
part .................... 81
Years dividends have been paid In
| lu!l I. . .SS'
! Total dividend years .............. 35I
1t is but just to present the difficult
ties the managers state they meet in
. the employment of white labor. partic-
ularly the managers OF plantations on
the outlying islands.
First-They are Obliged to accept al
very considerable expense whatever
white labor Is sent. having no oppor-
iunity 10 confer with the empIoye pre-.
vious to his arrival. 20 disappointment
to both parties and delay often occurs
to the great detriment and loss of each
|, Second-Life on a plantation, fal
away from the towns, entertainment
and society becomes very monotonous
50 some single white employees become
intensely dissatisfied. not with wages
: or treatment. but sheer WEAKNESS o.
seeing always the same few people
! every dow until thev hnnuy leave II
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