The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-01-26
SUGAR MEN ARE HELPLESS

honolulu, l. IL, Dec. b, 1SU4-
Aessrs. RothwelI, Lutted, Gonsalves
, Soper, Hooking and Smith. Com
mittee of Merchants Association
of Honolulu
Gentlemen: The annual meeting OF
this association and other pressing
matters has rendered it impossible tC
make earlier Acknowledgement of your
communication of November End, &c
which reply is now made.
Very careful consideration has been
given to your letter. in which it APP
pears that you have wandered some
what from the original proposition,
which was that the Hawaiian Sugar
Planters Association should guaran-
tee 2060 tons freight for each trip of
a special steamer to be run in the in
terests of tourist traffic between San
Francisco and Honolulu.
The Hawaiian Sugar Planters Asso-
citation desire TO make it clear to the
Merchants Association that while it
is quite in sympathy with any project
for Introduction of tourists, it is en-
tirely out of it's power to guarantee
freight to any vessel whatever. as it
is not a trading organization and
neither imports nor exports any mer-
chandise whatever. If the Merchants
Association desires support for a spe-
cial steamer, it should ask it from the
Chamber of Commerce and from the
ranks of it's own members, where the
importers are to be found.
The Hawaiian Sugar Planters Asso-
citation does not assert that it is
matter of Indifference whether or no
a proper ratio of white population is
maintained here" and it does not take
the position that such population is
not requisite or necessary for the
maintenance of good order and govern
ment," but it cannot see how any eff
fort apart from that it has already
made, can materially alter existing
conditions or cause any large influx
OF white settlers
1t is the policy of this association to
have all positions of skilled labor on
the plantations filled, so far as posi-
BILE, by United States citizens or those
eligible for United States citizenship.
The position taken up by the Mer-
chants Association that there are two
distinct camps in this communicate
planting and the mercantiIe-each with
it's own special interests to guard. and
both totally disregardfuI of the in
terests of the other, is untenable. Both
parties are working for the same
cause.-the good of the country, and
the protection of all agricultural and
mercantile interests
Your letter says: THE only sugges-
ton that can be offered, is to put forth |
every effort to promote immigration of |
a class of people whose influence and |
numbers will reduce the disproportion |
of population as it now exists This !
gestion'' Countries requiring settlers |
have immigration agents who use |
every personal effort and distribute |
considerable amount of literature to !
show intending emigrants. by facts |
and figures, where available land is to |
be obtained, what it costs, how to get
there, what to do when land is taken |
up, what crops are most successful and |
likely to pay, what the yield of such |
crops is per acre, what the average
returns over a number of years have
been, and what the chances are of a |
farmer materially improving his con-
dition by emigration.
If the Merchants Association, or any
other body or individual, can and will
get up such a statement containing
truth without any alloy of fiction, this
association will endorse it and assist
in it's propagation.
There is no use theorizing or making
objection to the existing conditions
unless we are prepared with some
practical suggestions for their amelio-
ration.
Asiatics for field labor are a necessi-
ty in this country. How to restrict the
immigration to the limits of this
necessity, or hinder emigration so that
will cease because of the
labor market being full, is a problem
this association cannot elucidate
How to stay the emigration of Por-
tuguese-which this association de-
plores-is also a problem. If small
farming suited these people they
would probably engage in it but ap-
parently it's attractions are INSULT
cient to keep them in these islands All
Portuguese willing to take employment
on plantations can register their
names, etc, with this associations sec
rotary, with statement of the kind of
work they want. and the wages they
require and the chances of their find
ing employment are good. Possibly
Mr. Gonsalves could supply the Ha-
waiian Sugar Planters Association
with the number and class of Portu-
SueSe wanting Work, with character
Of work needed, and wages expected.
The final request made by the Mer-
chants Association that the Hawaiian
Sugar Planters Association cooperate
in an effort to get the legislature to
substitute a local steamship line be-
tween San Francisco and Honolulu is
one to which the Hawaiian Sugar
Planters Association cannot accede.
We are. gentlemen.
Yours respectfully.
THE HAWAIIAN SUGAR PLAN
TIERS ASSOCIATION.
BY its President
F. NJ. SWANZY.