The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-03-08
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results as just visitation upon tn
planters for the entirely selfish way il
winch Tor the last thirty years the
nave dominated the islands in thel
own interests. To those, however. VIII,
are not governed by interests or pref
udlces, aside from what are inherent
IN the desire to see perpetuated fol
their posterity in the islands the bene
hts of civilization under which they
nave HVed, the prospect is not invit
ing, and an anxious and determined
ehoFt, Feeble at present, 1t is true. but
destined to grow in strength with time
Is apparent on the part of the haole OF
white element to secure to its future
generations the blessings which they
| themselves have enjoyed AS yet the
| sugar interests are not unanimous in
| their support of the movement. and
many of the planters are quite willing
/ to go on with Japanese labor as beng
| Immediately, and, to their minds. CON
| sequently ultimately, cheaper. To sucn
men the advent of every fresh cargo of
| iaborers from the East is a source of
satisfaction, for with it comes more
intense competition in the labor mar
ket and consequently cheaper labor.
| 1t such are the methods of a part of
the planters today, when their col
| leagues are willing to forego a moiety
| of their pampered dividends in the in
| terest of white domination in the is
lands, they may be said to have been
the methods employed throughout the
plantation IN years past and to have
been the direct cause of the present
| regrettable conditions. Until 1875 the
sugar trade was of little consequence.
Various attempts had been made from
time to time to conclude a treaty of
reciprocity between the island monar-
chy and the United States, but without
avail, and so long as the markets Of,
the United States were closed against
1t it could do no more than struggle
through sickly childhood. During
this period the few laborers needed on
the plantations were easily enough
recruited from the Chinese coolies who
had followed the sandalwood trade in
to the islands, supplemented by occa-
sionally industriously inclined natives.
But when, in 1873, reciprocity treaty
was finally concluded with the United
States and the tariff walls were breach
ed for Hawaiian sugar, its production
doomed, and with the increased produc-
ton came a greater demand for labor.
The Chinese, too, had by this time be-
gun to show signs of preference for
their native crop and were leaving in
large numbers for the rice swamps-a
tendency which has nearly denuded the
cane fields of coolie labor.
1883
It was evident to the planters that
if they were to make the most of their
advantages under the new tariff con-
ditions more labor must be brought in
to the field, and that as it was not in
coming of it's own accord, it must be
assisted. In their first attempt at i'm
porting field labor it must, in justice
to them, be said that they acted with
extreme good sense-or, perhaps, rath-
er that unwillinglv they were the tools
by which an extremely valuable part
of the present population was brought
into the islands. For it is question !
able if seif-interested planters would
have paid the expenses of importing
5000 Portuguese laborers, however val
liable they were eventually to become
to the community, if they had known
whole 5000 would at the expiration of |
years, slip quietly away to the cities |
which they had purchased by economy
and frugal living, leaving the planta
tions as bare of laborers as they had |
found them. The planters had erred, |
but the Territory today is richer by |
$4,000 moral, Industrious, and frugal |
citizens by their error-and this one !
act of unintentional philanthropy on
the part of the sugar men-almost the
only one of any sort of philanthropy
which can be placed to their credit, as
a body, in Hawaii-covers in the
minds of many multitude of sins.
1t taught them, however, not to look
for the solution of their labor troubles
in the Azores; one assortment of the
. canny Portugee' was sufficient. So
with a line drawn through the word
Portugal, and "rice Preferred scrawi-
ed across the map of China, they turn
7d to the next name on the list, which,
for the Territory, was
Japan Here there were conditions
which suited even the most mercenary.
A redundant population which needed
room for overf1ow-a population which
once on the plantations in all Hkeli-
mood would remain there-was precise
V what they were in search of. Add
o this that the people were hardy,
quick, industrious, and that the ex-
oenses of importing them were slight,
t is little wonder that the proposition
If japanese labor appealed to the
planters, and that. stung by the mem
~ of their Portuguese experiment,
hey were not loath to give them a
rial as against haole labor.
tS,H4s
THE RACE PROBLEM
AS result, in 1885 the planters i'm
ported number of shiploads of Japa-
lese. and the eXperiment proved sue