The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-06-16
Continued from Page II

are growing it employ japanese to dc
the work. These successful planta-
lions of coffee can scarcely be called
small farming for they represent con-
siderable capital and the employment
of many japanese laborers. One cot
fee plantation sometimes cited as an
example of successful small farming,
had, when 1 was there, 200 japanese
picking coffee. A better term to use
would be diversified industry and this
I believe will develop more and more,
but slowly.
s-Thera is so little land suitable
for cultivation outside Of the sugar
plantations that the land laws OF the
mainland would be impossible ana
ridiculous here The production of
tropical staples requires large capl-
tai and large areas of land We must
consider Hawaii in the light of the
history of tropical islands and coun-
tries. 1t must be remembered when
men talk of Americanizing these is
lands. that they have never been
white mans country" White men
have been always small proportion
of the inhabitants.
e-Tha Japanese children born here
and educated here are not far different
from other American children in their
ideas. except as affected by home en-
yironment. The older Japanese are
loyaI to their old country but have a
respect and, as far as they understand
an admiration for American institu-
tons
THE planters would be in favor
of European homestead labor If 1t
were in their Judgment practicable.
Where is the land, to come from to
proyida homesteads5 If this land now
leased to planters were sold at low
rates to Europeans for homesteads,
how would they be able to cultivate
the lands? How could they plough
them thirty inches deep with steam
pIows? How could they erect or man |
age the costly systems of irrigation by
dams, reservoirs and pumps? There
are plantations in which one thousand |
dollars Cs10O0.00) a day is paid for
fuel for pumping water. Again Eu-
ropeans coming here would have to
compete with the Asiaties already
here. many of them born in the
islands Ask yourself the question,
are the planters against their judg-
ment to divide up their lands and to do
what they believe from experience
would ruin themselves and the is
lands? 1 believe that if it could be ar
ranged to. give laborers small holdings
for home and garden, that it would
tend to settle the population already
here. But this has difficulties. If land
is alienated, then the plantations can
not keep out saloons or gambling re-
sorts as they can now to a large ex-
tent.
Again, believe it is only fair to
people here, Hawaiians, Portuguese
and others, that they who have labor
ed here for years or We're born here
should have the first chance at the ;
lands and that the first chance should :
not be given to new and untried peo-
pie from Europe. 1 know that people ,
here now are indignant when it is pro- ]
posed to give land to new corners. pass i
ing by those now resident in the is +
lands.
S.-If the question means would 1
prefer European labor if practicable.
I say Yes and probably every one
would say so. So far as tried, other
than Orientals. only the laborers from s
the Azores have been success. The S
European laborer, like the American,
wants a chance to advance. If he l
works on a farm, it is with the in t
tention to rent piece of land as soon G
as possible and then to buy. The op- i
portunity for such is not here because I
OF physical conditions largely. I am c
familiar with labor conditions in all t
parts of the United States and in parts I
OF Europe. I have been on nearly /
every plantation on the islands and I [
say deliberately that the planters and
managers take a great interest in their r
laborers. Again I say that when one t
that they are paid eighteen T
dollars (s1s00) per month and have '
their homes, fuel. water and doctor t
free, that they are better paid than t
most labor in the United States of a
similar class and moreover the ORR Il
entail laborers for industry, sobriety and t
general conduct compare favorably T
with any laborers in similar employ Il
study the question here without re- L
versing his opinion as to Orientals and d
the acknowledgment that We have o
much to learn from them n
9.-The opinion of experienced men /.
here is that white labor is not likely o
to be a success on sugar plantations, t
and my opinion is the same. In no Il
tropical country do white men work in b
cane fields and I am inclined to believe a
that it is extremely doubtful whether
they would do so here Experiments v
so far tried with European labor have 4
not been a success.
10.-The islands are of value as af- b
fording a cable station, as forming s
the cross roads of commerce to the C
Orient and to Australia. They are "
also as a place where most il
race problems are being a
worked out. Nowhere do different races E
live together with such mutual respect II
and good will. The Orientals here g
acquire the habit of using American F
goods and go back to their homes b
tending to open new markets. Those n
who return carry with them also ideas n
as to government which come from
residence here. DIR. Pott of ST. Johns S
College, Shanghai. tells me that the
boys from Honolulu revolutionize the
ideas of the other Chinese students If