The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-12-10
FOR MIDDLE
CLASS HERE
Suggestion to Planters
How They May
Assist.

Editor Advertiser: In your editorial
Of the 7th inst. you ask, what is
the Territory going to do to carry out
the wishes of the President in the
building up of a substantial middle
class in these islandsf'
In reply can give my opinion OF
very simple solution of the ques-
ton. Having watched the trend OF
affairs here for more than forty years
and being acquainted with the many
different attempts to Introduce popu-
lation, some of which were for labor
only while others had an honest lnten-
ton to introduce a Emiddle class OF
citizens, | think your readers VIII
agree with me that it is very feasible
to introduce and locate permanently a
large and reliable middle class
Fifty years ago, when 1t was found
that the native population was made
quate to supply suffieiency of labor
ers for the growing sugar industry we
for the benefit of those interested in
sugar although the government was
somewhat a gamer by it in that lands
were brought under cultivation which
have never gone back to innocuous
desuetude.
We tried bringing in South Sea Is
landers, cognate race, hoping to in
troduee new blood and stay the decline
in aboriginal inhabitants. 1t proved
failure. We have always been willing
to listen to any advocate who had
an ideal source from which a desirable
population could be obtained. We, fol
lowing these, have run up and down
the whole gamut from Norway, Ger
many, Galicia, Azores, Japan, Porto
Rico, the Southern States and finally
brought in Russians. Any one who
had a theory was listened to, and our
representative government lent it's aid
to each scheme.
When the market for our sugars
drove our planters to uniting in an
association for their benefit and pro-
lection it unwittingly drove them in
10 something which has placed them |
at the head of the world in the science |
Of agriculture and of sugar making |
and marketing. 1t has also SO united !
them that they can act as a unit in a |
scheme for developing that "middle |
Glass; which is so desirable.
Should they issue a fat that no com
pany will give employment to an ORR
entail or one prohibited by the laws
of the United States from becoming a |
citizen in any branch of the agricul
tural work which an American can do
hey will soon build up middle class. |
For instance, when l see an Oriental |
running an electric pump which an
American with nice family to sup
port ought to be doing, and / know 1t
s being done because his services can
De had at somewhat less rate of pay
know that his employer is not trying
o. build up a middle class. Should
hey follow out a line of giving all |
finds of work to Americans, or those
qualified to become such. which they
an do here in the tropics, there would
Don be numerous middle class who
would be consumers for the products
md garden-truck of those who gradu-
lily emancipated themselves from the
ugar manufacturing and took up lands
n the vicinity of plantations.
Lands are of but little value to
hose who can not sell the products
f the soil, bat this middle class would
ford an increasing market and prob
bly, these small farmers would be en-
bled to ship their excess abroad. To
ollow out this scheme, which the union
4
erhaps result in somewhat less profits 4
o the sugar planter, but in the long
I'm thew may find it to their great gain.
such a united attempt to build up
middle class was made it may be !
hat the general government, recog-
izing the effort for building up a
esirable population, would grant Ha-
ali control of it's own immigration | !
hen laborlng class could be brought
Tho would have no political ambitions,
nd who would, for good pay, be glad
} do the field work, which Americans
ave found impossible. 4
1t is futile to enumerates the many r
ifferent classes of work, from driving :
Jules to managing plantation, where
,ere should be "only Americans on ..
uard, but your readers are quite .
apable of eomDrehending what this /,
digestion of mine implies.
JAS w. GIRVIN.