The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-03-30
NOTICE SERVED
UPON PLANTERS
Japanese Paper Shows That
Japanese Labor Holds
Whip Hand.


tiee served on the planters that their
Japanese laborers have the whip hand
under the new immigration law and
will use it if they think they are not
getting fair treatment. To put 1t in
another way, the professional Japa-
nese labor agitator is given a cue to
make trouble. This is the article:
every change of conditions entails
new responsibilities. This fact is es-
pecially true of the new immigration
provisions enacted by the United
States. in relation to the japanese i'm
migration. AS the dominant class IN
the Hawaiian Islands, the sugar planters
naturally have the greater part of that
responsibility thrown upon them. 1t IS
with the desire of impressing upon the
planters that fact and acquainting
them with what, to our mind, will be
the most effective means of dealing
with such matters, that we will offer
them some advice.
cit will be readily recalled by peo-
pie of these lands and the plantation
interests especially, that up to about
three or four years ago, the community
was constantly annoyed by strikes
among the Japanese laborers on the
plantations Discontentment among the
| japanese laborers was rife and it found
| expression in constant labor troubles.
Often the strikers forced concessions,
| frequently the plantations won, over
| the discontinued faction. But whatever
the result was, it inevitably caused an
| unsettled condition in sugar securities.
| But about three years ago a change
| in conditions occurred. That change
| resulted in a subsistence of the express
sion of discomfort among the japanese
| laborers The japanese learned that
| they could leave these islands and seek
EMPLOYMENT on the mainland. They
| took advantage of this opportunity.
After this extended movement of Japa-
nese toward the mainland of the Unit
ed States began, the strikes decreased.
| The explanation is self-evident.
"Prior to the Japanese learning that
they could leave these islands at will,
and secure employment elsewhere, they
felt that indirectly they were under
the domination of the planters. The
laborers were not actually contract en-
pIoyes but practically, they We're at
the mercy of the sugar plantations,
because if the conditions were not
satisfactory, only two courses were pos
sibIe. either to remain here and try to
fight it out, or else to return to Japan.
Naturally, they remained and the only
opposition that they were able to oner
was to go on strikes. When the Japa-
nese learned that they could 90 to
the mainland, affairs changed COM
pIetely. They realized that if local
conditions were unsatisfactory, the
most satisfactory manner Of securing
change, was TO leave the islands en-
tirely and seek employment on the
mainland. They did not see the use
of engaging in the extended strikes
that had formerly marked their con
duet. as the solution of their difficult
ties was found on the mainland.
''But the new immigration regula-
lions have changed that condition and
| brought the japanese and the planta-
ton interests into precisely the same
| relations that existed prior to the
| migration of the laborers to the Pa
cific coast The japanese realize this
fact and already, they are watching
with a jealous eye, the policy that the
sugar interests will pursue toward
| them.
"It is our desire that repetition
of the former unsettled. conditions, be
/ avoided. We, therefore, offer some
suggestions to the planters, the most
material of which is, to treat the Japa-
nese laborers fairly 1t is not fair to
the japanese to pay them less wage
| than is given other classes OF Iaborers
on the plantations. Their present scale
of wages should be raised to parity
with other plantation laborers. The
Japanese believe that they are entitled
to the same treatment in this respect,
with other races and unless such con-
sideration is shown them, spirit of
discomfort will be aroused among the
Japanese. Unsettled conditions, unfor-
tunate and improbable alike to both
the laboring and the plantations inter
ests. will inevitably arise. We think
that it would be well for other plan
tations to follow the example of the
Waialua plantation, where the Japa-
nese have been given an opportunity
of securing land, along with other
classes of labor. If the plantation IN
terests will but show the same just
treatment to the japanese, that IS
given to other laborers, the japanese
viii continue to be a steady, hard
working laborer. But if he finds that
he is being neglected, while other