The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-12-10

and the white merchants OF Ha"ai
are greatly concerned about what tns
future holds for them. This compeu'
ton with the Asiatics is felt mos'
quickly in pursuits that are conducted
in a small way. The Oriental absoros
all the petty traffic. The wholesale
merchants and large department store
proprietors do not seriously complain
The japanese in Hawaii are quick &c
seize every chance to become skilled II
mechanical industries. 1t is the com
mon testimony that whenever a Jap
anese is given job as assistant TO
skilled worker or a mechanic, he be-
comes the soul Of industry, working
early and late and showing perfect
willingness to be imposed upon and
do the work which properly belongs TO
the skilled white man he is assisting.
One is told of an American mechanic
saying: 'The white mechanics on the
plantations have an easy job / never
did a real days work myself when i
was out on the plantations. We got
used to sitting around and seeing Japs
work. and so got lazy. A good many
men get too lazy even to lay out work.
|
by they find they have trained, up
mechanics just as good as themselves.
EXHIBITS OF THE SITUATION.
Here are some fragmentary memo
randa presenting interesting aspects
of the problem of Asiatic competition
in Hawaii. which were secured by Fed
eral investigators.
Ap,arioon r1-o1,,t,,
Stated: When 1 vast at
plantation, twenty-five years ago, fifty
of us white employees used to sit down
together at the clearinghouse table,
and there was quite a village of white
and other citizen employees who were
married. There were several hundred
white carpenters in Honolulu, and the
other towns at that time. AS late as
fifteen years ago about all the carpen-
ters were whites, and received s4 a day.
Now We have a lot of Kanaka and
Portuguese helpers at lower wages. In
our carpenters union we have only
about forty members, of whom not a
dozen are able to earn the standard
union wage"
Another American carpenter said:
The Japanese can compete with us
and under-fgure us at carpentering,
because people will accept work from
Japanese that they would not accept
from white carpenters"
Several instances of very poor con-
struction. in residences occupied by
whites, but built by Japanese labor,
were observed in Honolulu. Defective
roofs and window joinery, cheap de-
vices in framing, and the use of poor
materials were 81 noticed. The Jap
anese can underbid whites at frame
construction. however, even where they
are held strictly down to specifica-
tions. A man, intending to erect a |
frame tenement and store building in |
Honolulu, allowed a margin of $500 to |
contractors employing only white labor. !
In spite of this handicap the Asiatics |
secured the contract.
WHAT JAPANESE LABOR DOES. |
An American builder, employing all |
japanese labor, said: 1.-The cost of |
in Honolulu, with Jana
nese labor, is less than it is on the |
Coast with white labor. 1 erected |
twenty-four houses last year with jap
anese workmen. Six of them are now
occupied by white carpenters, who are
paying $40 a month rent, where they
would have had to pay $50 or $40 a
month If white labor had been used.
me carpenter work and painting of a
lve-room house, with Japanese labor,
costs $500, which includes making doors
md window frames from long stock, /
,loth covering, papering, and interior
painting. of |
n California would be: Carpenter work.
800; mill work. $1S5 to $500; plastering,
ioo; painting, $50. Soc in Honolulu.
lllowing for the fact that one house
las cloth and the other plaster under I
ne paper, we can do for $500 what
would cost $500 or thereabouts in Cali ,
ornia. Ny Japanese are steady and {
eliable, AID can make anything. They j
re- now making the furniture for a 4
ouse I am building" Id
A white contractor mentioned a case ]
there the bids for erecting a residence ="
Honolulu stood as follows: White d
uilder employing only japanese.
$3.50; Japanese builder, $500; Chi D
ese builder, $3.50; japanese builder. "
1900; white builder employing citizen D
lbor, 5000; white builder EMPLOYING s.
tizen labor. ss,2O0." La
An American builder in the same %
ty said: "Orientals get all cottage ii
ork and small jobbing. We can stand II
I the Chinese and japanese when III
ley are left to themselves, but when D
ley are directed by white builders. T
e can't compete" n
The same employer who uses onlv c,
hite labor said: Some Japanese car fe
enters do very fair work, and more III
ork than many white carpenters 81
ais does not accord with the state in
ent of a white carpenter already hi
loted, but there are degrees of skill
nong the Asiatic mechanics, and thew
not turn out uniform work. so that
person is apt to form a general opin-
OF their craftsmanship from ex- L
nples that are not representative Of ey
cir highest skill. In fact. a oood al
al OF the work done by Japanese un- WI
T white builders is undertaken nv tn
rtels" at contract rates; and the fr
iider has no interest in economizine sa
ne or allowing short cuts in construc- to
n or finishing. tn
WHITE LABOR LEAVING THE III
COUNTRY. mi
/, r-.,-. be
\ prominent builder and official Of N
employers organization in Homo !