The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-29

that the birth rate has been such as to
practically offset the deaths. Still
i there are 81 1000 not accounted for.
/ These figures when analysed mean
| that one-half of the laborers brought
to the Territory go away.
Over $4,000 japanese have come to
! Hawaii. but nearly half of them made
| it stepping stone to go on to the
United States. Before contract labor
was abolished it used to cost the plant
er, in the matter of steamship fares,
an average of SO for a Chinese, $65
for a Japanese, SIP for Portuguese,
and $3.50 for a Norwegian. As the
Europeans always came in large fami-
lies. and as the japanese usually came
singly, it was much cheaper to bring
in Japanese. After the days of con-
tract labor when the japanese came
on their own accord, the steamer fare
dropped as low as $50. In the five
years prior to 1886 the Hawaiian mon-
archy expended over 81, 000, O00 and the
planters almost as much more, in inn
porting laborers. Five shipments of
Portuguese cost per capita sS9.f5, of
which the government paid $5241 and
the planter $37.04 As there were so
many women and children. it cost for
each adult male laborer $266.15. In all,
Hawaii has expended between $9,000,000
and $10,000,000 in paying for the trans
portation of laborers which it has in
duced to come to its shore. One-half
of these have left the Islands. and only
about one-fifth of them are now work.
ing in the fields.
The reasons for the migratory habits
of these laborers are many and COM
pick. but perhaps the principle one is
that with few exceptions, the most of
them can, without inconvenience, pack
their grips and move at an hours no.
tice to any quarter of the world, anu
be Just as much at home where they
go as where they came from. The great
majority of the laborers live in quar-
tiers or in barracks. These buildings
are sanitary and reasonably clean, but
so small that there can be little pri-
vacy between members of the family.
and so close together that there is but
small separation from neighbors. They
are so crowded that sanitary circum-
stances prevent keeping chickens or
pigs, while cow or a horse is an inn
possible luxury, even though the
householder has means to afford it.
The thinking men of Hawaii realize
that something must be done which
will make the life of the agricultural
in the islands so attractive and
so homelike that he will be content
to stay and raise his family on the
thus building up a perna-
nent home labor supply. Mr.. Lorrin
A Thurston, in discussing this ques-
ton. said: 1.-THE remedy will be found
in domiciling the employe. By domi-
Cling him I mean giving or selling
him, at a price within his reach,
piece of land on which he can create
home: on which he can raise fruit and
vegetables for his own use. maintain
a few domestic fowls and animals, and
IN connection with which he can gather
around him a few Injuries and con-
venfences such as are not and cannot
be accumulated and protected in
plantation camp. He should have
home to which he can retreat and be
his own master: place where he can
live and where his family can live
without being subject to the POSSIBLE
Ity of dispossession without days
notice: a place where he can feel that
he is an individual and not a compo-
nent part of a gang; place where he
can be an independent man, instead or
4 dependent hireling, subject aoso-
utely to the orders of another.
''It NAV be claimed that this home
instinct does not exist among the class
IF people who constitute our plantation
aborers This is undoubtedly true OF
some of them. The unmarried Chinese
aborer seems to prefer to work and