The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-10-12
QUESTION Of
LABORER'S PAY
The Japanese Journals Discuss
Matter of Pay on the
Plantations.

The question of wages paid the Jap
anese plantation laborers and the
necessity or otherwise of increasing
them is being discussed in the local
japanese press. In the English edition
of the Hawaii Shinpo, published yes
terday, excerpts from editorials of the
past week are given and the positions
of the two leading japanese papers, the
Shinpo and the Nippu, are explained.
The Shinpo s English article is:
e'The Nippu is tossed in the pillow
over its hobby. That paper is gradu-
ally showing its teeth and tusks ii
claims superiority for japanese la
borers over Portuguese, Spanish and
other races, and sneers at Mr.. w. o.
Smith s interview, which appeared III
| the Shinpo. Mr.. Smith S interview has
explained at length the situation in re-
gard to the sugar industry, with a fore
cast of possible tinkering with the
tariff and the probable annexation of
| Cuba. The Nippu thinks that Mr.. Smith
has been giving a little toy to che
japanese to play with and hold thor
attention, and that there is no indica
| ton on the part of the planters to raise
japanese wages in spite of the enoc-
nous profit they are making.
''The same paper calls its next edi-
torial, which appeared last Tuesday,
A Just Claim, and says: We are hot
asking of planters any unreasonable
thing. Injustice in the treatment Of
the japanese laborers in the hands of
planters is shown in that they are pay
ing less than Portuguese, Spanish rr
Porto Riean, who are intellectually and
physically inferior to japanese. The
planters are making enormous rroht
from sugar, profit in which the Japan
csc laborers have a Just right to cia,m
share, We have been asking for
higher wages long eaorga and have
been patient enough ~ wait for b.:
ter time, which has come. And
now, if the planters en- not give us a
concession when gooG times prevail,
when will they ever do so2 The Japan
csc viii not tolerate footing with toys
any longer, bat will see our list claim
is conceded
"The same paper publishes another
article ON the following evening, but,
{
ers and the Shinpo for not exactly
agreeing with the Nippu's argument
and persisting in its habitual knocking,
it advanced no new argument in the
matter.
The Shinpo's Reply.
"The Hawaii Shinpo believes that
higher wages are coming, but it treats !
the subject from different standpoint. !
1t says: Higher wages will be well
coined by the laborers as well as by all |
others, for it will bring better times |
generally among the Japanese. But,
the paper continues, the higher wages
viii not come, by reason of the Nippu S !
knocking or the knocking of any other |
paper, but because of an excess Of |
demand over supply in the labor mar
ket, which is bound to come before !!
long In view of the restriction placed |
by the japanese government upon emf
grafton and the excess of returning !
japanese over those coming, condition |
viii naturally arise when higher wages !
become inevitable The Shinpo does |
not care whether or not Mr.. Smith 3 |
interview was a mere toy to fool with
as the editorial of the Nippu contends. |
It says: when the law of supply and |
demand is unbalanced, either an in
crease or decrease of wages will swing /
the pendulum to its proper place and
if the present tendency is such as to |
produce an excess of demand over sup
ply, then higher wages must come
whether the planters face calamity |
or not The Shinpo believes the time
is approaching and does not see any
necessity for knocking the laboring
class
''The Shinpo on the contrary ques-
tons the wisdom of the attitude taken
by the Nippu and says: the agitation
carried by the Nippu among the labor
ing class is most unfortunate as it will
bring discomfort and uneasiness and
may end in strikes and disturbances.
There is nothing more harmful to the
good reputation, our countrymen are
enjoying today as the result of the last
four years peaceful and patient work,
than the consequences of such agita-
ton. If an effort must be made, why
does not our contemporary go around /
and see the employers and tell them
of its opinion?' asks the Shinpo. 1T
will bring about the results either one
way or the other, and without impair
ing the reputation of our laborers, a
reputation which they won by their
good Judgment The Shinpo further
the method pursued by the
Nippu and says: If the present meth
cd is followed by the Nippu it will
never bring satisfactory results, al
though the knocking may be nothing
but sthe Nippu S abominable means TO
get a little popularity among the Ia
boring classes and swell it's now meagre
list.
Gas to the Nippu's contention that
Portuguese, Spanish and others are in
and physically inferior to
the Japanese laborers, the Shinpo con-
tends sit is a most unfortunate thing
to bring the color line into an econO-
mic argument and especially in a cos
community such as this is.
Such discrimination should never re-
ceive consideration if advanced
"The Hawaii Shinpo advises the Jap
anese to beware of the foolish agita-
ton, for it says, 'the solution of the
problems now pending between Japan
!, l. ct