The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-06-15

advertiser Correspondence, Copyright
by Frederic j. Haskin.)
FRESNO, Cal. May 30.-Fresno is
the greatest raisin producing place on
earth, and the thousands of cars of
dried raisins sent out from here each
year are produced and handled large
ly by Oriental labor. In fact the in
dustry practically depends upon the
five or six thousand Japanese Iaborers
in Fresno country. They came several
years ago, they worked faithfully and
they worked cheap. The grape grow
ers believed that in the Japanese they
labor problem which all California
fruit growers are continually strug-
Cling to solve. After a time the jana
nese had practically placed all other
laborers out of competition. Then
they changed their attitude. They had
their employers at a disadvantage, and
demanded increased wages and all
sorts of privileges.
japanese farm laborers are by no
means content to remain in their posi-
ton, and they invariably attempt to
establish colonies which will give the
community a bad name with white
people. This reduces the price of real
estate and the japanese enter upon
possession of the land by leasehold or
purchase. Wherever the Japanese
farmer comes in force he drives out the
white man from the community. His
presence is as surely depressing upon
a colony of negroes is in a southern
city. The Japanese farm laborer III
the small fruit sections of the state
can find employment at wages of s1.25
to s1.75 a day. In the great prune
growing district of Santa Clara valley
they can make as much as So a day
during the picking season. They live
on next TO nothing and save their
money To their savings they add
money advanced from Japan, or they
did until the panic cut off the supply
from home, then go out to buy or lease
land.
The japanese in California own over
a thousand farms, an aggregate of
more than 200 acres. There can be
little doubt that many Of the farms
from Japan by the financial agents of
the all-grasping Imperial Household.
A Toxic banker is responsible for the
statement that the Imperial Household
is interested in land holdings in Cali
fornia, Texas, Louisiana and Colorado,
The agitation for a law to prevent
aliens holding land in California grows
out of the general dislike for the Japa-
nese, and the increasing fear of their
eneroachment upon agricultural indus
tries
a japanese colony in the Sacramento
Valley, where potatoes are largely
grown, succeeded in obtaining leases
on large part of the land. Two
years ago they attempted to corner the
California potato market. They failed
and lost large sums of money. Last
year they renewed the attempt and
were successful They controlled prac-
ticaliy the entire output of potatoes in
the state, doubled the price and made |
back their losses of the previous year
with a handsome profit besides. This
spring the farmers in various sections
of the state are protecting themselves
from the Japanese potato monopoly by
planting larger fields in more widely
separated sections. The berry crop
of Santa Clara is controlled in similar
fashion by the Japanese farmers.
Vacaville is a Japanese town. 1t is !
said that a traveller in the Vaca valley
will meet nine japanese to one white
man. The fruit orchards in this valley
aggregate about $4,000 acres, of which
more than half is controlled by Japa-
nese under lease A small section is
owned by the japanese outright. The
japanese stores in Vacaville control
three-fourths of the business of the
town. In this section the farmers well
coined the Japanese with enthusiasm,
provided no accommodations for white
laborers at all, and rested on Oriental
help. 1t was but a few years until the
Japanese became masters of the situa-
ton, owning or leasing the greater
part of the land and outnumbering the
whites in population. Land values
have shrunk one-third since the Jap
anese invasion. Efforts are being made
to bring in white farmers by cutting
up the land into small holdings. offer
ing them to, white farmers with fam
lilies at reasonable figures. and encour-