The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-06-05

them can, without inconvenience, pacl
their grips and move at an hours no
tice to any quarter of the world, ant
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
Iare 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 'oI
pigs, while cow or a horse is an i'm
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
laborer in the islands so attractive and
so homelike that he will be content
10 stay and raise his family on the
plantation. thus building up a perma-
nent home labor supply. Mr.. Lorrin
A. Thurston, in discussing this ques-
ton, said: 1.-The remedy will be found
| in domiciling the employee. BY domi-
Cling him 1 mean giving or selling
him, at a price within his reach, a
piece of land on which he can create a
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 luxuries and con-
veniences such as are not and cannot
be accumulated and protected in a
plantation camp. He should have a
home to which he can retreat and be
his own master; a place where he can
live and where his family can live
without being subject to the POSSIBLE
ity of dispossession without a 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 of
a dependent hireling. subject abso-
lutely to the orders of another.
1T may be claimed that this home
instinct does not exist among the class
of people who constitute our plantation
laborers. This is undoubtedly true of
some of them. The unmarried Chinese
laborer seems to prefer to work and
live in a crowd, and with exceptions,
does not do otherwise when he becomes
his own master. There are undoubted-
ly many others of various nationalities
who have become habituated by long
usage to contentment with present con-
ditionS. But even among these more
room is appreciated. This is evidenced
by the fact that if 100 laborers are re-
moved from a plantation camp design
ed for 200, it will be a matter of only
a few days before the remaining 100
will, if permitted, spread themselves
out over the entire camp to secure
more room and privacy.
But there are thousands of other
cases in which, to a greater or less
degree, the home instinct and all the
incidental desires and feelings connect
ed Herewith, are possessed by plan
tation iaborers as fully and completely
as by members of the community who
stand higher in the social scale Take
the Portuguese for example. There is
not, to my knowledge, a Portuguese
tenement house in the Territory They
have hundreds of little individual
homes, costing from $500 to $1,000 each,
which they have built with their own
money. Wherever, on the plantations,
there are detached houses with ground
around them, the Portuguese are eager
applicants for them.
There has been, perhaps, more OPP
portunity for development and exhibit
ton of these tendencies among the Por-
tuguese and Germans, because the
migration of those two nationalities to
Hawaii has consisted exclusively of
families, instead of an overwhelming
proportion of male adults. Moreover
these nationalities have no intention of
returning to their old homes. They
have permanently expatriated them
selves and will never have any homes
except those which they make anew
for themselves. They also belong to
races which for generations have been
all over the world. Emigra- |
ton and permanent settlement abroad |
is therefore a common thought to them |
The Hawaiian Territory is not the |
only place where the labor question has |
been a vital issue. Cuba was in a |
like dilemma, When, in 1886, slavery
was finally abolished. The plantation
system had flourished there for gen.
erations. When the slaves were set |
free they would not work for small |
wages and were too uncertain and lazy
% earn high ones. They showed a dis
position to wander and to become ire
'ponsible Migrants. Destruction star
ID the planters in the face. They had
o act quickly or go under. They acted
10th quickly and successfully. They
ut up their vast estates into lots of
rom ten to fifty acres, and sold or
eased them at nominal rentals to their
ormer slaves, making contracts with
hem to buy the cane produced This
vas the genesis of the so-called colo
ial system which has been success
ully continued in operation in Cuba
yer since.
81 believe that the suggestions made
bove. or some of them, or others along
he same general lines, will eventually
e adopted. The same masterful spirit
hitch has made Hawaii what it is will
,eet and solve the problem. Dan
erous conditions have been met and
in the past, and the sugar
ldustry of the Islands established on
broader and firmer basis than ever.
will continue to expand and be a ]
,urce of profit for generations yet to t
,me. While it will take energy, c
readth of spirit and progressive in i
lligence to solve the labor problem, 2
lie way will be found. Sugar will long
'ntinue to be King of Hawaii" III
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