The Hawaiian gazette., 1912-08-23
FILIPINO LABORERS
IN HAWAII PROSPER,
SAYS INVESTIGATOR

Emphatic endorsement and praise o.
the methods of the local sugar planters,
approval of the conditions under which
tried laborers work and condemnation
If the practise of sending minors to the
Hawaiian sugar felds-tbese are the
main points in the report Of Joaquie
Balmori, who recently came from Man,
liza, as special commissioner to investi.
gate conditions undur which his coun.
trymen work and live in Hawaii. The
report has just been issued by the print
ers.
Mr.. Balmori begins his report. which
takes up a mum Der of the plantations
visited and contains pictures of Filipino
laborcrs and the mills and residences
of the planters, by n letter to Governor.
General Forbes, the speaker of the Phil.
ippine assembly and the insular secrs.
tary of commerce and police. He OK.
plains that he began his Investigations
IN Manila, following the progress of ths
Filipino emigrant from the moment OF
his departure to his beginning work in
the plantations of this Territory. He
examined every sugar plantation of inn
, portance in his stay in Hawaii. Febru-
airy |, 1912, there were 1924 persons
employed in the sugar fields of Hawaii,
of whom 1868 were Filipinos.
Made Independent
Mr.. Balmori tells of system in
vogue whereby the laborer becomes
practically an independent farmer and
gets more money than his original CON
tract guarantees him. Many Fihpinos
are working under this system.
The report concludes in this fashion:
After an extended investigation Of
the whole situation, | doubt if Hawaii
can give employment to more than 90
900 Filipinos, so that Hawaii can never
be considered MS injurious to the Phil
ippines; and the islands will be fully
compensated for the loss of population
by the experience and practical l5nowl-
edge as well as the skill and dexteritv
acquired by Filipinos, who will naturai-
y return to their homes, giving them
the benefit of their skill and knowledge
and skill in the cultivation of sugar
cane"
Men Well Pleased.
| Mr.. Baimori in his resume of his re-
port says that he investigated the con-
dition of the laborers in twenty eight
( plantations here in twenty-nine days.
Personal interviews with the laborers
brought out the fact that they were
well satisfied with the wages and treat
ment received and only in two plan
tations did he hear of ill-treatment, in
each case, from luna who was not
an American but Portuguese. Many
of the laborers are saving money and
buying articles for their homes. Az
average of 50 monthly is the cost of
living.
Twenty-Five of the plantations have
hospitals with American and other
nurses, and all of them had Catholic
chapels for the laborers, adds the re-
port. There are government schools
in each plantation, forty-five Filipino
children attending them Only in
three plantations were the houses
found to be poor, but these are to be
changed this year. Each plantation
has stores where the laborers purchase
what they wish.
The ordinary salary of the laboreI
(26 ten hour days. per month is $2(
with payment for overtime. Mana
gers place the Filipino laborer next t.
the Portuguese and japanese although
young Filipinos fail in the work in tn,
field, says Mr.. Balmori.
For these reasons" concludes Mr.
Balmori, Filipino emigration to Ha
wall is satisfactory; first, because witt
the demand for laborers, wages viii
increase in the Philippines; second, be
cause the emigration of the laborer cal
e not be curtailed when he seeks bette
wages; and third, because workmel
will learn new methods of cultivatin
sugar cane. | believe the emigratio
| of youths under 20 years of age shout
Q be prohibited because they have no
done well in the fields although som
J. have good positions in the government
, and commercial houses.'