The Detroit times., 1912-02-26
PLOT TO DODGE LAWS
AND FLOOD Hawaii
WITH CHEAP WORKMEN
Feudal Overlords of Islands, the
Sugar Planters lEeadN= Ex--
perimenting With Scheme
HERDING MEN IN EUROPE
Plan To Import Them Without
Violating Labor Laws When
Panama Canal Opens
HERDING MEN IN EUROPE
BY chAs. p. STEWART.

HONOLULU, Feb. 26.--As soon as
the Panama canal is opened Hawaiian
biz business" will put in effect a
scheme TO knock spots out OF the fed
cral regulation against importing con-
tract labor. The scheme has been ex-
perimented with already and IL works
nicely, but IL can't be made financial
success without the canal.
Ever since oriental immigration
into the islands was stopped the
scarcity OF cheap labor for the plan
ations has been bothering the insular
sugar interests nearly 10 death. This
scarcity has not only meant higher
wages than the big planters enjoy
raging, but II has rendered the work.
Ing classes entirely too Independent.
Why, the present situation Is so bad
that some planters only make 20 per
cent profits and hardly any of them
earn 10 exceed 200 per cent Then,
too, scientific foremen have long
recognized that plantation hands need
announcement with a club occasion
ally. There were foolish rules against
il. even during the good old days OF
Unrestricted oriental immigration but
lew foremen paid much attention to
Them.
Today the foreman who resorts TO
anything stronger than moral suasion
rs liable to have a strike on his hands.
Under the conditions the big planters
hope will prevail after the canal has
been opened, II will be perfectly easy
70 fill the strikers places and the
strikers themselves can be disciplined
by being left to starve to death
, With the opening OF the canal,
southern Europe, by way of the
Isthmus, will not be much farther
away from the islands than the Orient
-TFs,- 6ffd-tAe experiments already made
have proved southern European plan
tation labor quite as satisfactory as
the oriental kind
True, Portuguese and Spanish field
lands cost from S22 to $24 apiece
/. monthly as against the SIS paid to
the Japanese, but the planters argue
HAT these prices will slump as soon
- the Portuguese and Spanish begin
TO swarm onto the islands. Moreover,
tie average Portuguese or Spaniard
is stronger and does considerably
more work In given length of time
thar the average japanese.
The Portuguese or Spaniard is also
satisfactorily illiterate, ignorant OF
his rights and accustomed TO even
harder work. lower pay and worse
living conditions at home than the
Hawaiian planters contemplate for
aim. These qualifications will natural
ly tend to make him contented.
The planters themselves will not
lgure IN the campaign for the whole
sale importation OF southern European
ldborers. III they did SO they might
get into trouble with the IT, s. govern
nIent. They will raise the necessary
money for carrying on the work, how
ever, by means OF what they euphoni-
0usly term an income tax, and turn
IL over to the territorial government
TO drum up the immigrants. In fact,
a few shiploads have already been
brought over TO see il the scheme
works all right. II hasn't developed
any weaknesses thus far and Gov.
Waiter f. Frear, who Is an authority
on such questions, says he doesn't see
how IL is going to.
In the meantime the agents are busy
in Spain and Portugal, and by the
time the canal opens everything will
tie in readiness for starting whole
feetloads Of laborers for the planta-
ions.
OF course, the agents are and will
continue to be careful not to make
their promises to their recruits too
specific. They won't be engaged for
any specified jobs. They will merely
be assured, to a dead. absolute GER
tainty, that work is waiting for them
and then the agents will send them
along to hunt for it themselves-th
big planters being thoughtfully no
tilted to be on hand to take charge or
them when they land in Honolulu.
Emphasis is laid on the fact that
immigrants may accept whatever jobs
hey please when they get to the ISL