Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-01-31

!stitution. i must also be remember
led that absence OF fuel and raw ma
terials make it impossible to build up
any manufacturing industries in Ha-
wall.
In making this small statement of
fact that free sugar will mean in
Edustrial disaster for the Hawaiian Is
lands, frankly recognize that con-
greSs would have an excuse for en-
acting such legislation if it would
permanently confer a benefit on the
people of the United States. am not
= in the position to contend that the
80, 000, 900 Of people in the United
! States should tre taxed to support the
sugar industry of Hawaii and the beet
sugar states. But ! hold to the fact
that this government, through the
j power of congressional enactment, will
bring disaster to Hawaii without per
! manently benefiting the people here
by giving them cheap sugar.
: Sugar now constitutes one Of the
chief sources of revenue of this gov
eminent. do not believe that con-
gress should enact a law that viii
both cause the loss of that revenue
and at the same time cause disaster
to the entire people of Hawaii and
the valuable industries in Louisiana
and the western states, without first
having it at least clearly proven that
the American people will be assured
OF an important gain to offset this
serious loss. ..
The economic effect upon our is
lands of this drastic legislation viii
be to change Hawaii from a. one-in-
Csstry to a no-industry country; but
l wish to go beyond that to point out
citizenship of Hawaii
During all the years since annexa-
ton, the Federal Government has
been advocating the, "Americanization
of Hawaii by inducements to AIaer-
lean and other Caucasian immigrants
to displace the original population OF
those islands. Within the last four
years the Territory of Hawaii, through
It's board Of immigration, has expend-
ed about three-Quarters of a million
dollars to promote and assist Cauca.
Sian immigration. -
These funds are raised by special
persons and corporations with an IN
come in excess of $4,000 per year. In
addition to that, the sugar plantations
have directly aided the movement TO
Americanize the islands by yoiuntari-
~ paying a higher wage to citizen
ls.lor and those eligible to become citi-
zens. AS result of this, there is now
a steady decline in thezpefeentage OF
oriental labor engaged in plantatlon
work; ther has ben no oroental lmmlS
grafton to Hawaii for The past four
years, while there Is a more o. less
stea,t, stream III oriental departures.
p. What, then, must be the ineylraele
effect of a frees ugar law on the labor
and citizenship of Hawaii The weak
or rlantations-the ones PRODUCING
sugar at the highest cost-wilt at once
be forced to close. This will include
rot only some small plantations, bui
two at least of the larger ones which
have never paid a dividend. The effect
on the stronger plantations Will De 70
compel them to at once discontinue
tEeir highef wages, to Caucasian D-A
crers, The Closing down OF many PLAN
tations will at once produce surplus
of labor and tend TO lower the mini
Mum wage; the inevitable result VIII
be that the plantations in their strug-
gle to continue as going concerns VIII
be forced to employ the oriental at de-
chning wages, and that citizens anu
Caucasian labor will be forced to leave
the country to find profitable employ
ntent. ST {: -" r.
It is a fixed economic law that I'M
Ger sharp competition a cheaper form
CT labor will always crowd, out that
which has higher standard OF living.
in Hawaii we have been taxing the
sugar industry to counteract that law
. and to purposely reverse it by placing
Caucasian labor in place of the orien-
tai and in addition to being taxed to
bring them in the planters have volun-
tarily paid a higher wage to Causa-
Sian laborers. >.~' - .
/ The effect of this law, if enacted,
will be to stop the process of Ameri-
canization and to force considerable
part of the white population now in
hawaii to leave the islands. It will.
result in having whatever is left OF
cur agricultural industries turned over
almost exclusively to oriental labore-s
they being the only form of labor that
can compete in free sugar production
DI0w, SoS