Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-06-09

nav better wages and improve work,
| ing conditions so as to attract and
hold a desirable and permanent labor
ing population / firmly believe is
without foundation IN fact.
| Il am placing this before you be-
cause feel that II is serious mat
ter that calls for prompt and vigor-
Gus action. / think that if my report
CT January %, 1911, had been pub
lished In accordance with my desire
attention would have been so strong
| ~ directed TO the situation that the
conditions would have been remedied
or at least abated TO a considerable
extent long before this time.
DAHL. J. KEEFE.
Commissioner General
Inspector Halsey's letter is as fol-
lows:
Honolulu. Hawaii. April 3, 1913.
Commissioner General of Immigra'
ton, Washington. ID. c.:
IN accordance with bureau letter OF
May "a, 1910, l have the honor to re-
Port that there is an active demand
for labor along all lines; skilled labor
| is finding ready employment. The
situation with regard to agricultural
laborers is becoming acute. The Ha.
waiian Sugar Planters Association is
putting forth extreme efforts to meet
the shortage which they are now con-
| fronting.
The steamship Willesden arrived
on March 80 with 1888 Portuguese
and Spanish aliens on board. They
are now in territorial quarantine. and,
! owing to the large number of women
and children, am of the opinion that
not over one-third of these will be
able to work in the fields.
"The Hawaiian Sugar Planters As.
sociation, during the month OF March,
imported 1872 Filipino men, Il women
and 81 children, making a total of
| EGO. In the last 10 months they have
| imported 1902 men, 654 women, and
419 children, making the total of A.
975. The men are paid SIS month,
and are exceedingly irregular in their
work, many tramping about the coun-
| try, and being undesirable accessions
to the community. On the large isl
and of Hawaii the jan is overcrowded
with Filipinos who have been arrest
ed for criminal offenses.
"The situation in regard to Spanish
and Portuguese aliens who have been
imported has become exceedingly
grave. In the year 1911 departures
from Honolulu for the coast show Ala
Spanish and Portuguese; in the year
1912 these departures were doubled,
fbeing Sal; in the three months of
this year the departures were 627,
the departures for March being $40.
The recent departures of the steam
ers have not had steerage accommo-
dation sufficient for those desiring to
leave for the coast. anticipate that
the departures for this month will be
large, and that the month of May will
exceed anything up to the present
time.
.'Thei superintendent of the labor
bureau of the Hawaiian Planters As
ISOLATION is in San Francisco endeay-
oring to secure laborers. Strenuous
but unavailing efforts are being made
10 dissuade the Spanish and Portu-
guese from leaving the territory. It
is alleged that they are being secret
lily RECRUITED by agentA from the coast;
but neither myself nor the Spanish
consul are of this opinion. The plant
ters' association refuses to pay more
than the rate of $26 per month to the
Spanish and Portuguese men. Japan
csc laborers working under the con-
tract system clear about 81 a day.
The Portuguese and Spanish are ex-
ceedingly illiterate, and seem unable
to take advantage of this system
The Spanish consul, in letter, a
copy of which Is herewith inclosed,
has set forth his own views in regard
to the situation, and am satisfied
from personal investigation that they
are a fair statement and summary of
the situation. The planters have
brought in, within three years, about
10000 Filipinos, and are making des-
perate efforts to keep down the wage
rate of all employees.
THE high cost of living on the
plantations is diseouraging element
for European laborers. The planta-
ton stores are controlled by the plan.
tation agents, who, for the most part,
are the large wholesale firms in Ho.
nolulu, from whom the stores must
buy. Reasonable prices will not OBJ
tain while this system is carried on.
If the stores were supplied by some
central purchasing agency, and distri-
button made after the manner of the
United States army stores, the bur-
den of the excessive prices could be
taken off the people. The high or
ganization of the planters association
would permit of such system being
carried out, but there is not the
slightest likelihood of any effort be-
ing made in this direction. In spite
of any representations which may be
made to the contrary, the store man
ayers. are expected to make a profit
in the local store. The Spanish and
Portuguese aliens seem to be as poor
" advised about the probable cost of
living in the islands as were the Rus
sion importations by the territorial
board.
The Spanish and Portuguese who
arrive here, for the most mart have