Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1913-06-17
MISERY ON HAWAIIAN
SUGAR PLANTATIONS

. " hfAAAHHF WV -. lfH HMU' w.
A land of oppression. misery and sor.
row that Is the picture drawn %.
the Hawaiian sugar. plantations b,
testimony brought out hy the sonat,
lobby investigation
The very crowd u men whose leg.
i%slatiye activities 10 Washington
brought forth the recent lobby ac.
~cusation from President Wilson. arc
the representative OF rich planters
whoEe cruel exploitation OF their
wage slaves has no counterpart IN.
der the Stars and Stripes.
These sugar growers. oarnins pro.
fits Of 80 10 90 per cent and askiug
for the continuance NJ a TAX ~ over
500 900 .00O annually on the Ameri.
can people that the may continue ~
reap their golden rewards are com
Ing b0fore Congress Ia the name oi
protection against the pauper labor
Of Europe an the while they main
tain a labor standard that Is a blot
on American civilization.
So terrible are working conditions
Ia Hawaii that European and Asiatlc
laborers deceived into coming To the
ISLAND, literally sfaryc themselves IN
order 10 save mp passage money for
san Francisco and escape the tran
into which ihcy have been ~inyeigled.
a horde OF these pauper laborers are
beginning 10 arrive In California. IN
their extremity willing 10 work for
any price. thus depressing wages OF
Americans ON the Pacific coast.
Incidentally, Senator Reed. OF Mis-
souri,. @ member of the lobby com
mitteo, showed that q report expos
INK this condition was written b.
Daniel +. Keel. commissioner of i'm
migration. who went to Hawaii M
the request Of Samuel Gompers. pres
dent of the American Federation Of
Labor, 10 study the industrial con
ditions. The report however. was
never published. II was suppressed
by the TAFT administration The Bu.
reau OF Labor sent a man to Hawaii
10 get out another report on labor
conditions. This report flattered the
planters and was published
The government Investigator who
wrote the whitcwashing report was
shortly thereafter given "a good lob
with the Hawaiian territorial go,
ernmont, while Secretary Naeel later
busted himself preparing charges
looking 10 the removal of Keefe.
Senator Reed, however. resurroct-
ed the suppressed report and brought
It before the lobby Investigation
cammittee. The planters have been
proudly %proclaimlng the fact that no
peonage exists I'm Hawaii. After
reading the rc0rt ! am convinced II
be- better for the wretcbod
plantation ana sugar mill laborers n.
they were poems or actual slaves
They would be better treated BIS
their owners.
Wages run from IS per month
for children up to $40 tror white
tdult mem Hours are 10 TO ~ a
lay. The employees live in miserable
'hacks provided by the companies.
The men buy food from company
.torcs where prices range from 10
% 90 per cent higher than average
GOD prices In New York. Washing
ON, Chicago and san Francisco. The
God Is sold TO plantation stores los
honolulu wholesale houses owned
or the most part by the plantation
,wners.
Doctors employed by the compa.
lies have gone 10 visit sick labor
'rs - 10 IS hours after being call
sometimes only 10 find corpses
of patients. I.aburers are
allied insulting names and treated
Ike dogs by field bosses. In "A des.
'oratc effort 10 keep down the wage
ate of all employees. the planters
re sending huge Sums importing phil
ptnos for laborers Thes, w%orkuen
the dregs OF the Philippine pop
gathered from .Jails and
'lmshouses, the very young and the
.ory old. weak and racked with dis.
'ase.
The imported laborers. arriving
,enniless, Is held IN actual suhjua
ION. unable To escape from the Is
and, except harder individuals who
endure starvation while saving
'assage money. But the rich owners
devised a crafty homestead
.ysem, whereby in exchange for an
'cre OF land received after six years
occupancy the homesteader virtual
y binds himself to labor for life on
he plantation.