The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-05-16
HAWAIIAN PLANTERS
L|BERATBUftdRDLy
Japanese Monthly Paper Crate
fuI For Bonus Increase But
Not Exactly Satisfied

The Independent Review, q Japanese
monthly paper published in this city,
has the following TO BAY regarding the
recent bonus system adopted BY the
Hawaiian sugar planters fbr'the benefit
Of the plantation labofefS: ~ t- .
1--WE congratulate the planters for
their prompt determination to increase
the earnings Of the plantation men, be-
fore any serious or uneasy development
Of the public opinion in favor Of the
higher wages for the plantation hands.
We appreciate their liberaiity and wis.
dom. Had the planters been liberal
enough 10 hceede TO the demands OF
the laborers on the plantation nine
years ago, there would not have been
any strikes on the various plantations
on Oahu. The planters remember well
the bitter experiences which they had
at the time Of those big strikea, which,
no doubt, gave them plenty of wisdom
and sagaoity tosayoid unnecessary in.
dustrial and soeial disturbances.T 80
49," In comparison with the old system,
the new one announced by President
Bottomley of the Hawaiian Sugar. Plan
tiers Association, has many advantage,
Of which the Increase of fifty per cent
of the bonus, the extension of the sys-
tenn TO all kinds of the plantation lab
orers, the monthly payment Of d part
of the bonus, and the abolition Of the
requirement. of the work, OF go days
a whole year at the same plantation In
order to be entitled 10 the .bonus sys-
tenn, and moreover, the inerease Of the
wages of the Filipino laborers to twen-
ty dollars a month instead Of eighteen
GIVE are, however, rather disappoint.
ed IN the following three facts:
Oh That the monthly wages have
not. been increased at all. II was pub
lie opinion among the working men on
the plantations that they should DO
paid at least a dollar day working
ten hours, and We thought that the
minimum wages of the plantation
hands would be raised to the amount
mentioned above. b. 10. . su'k =.
"2. That the bonus is not given to
those who work less than twenty days
per month. We believe that true profit
sharing ought to be carried equally to
those who work for the production of
an ounce of sugar, no matter whether
they work twenty days or less per
month. Even. o man who works one
hour day should be given the bonus
in proportion to his time of work.
But the new system has ignored entire
ly this most fundamental fact.
| "3. That the demands have not
been presented by the labOrers TO,
higher wages and there has not been
any negotiations or agreement between
the planters and the laborers on bust
ness principles. Everything has been
determined arbitrarily and despOtically
by the planters. The planters of Ha-
wall are removed for their generosity
and kind heart toward their employees.
Yet it is a general opinion that there
is no industrial democracy in Hawaii,
and that the planters are the feudal
lords over the tenants or the plantation
hands who are mostly alien races.
"We hope that the facts of the wa
1 ges system will be gradually reformed
so that oil workingmen on the planta-
tons will be fairly and justly given
the profit of the sugar production as
we'll as the capitalists. The way is,
perhaps, quite far away; yet we be-
lieve that we will have to reach it
sooner or later. The true Paradise of
the Pacific must show, first of all, the
fair distribution of the income from
the sugar industry to the labor as well
as the capital. The Kingdom of God
on earth cannot be realized, unless
there appears the perfect social and
economic justice and fairness to all
| producers in this world. The leaders of
industrial democracy should devote
| their hearts and their brains to the
campaign of education among the labor
and the capital to bring industrial
democracy to our world"