The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-08-29
DOCTOR CLARK MAKES
EXHAUSTIVE, REVIEW
or WHOLE SITUATION
Hawaii Workmen Better Off Than In Most
Tropical Countries, But Organization Of
Rural Industry Depends on Character Of
People; japanese Cannot Be Thoroughly
Americanized Until The Third Generation

Concluded from last issue. j

heFles arc not financed and controlled
by factors, or agencies, as is the case
with sugar plantations and mills, al.
though most of the packing companies
have infinite business connections
with particular distributing houses on
the mainland, to whom they look for
sales and for current financing. One
sugar factory company in Honolulu
represents two canneries on other is.
lands. The nine leading companies are
associated, IN the Hawaiian Pineapple
Packers Association, whose first pur.
pose was joint advertising. Gradually
the association has assumed othbr fune-
tions, such as pest control and held ex.
periments. IL seems not 70 have been
successful in standardizing market
agreements. Some cooperation occurs
planters, mainly in the study of soils
aud plant diseases;. but the two in
dustries have fewer points Of contact
than might be supposed, = 5g3a
TAT least one cannery in Honolulu
imported part of the sugar for its 1915
pack from Mexico. Gamers recruit no
labor abroad, but draw their workers
mainly from sugar plantations. This
sugar people IL the maximum demand
for labor in one industry came at
time when there was a surplus of EN-.
ployes in the other; but though the
height Of the cane and that of the
pineapple harvest do not exactly coin
eide, the periods Of greatest activity
overlap, and sometimes cause TEN.
porary labor shortage"
Capital Advanced To Grower
Small farming in the sugar and
pineapple industries is treated at much
length. Doctor Clark says that most
small planters are merely contractors
who assume two or three, risks instead
Of the one risk assumed by the profit
sharers. Both are dependent on the
plantation companies for their work
ing capital, The report says:
Whether the planter be au Oriehi
tai laborcr, virtually or actually on the
" pay roll Of the plantation, or rea1
American farmer, his dependence upon
the mill company is almost equally
great. The company usually advances
capital, in the form of blowing, seed
cane, fertilizer, store supplies, and
perhaps wages to hired laborers, to en-.
able the planter to make, his crop; and
in order to secure itself for this in.
vestment inserts in its contract with
the farmer . clause giving it free entry
to the land to preserve and cultivate
the crop If necessary, and to harvest it
upoS maturity.
"No white. American farmers and
but few, Of the Hawaiians engaged in
canes, raising perform . manual labor
themselves. They employ Asiatics and
Portuguese to do the physical work.
In addition to interest on their invest
ment they are entitled to wage for
their worn of supervision, but they
farm on so small q scale that their
services as superintendents are not
worth very much. Some Of them have
managerial ability Inferior to that of
the hired mnas of the plantations.
Often they produce poorer cane aud
less Of it per acre than the pIanta- I
TONS
Only One Alternative
"These small cane growers compete
at great disadvantage with Asiatics
and Portuguese who combine the fuuc- |
tons Of field boss and laborer in one |
The white planters dependence on the !
powerful corporation which is the I
other party to his contract is not agree.
able. If he thinks himself unfairly |
treated he has no effective recourse ex- |
eept to stop raising cane; and this |
is often the only crop that promises /
cash returns. If there were competing
crops, or competing mills, he would be
much freer in the administration of |
his property. In fact his status as an
Independents farmer is only nomiua
He is indirectly an employee of the
plantation, working upon a contingent
commission instead of an assured
salary. '. 49, .e.g
"This does not imply that planta.
tion managers are unfair in their deal
ings with outside planters, or that the
economic condition of the latter is
hopeless. Planter contracts have been
standardized by custom until they pre-
sent little. variation in districts having
similar conditions of cultivation. In
case Of recent homeSteaders who have
not yet perfected title to their land,
these contracts must have the formal
approval of the territorial government.
Some prominent men raise cane for
plantations on this basis.
Outside Cane Purchased
"The speaker of the lower house of
the legislature is a cane farmer, sell.
ing to A, plantation that buys cane to
the value Of ESQ, 900 annually from out
side growers. Small farmers can
eGonomize in some places whore a plan.
tution can notc They do not spc nd 80
much for housing aud caring for their
labor. They can diseburge han dur.
ing the dead season with assurance
of being able to replace them when
reeded Some of them are storekeep-
ers who sell goods to the men who
work for. them. One of the largest
sugar agencies in Honolulu has com
piled figures from its books that rep.
resent independent cane raising as
fairly, profitable. During the Ave
years ending with 1918 Ave of its plan
tRtions bought l,030,sSs tons of cane
nom outside growers, for which they
paid $4,l73,SGO, or on an average about |