The Hawaiian gazette., 1918-08-23
Soldiers viii Not
Return TO
Fields After War
Objection To Oriental Labor As
Competing With Discharged
Soldiers Not Well Founded;
Situation Critical

Situation Critical
Among men prominent In the sugar
industry, at least among some of them,
there is change in tone relative to
the bringing in of Chinese labor. While
few months since they would give the
proposal little consideration the calling
of the guard and the calling of the
draft has brought about conditions
which have made them change their
views.
Most sugar men favor, or at least say
they do, the continuance of the use of
Filipino labor and the declared attitude
Of the Planters labor bureau is against
asking relief through legislation or the
lifting Of immigration laws. That
policy would leave the Islands Deepen
dent on Filipino and Porto Rican labor
and, admittedly, there is no transpor-
tation for these available unless the
government can be prevailed upon to
furnish it. More and more now, the
seriousness of the labor shortage being
recognized, attention turns to the Sc
curing of Oriental labor for which there
are two plans.
Japanese Plan
One plan, suggested by the Japanese
papers, is to lift the gentlemen 5
agreement" sufficiently to permit the
return of Japanese laborers who have
been here, returned home and remained
there too long to now come back to Ha-
waii under the gentlemen agree
ment.' 1t is claimed they would be
brought here without the expense Of
transportation falling on the sugar in
dustry and that japanese steamers are
ready to transport such labor. That sug-
gcstiOn has won some friends. 1t is
claimed there are 5000 of these and
some sugar men are outspoken in wei
coming the plan, the idea being get the
labor from whatever source is posi- BILE.
Hawaii needs labor and if these men
can be secured in that way, the offer
should be accepted if it can be, these
men say. There are others, however
who are not inclined to welcome Jap
ancse labor, apparently fearing labor
agitation which has been unlikely
among Fiipinos.
Chinese Plan
The other plan is to secure Chinese
labor, through law amendments or un-
der the Overman Act. There are O
number Of plantation men who person
ally favor this proposal. In the past
few months the sentiment for this plan
has grown enormously and it is not
open to the same objections as is the
Japanese plan.
Referring to criticism Of the plan to
bring in Oriental labor, that it would
pauperize labor and the men who have
I been called into the army could not
/ l., a.
! civilian life a well known sugar man
said Yesterday:
is it supposed for a moment that
the Filipino and japanese labOrers who
! have gone into the army, are getting
$50 a month, their food and their cloth
/ ing, viii 90 back to plantation work
+ when the war is Overi
! :" 1t seems to me hardly likely they
would. They gladly left the plantations
, for the service and they will seek Othcl
work when the war ends.
" Everywhere on the mainland immi
/ gjntion has been looked to for the sup
! ply If unskilIed labor, ditch diggers an,
srmrIar workers. SO here we have ha,
I" Irok to immigration for the unsk i'll
cd plantation labor. Our experieuc,
has been similar to mainland experience
with unskilIcd labor, that the worker
viii use above it. so it was with thu
Oh mes" and 80 it has been and is grow
Ing more to be all the time with thu
Jupanr-r. The Portuguese wanted an,
want, his own land.
- ndCr the circumstances, since tn
labor Ohtainable after the war at hom
and ON tn" mainland will be unwilling
to work for what the sugar plantation
are able to pay, it seems to me there i
no objection to the bringing in Of tn
requisite number of Orientals. 1t i
not Il case of competition but a case 0
get labor or let the industry fail. YO
can not get labor from the Islands nov
and the situation will be no better whe
our army is mustered out.
eve have something Of a patriot
duty to perform in raising sugar an
we cannot fulfill that duty withou
comes from but | feel we ought to 81
cure it. -
1t is admittedly difficult to secur
legislation for the admission of Or
entails and the committee that is work
my out plans will find strong OppOs
tion from the mainland, this being tn
opinion of officials and legislators Il
Washington.
Meantime the industry faces steadil
reducing crops and is unable to heed tn
President = call to keep up produo
ton.
No adviccs on the labor situatiO
have been received from the Planters
committee since it left the Islands.