The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1918-09-13
LabOrSituatiOn
OF Hawaii Is
"Criminal"
OrientaIS Offer Only
Solution, Assertion
OF Albert HOrner

Ut Albert HOrner
The present Hawaiian labor situa-
tion, which though local to us is vet
national in its scope, is little short
of criminal, says ALBERT Horncr, rep,
resentative for Hawaii of the War
Trade Board, in a letter to Vance Me
Cormick, chairman of the War Trade
Board at Washington, in which Mr.
Homer strongly advocates throwing
down the bars for the period of the
war and admitting Oriental labor as
the only possible relief of the situa
ton.
Mr.. HOrner's letter was written Au.
gust q and, having by this time been
received by Mr.. Mccormick, is now
made public.
The local representative of the War
Trade Board emphasizes the fact, which
incidentally, was strongly brought out
Tuesday at the selectivc draft confer.
cnce, that the calling out Of the national
guard and the drafting of thousands
of men, most of them plantation labor
ers, have brought about a serious labor
shortage, so serious, indeed. that un.
less some measures be devised to count
eract it, the food output of Hawaii
will be materially reduced.
The remedy for the existing condi.
tionse, he holds, is "a mere breaking
down of barriers of political scnti
ment and political prejudice for the
period of the war.
owe are askrd.' he says. "to save
sugar by the pound, and yet, because
of prejudice against the yellow race
we are forced to waste il nv the thou
sand tons. And now when we
are calling upon our entire white man
power for purely military purposes, and
even ask the aid of the Orient to help
us carry out our transportation diff
cultics, it seems to me unwise, if not
absolutely foolish. to let our sugar
cane stools die, our pineapple suckers
wilt and our rice land steam in the
tropical sun rather than utilize the
vast man power of the Orient in keep
ing those Industries alive until the
governments and the food of the world
can be placed upon a normal basis !"
Mr.. Honer's Letter
The text of Mr.. Horncr 5 letter is
as follows:
"Hon. Vance Mccormick
Chairman War Trade Board,
WASHINGTON ID G.
Sir:-A short time ago, I WAS asked
mn"n,cIHIIN for my ideas ON the sub
iert of labor supply and food pro
duction in Hawaii. | gave my views
TO NV inouisitor and in wav went
on rrcord. but find that am unable
TO dismiss the subject from, nv mind
Hooycr's slnrun 'Fnnd will win tho
War; has cot into nv system and
my day tn Iav ohsprIutiuus oycr inst
the ordinary daily routinr keen ham.
mcriny # INTO my hpad that Hooypr,s
slogan Is the keynote and keystone
of the " hole srhCn" and rdi6cp that
the Nation is building to down tho
Hun. Conversely Honlrr might have
elaborated what is Implied in his
slogan. Ir. without food. without
victory
"In tins remote and c0mparablV in
significant unit Of the Nation there
is opportunity closely to srrutinizr the
effect OF WHr on food production. WhyH
Because "ur Industry ~ intensely. al
most rNrIuSI> rIv. food producing. Take
from Us a few hotels aud curio shops.
that hrforr the war were essential to
the growing tourist trHrtr. and what
are We ndustrIaIlN' w" are com
mon"ralih engaged in growing f"od--
sugar. prn"apPlrs. rice; all essential
food products of high rhcI"nrN and
food value. Every other pursuit in
Hawai- steamship companies, railway
companies, manufacturing concerns,
mercantile pursuits OF all KINDS leans
Food Production Experts
"a,
W. nave u" o""d INV "ah"l AZ III
ing INDUSTRY in the sense that the term
is GENERALLY used. no muui,ion works
.I