The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1918-06-07
Government Tells
EOf plans Fo1r
Porto Rican Labor
First Ten Thousand win Be Used
{ For War Work At Scale Far
Beyond Reach Of Sugar Plan
tatibnS of This Territory

While Hawaiian sugar planters are
awaiting answers from the government
as to their questions relative to costs
and expenses of securing plantation
labor for Honolulu the government goes
ahead with It's plans for bringing labor
ers from that Island to the mainland.
The wage scale which will be paid snch
labor is ont of any consideration for
the plantation fields Of Hawaii, hut
those mentioned will be employed for
war work If labor Is to be brought
here it will Nertainly be on very diff
fercnt scale of pay than that which ia
proposed in continental United States
for these common laborers for, with
costs as they are now in sugar prOdur-
ton, it would he impossible for most
if not all of the plantations here to
continue in the business and pay
similar scale.
Relative to Porto Rican labor the U.
s. Employment Service Bulletin of May
81, q publication issued weekly by the
the department of labor says:
First Arrival Soon
As one of it's means of augmrnting
the commentator supply, the depart
ment of labor, through the United
States employment service, will short
ly begin bringing Porto Rican laborers
to continental United States. Within
month the first arrivals will he en-
gagged in construction work on govern.
ment contracts, and Nthe employment
service already has arranged for the en-
ployment Of more than 10000 islanders
GA war work at Norfolk, Newport
News, and Baltimore and vicinity. Ap-
proximateIv $4,000 Porto Riran laborers
already are available for work in the
mainland.
The Porto Rican labOrprs will receive
thirty five cents an hour, with time and
half for overtime work. They will
be fed by the government cOmmissary,
each man paving twenty-five cents
meal Housing will be furnished to
these men without cost, and a represen
tative of the department of labor now
is in the cities in which they will be
employed arranging housing accommo-
datiOns in advance of their arrival.
Army transport Used
The transfer Of this labor, which
brings American common labor into the
continent, has been held up for some
pQpths through lack of shipping accom-
modatons. The war department, how.
ever. has just agreed to bring over the
islanders on the home trips of trans
ports carrying supplies to the mobiliza-
ton base at San Juan. The possibili-
ties of Porto Rico as a source of com
mon labor supply were investigated last
October by the department through +.
c. Roberts, special representative,
who went to the island. His estimate
Of $4,000 available men was subsequent
Iy confirmed by Santiago lglesias, mem
Der of the Porto Rico Senate and presi-
dent of the Free Federation of Labor
for Porto Rico, which is affiliated with
tthe, American Federation of Labor.
Small Proportion Here
In speaking of the number that
might be secured for here, Royal ID.
Mead yesterday said that the number
would be "only a drop in tho bucket
as compared to the totals Of all nation
ahties who work the Hawaiian cane
fields and Mills Vt tEat tine he had
not seen the Hrti lC which is reprinted
above