The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1920-05-07
A Subject People
= BY Scott Nearing -
Staff Writer, The Federated Press.

: BY Scott Nearing -
Staff Writer, The Federated Press.
Popular sympathy recently aroused
over the plight Of "subject peoples"
has gone out to Korea, India. and Ire
land. Now comes report on "Labor
Conditions in Porto Rico'' written by
Joseph Marcus "a special agent of
the United States Employment Ser
vice) which strongly suggests the
necessity of adding another to the
long list of peoples which are denied
"the right of self-determination."
The American flag has been flying
over the island of Porto Rico for TWEEN
ty years, yet the percentage of il
literacy is still abnormally high. Dur,
ing the year 1917 and Is "only 142 SAG
children out of total Of 427,666 Of
school age actually enrolled in the
public schools" The difficulty, syas
Mr.. Marcus, "lies in the bad economic
condition" in which the worker finds
himself. "Porto Rico is an island OF
wealthy land proprietors and of land
less workers.
"Therc is a law in Porto Rico pro
hibiting any single individual from
owning more than 500 acres of land
... With the American occupation the
price of cane land rose very high -
from thirty to three hundred dollars
iper acre-and this induced many 9
small holder to sell his land and Join
the ranks of the laborers. /" Under thesc
circumstances the law limiting land
holdings was not enforced and at the
present time "of the best land in
Porto Rico 597. 1913 acres are owned
and 229,203 acres are leased by Az
individuals, partnerships, or corpora
tions from the United States Spain
France and other countries"
The total wealth of the island is il
the hands of fifteen per cent. of thu
population. Fourteen per cent. of the
wealth is in the hands of native Porte
Ricans. Sixty seven percent is ownei
by Americans.
-Four fifths Of the people of PortC
Rico live in the rural districts. They
build their little shacks on land tha
does not belong to them; they worl
when work is to be had on the neares
plantation; the men in a pair o
trousers, shirt and a straw hat
Throughout the island thousands O
children of the ages from one to sever
years go naked, in the towns as wei
as in the rural districts.'
When the laborer is at work he an,
his family share the following diet
Breakfast-Black coffe, without mill
and quite often without sugar.
Lunch--Rice and beans. or rice an
Goldfish, or Goldfish and plantins.
Supper-The same as lunch.
This diet holds good while the labor
er has steady work but during a larg
part of the year-five or six month
There is no work. elbow he pull
| through the slow season is a myster
!, to many who are interested in tn
| welfare of the laborer."
, The Porto Rican laborer is a sic
; man. Hook-worm diseas, anemia et'
. are very wide spread
The low energy value of the die
together with the prevalence Of sicl
, ness have so undermined the enduranc
of the Porto Rican laborer that
number of experiments in scientifi
, diet carried on by the employer
7 themselves, resulted in increasing tt
{ working capacity of the men from
Y to 100 per cent. Mr.. Marcus finds ths
with an increase in wages which woul
! enable the laborer to purchase SON
+. meat and dairy products, the charge
laziness and, inefficiency which al
8 frequently lodged against the worke,
n might we'll be withdrawn.
The Investigation upon which M
> Marcus bases his report about one dc
lar per day. Laborers in the bus
, season were paid ninety cents per da,
n In the slow season seventy cents. I'll
q working day is from ten to twel,
e hours. On the tobacco plantation
h mems wages during the busy seasc
q are from sixty to eighty cents a d.
9 and during the dull season from fort
n to sixty cents a day. Women recei,
II from thirty-five to forty.five cents
t. day in the busy season and fro
!, twenty-five to thirty.five cents a ds
0. in the dull season. On the coffee pla
% tations wages are lower. Men recei,
,e from fifty to sixty cents per dav
a the busy season and from thirty.fi,
TO forty;five cents per day in the du
% season. "
r. Mr. Marcus reports that the need
IL industry is making considerable bea
m way in Porto Rico. Mems and chi
i, dren's suits are manufactured
# women operators who earn from tbr,
,, dollars and fifty cents to five dolla
h. per week. Embroidery manufacturer
!, lace making and drawn work nav fro
Il Sl'25 to $500 per week. The work
n done exclusively by women.
rs Detailed descriptions are given =,
in iiving and working conditions in tbe
s. ana other industries. Enough has be,
said here to indicate very clearly M
i. the American people, having assum,
a. the responsibility for directing ii
or lives of l,11s,Ol2 Porto Ricans, are {,
II behind the standard of "healtb ar
10 decency' which civilization prescr;b
NJ as the minimum below which hum,
10 oeings cannot be expected to live AZ
10 70 WORK. There are subject peoples
or Europe and Asia living under iptole
i aDie economic and social situation
ID There are also peoples in the West 7
a dies subjects Of the United Stats
"a whose life tragedy has been intensifi,
Il. rather than relieved by the proson
." North. ALUM VI
N ~ regarding amnesty for political priso
o. ers' contained in the article recent
If. published in the Toiler "Wbat po