The Connecticut labor news., 1921-08-05
GOmpers and Officers of Honolulu Central La bor Body Appear Be- fore Congress d Declare No Emer- gency xis ts as Claimed.
Especial to The Labor News.

\opeC1dl 10 l ne l-dDOr N cWS.
 Washington, D. C., Aug. 5.-Coolie importation for peonage on Hawaiian sugar plantations was given a severe blow here today when Hawaiian la bOr representatives, accompanied by President Gompers of the American Federation of Labor and fully dozen other labor representative appeared before the House Committee on Inn migration.
 President George w. Wright of the Honolulu Central Labor Union gave the committee a complete account of the plantation labor situation and made 1t clear that, entirely aside from the principle of Oriental exclusion, there is no economic excuse for the importation of coolies.
 AS important as any statement made by the labor representatives, was a statement of Congressman Baker, of Oregon, member of the committee on immigration.
 "The proposed joint resolution, if adopted" said Congressman Bal ker, "Would make of Hawaii an island of criminals. It would let down the bars to every criminal class every where in the world And once on American soil they could go any where on American soil without passports"
 President Wright described planta- ton conditions and told how planta- ton workers had gone into govern ment works because of better pay. He made 1t clear that with the estab- lishment of suitable wage conditions the labor supply necessary to the handling of the sugar crop would be available. He added that if there then should be any shortage the Philippine number of workers Methods of criticised from the standpoint of in efficiency.
 The Honolulu Central Labor Union, it was testified, submitted to the sugar planters a proposal, or pro- gram, for the relief and remedying of the labor situation in the islands This program contained diagnosis of the situation and a remedy there for as follows:
 Diagnosis: We find that the plight in which the sugar industry finds itself today is due primarily to the lack of a proper understanding and cooperation between employer and employees. This results in the Encouragement and antagonism of the workers which lowers their effic- iency to approximately 5ob of the normal, and causes dissatisfaction and the consequent drifting away from the plantations of the laborers whose services are required to take off the crop. Extremely low wages and the impossibility of earning a living ex- cept at the lowest possible standard 0t he IL outside the plantations from taking plantation jobs, though there are probably enough unemployed and temporarily employed who would be willing 10 fill the jobs if the condi- tions were such that there was any lnduCcment offered.
 Kennedy: Follow the approved in dustrial methods and endeavor to i'm crease the efficiency of your employees by etfecting right understanding with them. Recognize the principle of collective bargaining and signify your willingness to meet with repre- sentatives of your employees in a con ference which we will arrange and to which we, as representative of the Central Labor Council, will be pres ent as the third party acting as media tors. We will guarantee that if this IS done in the right spirit of co-opera- ton on your part 1t will be met in the same spirit by your employees and an agreement reached whereby you will gain the friendship of your men and increase their efficiency to normal. As one of the chief matters to be considered at such a conference we suggest the establishment of a new wage scale based upon the cost of liv- ing details as to hexibility and deter mining factors to be worked out later
 "If this increased efficiency does not then relieve your shortage, and the return of workers drawn back to plantation life by incentives offered still falls short of your requirements, we believe that plenty of new labor can be recruited in the Philippines, with the cooperation of the Filipino labor commission.
 "As an added source of supply we point out that a large number of men will be discharged from federal con struction work upon the signing of the rehabilitation bill, or shortly who will be forced back on the plantations where they belong, provided you make 1t point to em- ploy citizen labor in the skilled and | semi-skilled industries which your in huence dominates. There is no queS- ton in our minds but that you will | thus be able to fill your shortage of l labor and maintain your industry at a | normal pace without the importation l of any other oriental labor"
 Chairman Albert Johnson, conduct ing the hearing, made what labor rep | resentatives declared to be a studied | effort to entangle President Wright ! and to discredit his testimony but to 1 no avail. At the conclusion of the | days testimony Chairman Johnson was obliged to compliment the labor man upon the fairness of his testi- mOny.
 Under the terms of the coolie inn portation bill, the subject of the hear |