HD M.:.z~:~' '~~~~' ~ j.'., ', ' ' "' ":''' ~1:~: ~' ''' '' ' j " 1 ' ' a' '~li:'"l~ i~:~lln ''':'i 1- g5 1 B I~~k~1227644 HO A35 i l U E i | I |I I I: |, I: I & l l l I f I | I \ |I I I l I FA: I 0 I :~: ~ I (I I REPORT1 ylt 1'.'' tf.-s NOW I I LAI I )COMMISSION W ~~~( J L E I OMM V IO N A I, I.W- E VEFANCIU.41 RON( LULUI ( O IR GR VE ST AM 300K AN) JOB P INTIKP. If1b I p StAW) i ':".-. '.",...^.'*..8?, ifs"..ll~~ AM l;*"','.-.'ldi iissi ii.'~ iicil li~ai *iii:~:i:~ *' '.i'.'.,' I ' -..' p g '. '. "*"...*, * * " " ' '' * ' * *' I g***"'''*... " * I' ~ ~ t lB~W.'*''" *: '" *. '*..**"'.{**: ' ^. **;:' ".. *,: '** ' '.,. * ' ':',:**'; '*** 1.." "?.:*: E~%:`:' *' '." * ~ **, ' *' ' *' * ".*^ ':' ~~:~~- -~~~~-~~~ —~'l ^ j * "''*:":'..'.. "-.**' '" "I~~ ~ ' ' ' *. ":.'.' ~ *..* * * -: ~.. *. * *...1?i3 " ~":i,'; ' "' - *'! >, ';':,1 ^.'' *.*' vi*:-*:. '.* -: ".? X~~ rf~ ';' ~ e;* ~ e */ -. ''." ***'' * *..- '.*..*: '.* '*^ **^ '^ M: i a r J f L^~- r I*. 51 REPORT OF THE LABOR COMMISSION ON THE ADDITIONAL AGRICULTURAL LABORERS REQUIRED, To the Legislature of the Rlepublic ojf lal?.aii: GENTLEMEN: By paragraph 7 of Section 3 of the Labor Commn.ission Act, the Comnmission is instruc.ted to inquire and report on the following " Whether or not an increased number of agricultural and other unskilled laborers wi]l be needed in the near future, and if so, in connection with what industries, and how many laborers will probably be required." Recognizing that this was one of the most important and practical questions submi;tted to the Comumission and, as a guide to possible legislation, it was desirable that the information should be collected and be made available at as early a date as practicable, the Commission, soon after its organization in Novenber last, prepared and forwarded to every sugar plantation and mill in the Islands a (.'irc ular letter, enclosing blanks prepared for the purpose of obtaining the in 2 formation sought in a convenient and uniform way. This letter and enclosed blank were as follows: [coPY.] REPUBLIC OF HAWAII. OFFICE OF LABOR COMNMISSION, HONOLULU, H. I., NOV. 15, 1894. In conformity with the Act creating the Labor Commission, approved by the President, August 16, 1894, the following Commissioners were appointed to make full and careful investigation into all matters connected with labor in the Hawaiian Islands, and to report from time to time to the Executive and Advisory Councils, to the Legislature, or to the Executive Council if the Legislature has adjourned, namely: WM.. N. ARMSTRONG, Chairma,. J. EMMELUTI, J. M. VIVAS, T. B. MURRAY, H. W. SEVERANCE. Enclosed you will find a copy of the Act which will show somewhat in detail the ground intended to be covered, and your attention is called, among other things, to Section 4. For the purpose of carrying out the instructions contained in the Act and making the investigation as thorough as possible, the Commission invites your cooperation by giving such information as your observation and practical experience may have put you in possession of, and which may materially assist the Commission in arriving at an intelligent understanding and correct conclusions concerning the various matters enumerated in the law. Enclosed you will find memoranda specifying the particular points upon which information is desired at the present time, and you are requested to reply to the questions contained therein. Very respectfully, C. T. RODGERS, Secretary Labo)r C(ommission. [COPY.] MEMORANDUM No. 1.,How many contract laborers of the different rnationalities have you whose terms will expire within the times specified below; how many of these are likely to renew their contracts; how many new laborers will be needed, and what kind would you prefer? Please put this information in tabular form as follows: CONTRACTS TO EXPIRE. To Mar. 31, 1895. Apr. 1 to Sept 30, Oct. 1, 1895, to Total 1895. Mar. 31, 1896. Hawaiians.............. Portuguese............... Chinese.............. Japanese................ Others................. Totals........... **........ O**........... * * *...................*........ I........ *..... *. ~.... * *.. * * O~~oe$................... '.... & t.................. *...............................*..... * * * ** * * *. ~ **.. **.... **............... '...... ' r ~ ~~r~r~.lr~ ~ ~d W* * *-* ~~~~~~~~~ I0 * ~ v 4 -b v * ~ ~r~-~~~i~~ ~ PROBABLE RENEWALS. To Mar. 31 1895 Apr. 1 to Sept. 30, Oct. 1, 1895, to To o Mar. d, 19. 1895. IMar. 31, 1896. oal. H awaiians.............................................. Portuguese............................................ Japanese................................... Chinese..................................................... Ohes e............................ Totals.................................**...... * *............ oo* o o,,.....*.............. e ~.........., NEW LABORERS WANTED AND KIND PREFERRED. To Mar. 31, 1895 Apr 1 to Sept. 30, Oct. 1, 1895, to Total 1895. Mar. 31, 1893. Hawaiians.......... Portuguese.............. Chinese................. Japanese............... Others.................. Totals................. 2.... i.................. ~...... * **.. *......................................................... s I...................... a e e * e............... ~ ~ ~ '* ~e e* *e 7 This form was believed to provide for a statement of the facts in the way that would be the most available and useful. These letters and blanks were sent to the sugar plantations only at the time, as the sugar industry seemed then to be the only one where there was any urgent demand for additional labor for the purposes of the present or the near future. Instead of afterwards endeavoring to collect similar information in this way from the coffee planters, the present condition as well as the probable and possible future wants of the coffee industry were made the subject of a personal investigation by Mr. W. N. Armstrong, the Chairman of the Commission, during a visit to the Island of Hawaii, of something over a months' duration. The results of Mr. Armstrong's inquiries and observations are embodied in the report of the Commission on the Coffee Industry, which has already been presented to your Honorable Body. Outside of the sugar and coffee industries there is, in the opinion of the Commission, no demand at present, nor likely to be in the immediate future, for any additional supply of agricultural or other unskilled laborers beyond what can be readily supplied by those now in the country, or who are likely to come here of their own accord without any new legislation or governmental action, especially, as owing to the low price of rice, our next largest product to sugar, that has prevailed for the last few years, there has been a considerable falling off in the area cultivated and the amount produced, thus materially lessening the demand for agricultural labor in that particular industry. It will be 8 noticed that the blanks above given, call only for returns with respect to contract laborers. As contracts expire, some of the present contract men will re-engage, some of them will remain on the sugar plantations as free laborers, and the remainder who remain in the country will be available to supply the demand for free labor on the coffee plantations and in other branches of industry where their services are needed. The plantations and mills to whom these circular letters and blanks were sent numbered in all fifty-six (56.) A large proportion of these responded with reasonable promptness, but in some instances, the blanks were mislaid and lost, some of them were sent in so imperfectly filled out that they had to be returned for correction, and in some instances, the parties had to be written to several times before the Commission could get the information they wanted in such a shape as would be available for use in making a general tabulation. The final result was that returns were received from fifty-three out of the fifty-six concerns addressed, but as five of these returns were annonymous, that is to say, were not signed nor accompanied by any letter or other means of identification, the post-marks, in some instances, being illegible, it is impossible to tell with certainty which the missing ones are. The attempt to get anything definite as to the number of contract laborers who were likely to re-engage, was not by any means a success,' many of the planters making only vague es 9 timates, and some declining to make any estimate at all. The result of all the information obtained in this way, when reduced to a tabular form to correspond with the blanks sent out, is as follows: the returns of those likely to re-engage being too imperfect to admit of any satisfactory tabulation. CONTRACTS TO EXPIRE, To Mar. 31 1895. Apr. to Sept. 30, Oct. 1, 189, to tal i 1895. Mar. 31, 1896. Tota, Hawaiians................. 114 192 193 499 Portuguese................29 66 45 140 Chinese.................... 26 75 51 152 Japanese.................. 101011,872 4,068 Japanese.1....... 1,010 1,186 1 1,872 i 4,068 Others. 8 7 10 25 Totals..........1,187 1,52 2,171 4884 NEW LABORERS WANTED AND KIND PREFERRE)D IAvr. 1 to Sept. 30,j Oct. 1, 1895, to Total To Mar. 31, 1895. 1 to SeTotal. To MDar. 311, 1895. 1895. Mar. 31, 1893. I_ Hawaiians..........3....... 3.... 3 6 Portuguese..... 225 158 57 440 Chinese................... 364 605 399 1,368 Japanese................ 471 664 708 1 1,843 Others...0 23............... 33 1_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ — _ _~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Totals.............. 1,073 1,450 1,167 3,690:: 12 Some difficulty was experienced in, reducing even the above matter to a tabular form, owing to the failure of a few plantations to make their returns conform altogether to the blanks furnished. As given above, however, the figures correspond with substantial accuracy to the information received from the plantations. Assuming the missing concerns to be of average capacity, and adding five per cent. to represent the deficiency, we find the number of contracts expiring within the period named to be as follows, namely: Hawaiians.......... Portuguese......... Chinese............ Japanese........... All Others.......................... 524............... 147.......... I..... 1 6 0............... 4,271...... I......... 2 6 Total................ and the number of new laborers wanted same period to be as follows, namely: H aw aiians...................... Portuguese....................... C h in ese.......................... Japanese................... All Others...................... 5,128 within the 6 462 1,436 1,935 35 Total....................... 3,874 The preferences expressed by the various plantations as to the nationality of their laborers, and other matters connected therewith, are given below, it not being considered necessary to give the names of the 13 particular concerns from whom the answers were received. "Chinese and Portuguese preferred." "One hundred men expected from Europe." "Portuguese preferred." "Do not expect any renewals, but expect about ten per cent. to remain as day men. Of the balance a large percentage return to Japan and a few seek employment elsewhere, mostly on neighboring plantations." "Portuguese and Japs do not seem to care about contracting again. A number of Chinese could be got to contract, but are too likely to desert." "None preferred. The way our plantation has a mixed population of all classes of laborers, all doing well." "Chinese preferred." "We have never renewed any contracts with our men. Those who have remained after the expiration of their contracts have done so as free men." "Chinese and Portuguese preferred to Portuguese alone." "Want all the Hawaiians I can get." Asiatics preferred. Chinese work by the day." "Hawaiians preferred for team work. Japanese preferred for rough field work." "None preferred. This plantation has a great number of European laborers to counterbalance the Asiatics; the consequence is, we have no reason to complain about any of them. All plantations should have the same." 14 " Chinese or Japanese preferred." ' Hawaiians not wanted. No laborers renew their contracts; when their time is up some of the men generally stay and work by the day." "Japanese and Portuguese preferred for principal supply; but a number of Chinese are desired to prevent any concerted action by the Japanese." "No new contract laborers needed-expect re-shipping." Hawaiians preferred." "We never contract a Hawaiian if possible." "Expect all to re-ship-have all the labor we need for the next two years." "Hawaiians and Portuguese preferred." Think it desirable to have Chinese in place of Japanese, as the latter are too much in the majority." One of the most noticeable things about the above showing is the marked discrepancy that exists between the opinions expressed on certain matters by plantation managers, all of whom must be accepted as men of experience and well qualified to speak intelligently on the subject. For instance, one plantation announces " Hawaiians not wanted;" a second replies "want all the Hawaiians I can get;" a third, "Hawaiians preferred;" and yet a fourth, "we never contract a Hawaiian if possible." Again, one says "Chinese preferred," while another says "A number of Chinese could be got to contract, but are too likely to desert." One has never renewed any contracts with their men, one expects re-shipment of about ten per cent. of them, while yet I';~~!! 15 another replies that they expect all to re-ship and have all the labor needed for the next two years. So far as can be seen, these discrepancies cannot be accounted for by any differences in the local conditions affecting the different plantations. They must be attributed mostly to personal idiosyncracies on the part of the different managers, or to the varying experiences met with in managing different kinds of laborers. Men of different nationalities and races need somewhat different handling, and while one manager may be by temperament and training especially well fitted to get on with natives, he may not be nearly as well qualified to handle Japanese successfully. One man may have had a great deal of trouble with laborers of one kind and not with another, and so on. An examination of the letters and memoranda from plantation managers and agents published in the appendices to the reports on " Co-operation and Profit Sharing," and "Strikes and Arbitration," will disclose similar divergences of opinion, some of which, at least, can only be accounted for in the way just indicated. All of which is respectfully submitted. J. EMMELUTH, J. M. VIVAS, I-. W. SEVERANCE. i ,-s 90,)'"o i 0,13, vo6-, 1 -,-! UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN 9011 1111 11150 11471 1 3 9015 04847 8617 I j i i