American Hawaii [pp. 432-454]

446
OVERLAND MONTHLY
COL. J. H. FISHER
National Guard of Hawaii
ing industry of the country, and the source
of its principal revenue, was the whale fisheries, the crews of the whale ships being
largely recruited here.
The usual American shipping contract was
utilized in shipping the sailors and in order
to secure the services of the native Hawaiians,
who would not ship under other circumstances, an advance on account of wages was
made upon the signing of the contract.
This vicious system of an advance on account of wages, frequently amounting to several months' wages in full, became so established in the Hawaiian mind as the necessary
precedent to engaging in any continuous
labor, that laborers could not be obtained
from among them except upon making a considerable advance on account of wages. accompanied by the same form of shipping contract used by the whalers, in order to secure
the repayment or working out of the amount
advanced.
In later years as the supply of Hawaiian
laborers became insufficient to meet the demands of a developing country, laborers were
imported from abroad, at great expense to
both the Government and employers of labor
in Hawaii.
For example, during the ten years from
I878 to I888 there was expended by the Hawaiian Government in importing laborers into
Hawaii the sum of $I,OI9,OO000; while the em
ployers of labor spent during the same period
an amount only a little less than $I,ooo,ooo.
For this sum I8,400 people were brought
into the country.
Since I888 the greater part of the expense
has been borne by the employers of labor and
the average annual number of laborers imported into the country has been 3,00ooo to
5,0Oo.
The enormous expense of securing these
laborers has required some security that the
amounts advanced to pay the passages and
expenses of the immigrants hould be re-paid
or worked out, with the alternative of ruin
to the employer making the advances if such
security were not obtainable.
For this purpose, and in this way, the penal
contract system, which is almost word for
word the duplicate of the American shipping
contract used for seamen became incorporated
into and has continued a part of the Hawaiian
labor system.
The evils of the system and its tendency to,
depreciate the standard of labor as an honorable calling have been recognized and appreciated by the great bulk of intelligent peo
LIEUT. C. M. V. FORSTER, H. N. G.