Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 395, 23 February 1892 — Japanese Laborers as Mechanics. [ARTICLE]

Japanese Laborers as Mechanics.

Daring the campaigQt Hon. Paul Keumann aaaured hia bearere that he knew of a $eople whoconld be hroogfai here kaew noUHng ia the ahape of meehanioal handl» craft,hatwere akined in agrieQltv«M}y. Thei paoj»le to vhidi Mr. Nennann relerred are the Jap* aneee, aod we are fnito wUiing to belie¥e that Mr t Irwin the Hawaiian Ceniol in Japan doea — as Mr. Kmimann iajn. «eleei agrseoHnral khevece onij; hot that doee noi 2mmt U» laborerfmn beooming gn «zeellent oarpenter or hlaekemiih during hie term ofplantation bondage in Hawaii. Aa a matter of fact, on \iearly emy plantation there are ftom two to four eapen* tera who haTeahipped as Japanese agnculturai laboms; who, under tbe direction oi a boss meehanie, uauall/ a whūe man o» half*white, are at work in the sarpenter sbon and when the penod of their olantation oontract eipiim, they w»ll be expert enough to replaee tha white man on interior work !n Honololu or eisewhere. Whal we say of the earpenter's trade is equallr true of eihera. The Japaneee are quick at pieking mp Uaeksmithing, and on ee¥evel pliintations theve are hWekemilhe who hare learned their trade ae plantaticn hands. Aa engineera (rnnning enginee) on seTeral plan*; ilations, the Jap has gained a feot* ing, and ahioaeaegar hoOeie Japaik* eseerc doing &rtBoa iqMith whal a white man fbm«riy get tnm 1$) to 1M» dollara a month for.. TW is real)Mo diffisre*ee hetween importing tw plahtjti«in' seeehenks all ready skilledv fVom Japaa, and making the meohaaie ent ef the k* borvr here. 80 far as the t*eulV le Ihe H» waiian and whjte awtt meehaniei here ie coneerne4 ene plaa 4 v«M he abnut as g«dd es the a*har. Th«re is this adtaatage to the ehaniee already |a Hawaii Ib Ikai caee ef iapaneee UhoHn leang|nj| their mdeehef% they oenwa ae iueehaniee» we«f la Japaa aad ooaerqu*atiy wM And it to tMr! iol«fest U iee»M Imi. Japaa iej

a stroi||ho!d |of Irtd6 oukmiim s»4 oi«chanicB **%£ ftrt:sta fuUds, r«* cof»ised «ndi upheld by law, jnto whieh the low c<\ste laborer—however well taught 011 our plantatior.s --eoukl neveV enter. c