easily had the strike occurred on any other island than Oahu, where two-thirds of the population is urban and the number of casual laborers is large.

The white trade-unionists in Honolulu seemed rather to sympathize with the Japanese in the purpose of their strike, and to consider their demand of equal pay with other nationalities for equal work a just one; but there is no relaxation of the fixed disapproval with which in general white workmen in Hawaii regard all oriental labor.

CONCLUSION.

The legal and social condition of labor employed in Hawaii appears to have improved during the past five years. The economic condition of many classes of workers is better. Wages of common labor (males) on the plantations have risen on an average 11.1 per cent. The cost of staple articles of food has increased 12.9 per cent. But certain items of expenditure do not affect plantation employees, who constitute the bulk of the labor here studied, they being provided by the employer with fuel, medical attendance, houses, etc. Housing conditions have improved on the plantations, without increasing the cost of living for the laborer.

The condition of urban laborers, as shown by the study of the cost of living and the wage schedules gathered in Honolulu, is not below normal. In general unemployment is not serious-and forced unemployment of manual workers, whether skilled or unskilled, for any considerable period is very uncommon.

The position of the oriental in the economic life of the Territory is more important than five years ago, because it is more securely established. The property holdings of people of these races have increased much more rapidly than the population. Their competition has extended to a greater variety of occupations and is backed by larger and more varied resources, both of skill and capital. On the other hand, this population is less shifting than formerly, has a rising standard of living, and is pressing more for higher wages and better terms of employment. The oriental population promises by natural increase far to outstrip all other elements of the population, and upon this increase immigration restrictions are not likely to have determining effect. Some unpredictable change in population movements may reverse present tendencies, and the next decennial census may show a smaller number of orientals than at present. But up to date there is no indication of such a change. The smaller proportion of Japanese working on plantations is about compensated by the increase of Filipinos, and it will take a series of years—until the field of employment sought by the Hawaiian-born oriental population that will within a few years reach working age is ascertained-to settle the probable constitution of the future plantation force.

Meantime a bona fide effort is being made by the Territorial government, backed by the large employing interests, to settle a larger proportion of Caucasian workers and settlers in Hawaii. It is doubtful if any large industry upon the mainland has in the past been willing to disregard the economic demand for cheap labor, in consideration of what are at least partly civic motives in securing more costly labor, to the same extent as have the Hawaiian planters. They are willing without reserve to employ all the Causasian workers the government can bring to the islands, at a wage one-third larger than they pay for nearly as efficient labor brought from Asia.

Little progress has been made in settling American farmers in Hawaii. Recent changes in the land laws may remedy this to some extent. The Territory has now under consideration a public marketing department, to handle produce and promote markets for small farmers.

ANALYSIS OF TABLES.

Three groups of detailed tables conclude this report, relating, respectively, (1) to the cost of living of workmen's families in Honolulu, (2) the retail prices of commodities, and (3) the occupations, wages, hours of labor, and nationality of employees.

COST OF LIVING IN HONOLULU.

These detailed tables are to be read in connection with the summary tables in the text of the report; but provide material for new combinations of data, such as is sometimes desirable where figures are to be used for purposes of comparison with similar data elsewhere or for detailed study of special conditions.

Table I shows the membership and income of families and the occupation of the head of each family, by race groups.

Table II shows home conditions by races.

Table III gives in detail the amount of income of each family studied, classified as to source.

Table IV presents with equal detail the items of expenditure of the families reporting.

RETAIL PRICES OF COMMODITIES.

Table V. This table shows the retail prices of the principal articles of food and a few other staple commodities from 1910 back to 1890, or as near thereto as a record of prices could be secured for the same articles from the same establishments. Owing to difference in price for the same article at different stores it was not deemed proper to secure prices for part of the period from one firm and for the remainder of the period from another firm, and some commodities change so materially in their character in a few years that prices for identical articles can not be followed back for many years.

When two or more quotations were secured for the same article an effort was made to get prices as nearly as possible for the same grade and quality in each instance. An effort was also made to have the figures fairly represent the prevailing prices throughout the Territory-some of the quotations being from plantation stores, some from oriental stores, and others from the largest establishments

in Honolulu. The prices shown in this table are the average prices for the year. Footnotes have been appended to show the seasonal variation in prices of a few articles that fluctuate materially during the year. The absolute relative worth of these figures as data from which to estimate the cost of living is affected by trade customs referred to in another part of this report. A study of the table in detail shows that there was a marked rise in the price of nearly all commodities during the boom that followed annexation.

Quotations of retail prices were secured for the preceding three reports on Hawaii that have been made by this Bureau, and a number of the same firms have been continued in this report.

In the second report of this Bureau, published in Bulletin No. 47, a series of index numbers was presented showing the trend of prices of food from 1890 to 1902. The index numbers consist of percentages showing the per cent that the average price for each year was of the average price for the 10-year period, 1890 to 1899. The index numbers shown in the following text table from 1890 to 1900 are the same as given in Bulletin No. 47; those for 1901, 1902, and 1905 have been revised. The series of index numbers has been continued to include 1910, the numbers from 1901 to 1910 being based on detail figures of Table V presented in this report.

RELATIVE RETAIL PRICES OF FOOD, 1890 TO 1910.

This above table shows that retail prices of food reached their lowest point in 1898, when the average was 98.3 per cent of the average price for the 10 years from 1890 to 1899. The highest price was reached in 1910, when it was 21 per cent above this average price.

OCCUPATIONS, WAGES, HOURS OF LABOR, AND NATIONALITY OR RACE OF EMPLOYEES.

These tables follow the same form as those presented in previous reports and are throughout comparable with them.

Table VI. Data for this table were secured from 255 establishments, representing 50 industries and 52,925 employees, as shown in the following text table:

100781°-Bull. 94-11-7

NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS AND EMPLOYEES FOR WHICH WAGES AND HOURS OF LABOR ARE GIVEN, BY INDUSTRIES.

No attempt was made to cover all establishments in the Territory, except in case of sugar, but in certain industries nearly all establishments of any importance are included in the table.

For the other industries the figures presented are only representative. It is believed, however, that sufficient data were secured to fairly and correctly represent industrial conditions in the Territory as to wages, hours of labor, and the different nationalities employed in the several industries. In this table the number of establishments from which data were secured is stated in connection with the name of the industry. All occupations found in the establishments investigated are given for each industry, and the number and sex of the employees of each nationality are given under each occupation. Following each nationality appear the days of work per week and the