The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1867-12-28

Iaborng classes. We are not aware that any
effort has ever been made by any foreign nation
to obtain the conseu. of the Government To allow
labOrers to migrate. Indeed ut is hardly proba-
BILE there has been any, rs it is only within the
last year or two that JaIanese have been allowed
to leave their country ut all.
Here certainly is a subject which may justly
engage the attention of this Goycrnment-to en-
dcavor to obtain the consent of the japanese
Government to permit laborers To come to these
Islands, and fulfil labor contracts. But the nego-
tiations would have to be carried ON with much
skill and caution, and the japanese Government
first of all would have to be satisfied of the exact
nature of the service required of those who might
leave.
If whenever any japanese visit us again, espe-
cially those who can talk English readily, the
labor system on our plantations were thoroughly
explained to them, 50 that they can see it with
their own eyes, and understand its working,
their evidence might, on their return home, be of
special benefit in securing the assent of the Gov
ernment, as well as of laborcrs after such assent
is obtained. If the same plan were adopted i'll
procuring laborers from China or any other coun-
try, il would tend TO bring n better class than we
can get on the present blind system. The great
point is to have some one capable of converting
with laborers, go to explain to them just what
service is expected of them and the general nature
of the country, people, &c.
IL is estimated that, on an average, five tons of
sugar is the product per man on Il large planta-
ton. Every one thousand laborcrs imported
will therefore increase our sugar production five
thousand tons, OF ten millions of pounds. With
these data, the increase in our sugar product can
be easily calculated, whenever some way is opened
for obtaining labOrers.
Efforts will probably soon be made to establish
commercial intercourse with japan. and it will
be found every way desirable. and perhaps profit
able. If the Pacific Mail Company can be in
iuced to send their steamers by this route TO and
from Japan, communication by them will be
found the best and cheapest. Captain Water
man thinks they Will yet come via Honolulu.
There is no reason why they should not, and
every reason in favor Of the change. The Great
Republic, which is the largest and finest American
steamer ever built, left Sau Francisco September
4th, drawing 81 feet and eight inches, having
fifteen hundred tons of coal ON board and being
very deep in the water. This being her greatest
draft of water, she could easily enter and leaTe
this port in any tide, Us there are "a feet of water
ON the bar.
She made the passage to Yokohama in %
days. The distance being, according To the Off
cial table published by us n few weeks since,
5000 miles by the direct route, she averaged 227
miles n day or % miles an hour The steamship
YaHdeT6ih, on her trip to Honolulu in October,
1866, averaged 24O miles n day under easy steam,
and it is not unlikely that the Great Republic.
with the same fuel and head of steam used on
her first trip to JaIan would have averaged go
miles n day, via Honolulu, the wind and current
being i'm her favor. Tie distance from San Fran
cisco to Yokohama via this port is $3.50 miles,
and with the above speed it would have taken
her 81 days and III hours.
On tie return trip the Great Republic was p
days, making the passage from Yokohama to
San Francisco, averaging about : knots the entire
distance. For twenty days, during which she
had head winds, she did not average over se.en
knots an hour Had she made her return
trip via Honolulu, she would have FUND SOUTH
crly winds from japan to San Francisco, and
more pleasant weather the entire passage. The
return trip would probably have been made in
the schedule time of % days, including her stop
ut this port.
Should these steamers change their route and
como via this port, it will undoubtedly tend to
encourage tho travel OF japanese To and from our
group, and this would help, perhaps more than
anything else, to solve the labor question. La
borcrs could then engage for n term of five to
eight years, and on the expiration OF their service
return to their OWN country, and narrate their
experiences. AL which would result favoribly
in drawing japanese emigrants Of all classes to
our shores. That empire could spare US half n
L. - e. -l,,I.. ,u-p1.fann and Ia hot
ter or for the change.
Gen. Buriingame, during his stay here, while
on his way to China in July. 1866, remarked
that in fifty years the principal population of
there islands would consist of Chinese and their
descendants. Ii is certain that our population
will comprise some foreign element, but whether
it will be Chinese, japanese, Indian, Portuguese,
Polynesian or other, will probably be decided by
the mode of communication established with
other countries. The cheapest route will un-
dOubtedly attract the most immigrants. And
this at present points to japan and China, where
shall soon have to look for the bulk of of our
hbOring population.
These islands can support n population of one
million as easily as docs Mauritius its two hun
drcd Thousands. We may not be able to raise
the food to feed that number, but we can pro-
duce what will always buy their food. Vita our
unequaled sugar manufacture, rice culture, COM
mercc and whale fishery, We can give employment
to even more than the number named above.
That day, however, is probably far off, though
see no reason why, with n good government,
stable and liberal laws and abundance of foreign
the population may not increase in
ninety years to what it was when Captain Cook
the islands in 71S-iO0 900.
THE FORMAL TRANSFER OF Russian ANERIcA-New
AI..Eu nct LII Ih. E.ru..I 1865