The Hawaiian gazette., 1869-12-29

against the 1nHarfanIable interference OF any
Of the greater Powers between it and Japan,
particularly with regard to the labour question.
We are not, as we have said before, by any
means blind to the fact that Japan requires ali,
and more than all. the lsbour she has, proper
/ ly to develope her own resources. We should
prefer. infinitely, to witnessing an export Of
/ japanese labour elaewhere. to see the waste
grounds of this conntry in full course Of re-
deInption, TO see her mines worked, her forests
cleared, harbours mtde, better roads and other
means Of internal communication constructed.
to look upon the paek-horse as 4 curiosity, and
to hearsthe whistle Of the locomotive ia the
| Hskoni Pass. But these things will hardly
| come to pass in our time. and. meanwhile. the
1 condition of the lower orders Is pitiable. Why
| should we stand between the Japanese coolie
and the well-paid labour which is offered 10
, him in country where he is better cared for
and happier. and in every respect raised in the
social scale. than in his own7 When Japan be-
| gins to feel the want Of Japanese labour, she
ought also to be taught its value the right Of
q man to carry his laboIr to its best market is
indisputable, and If Hawaii can outbid Japan.
in the demand for Japanese coolies. so much
the better for the coolies. 1t is surely not our
part, as apostles Of civilization and freedom
and true principles of political economy. to
| Interfere to say to the miserable coolie You
country may hereafter want you or you must
accep: the lower pay your own Government can
afford and shall not take higher, because il is
| offered by another This is truly to aid and
abet in the employment of forced labour-for
to prevent men emigrating for their own good
| is as cruel and unjust and wicked as to encour.
age their expectation for the profit of others.
A number of false statements have been
made and totally wrong impression created,
respecting the result Of the imperfect expert
ment of last year, of the expectation of Japa-
nese labour to Hawaii. DR.. Lees letter will
correct much Of this error and, from correspon-
dence and copies of Governmental dispatches
recently received from Honolulu, we are ena-
bled to confirm and to supplement what he
writes. We append, also, copy of the con-
tract under which the Japanese who went to
Hawaii in the Scioto were engaged. and. as
DR.. Lee very justly says, its terms are in them
selves enough to answer those who bring the
charge of slave-dealing against the Hawaiian
Government and its agents here. The charac-
ter and position Of the men composing the
Board Of Immigration are an additional sscuri-
ty. Its President, ez o6fcio, is the Minister of
the Interior, and his colleagues are the Minis
ter of Finance, leading banker, merchant.
a physician and one of the native chiefs, all
members Of the Hawaiian Privy Council. OF
these, two only are employers Of Japanese Ia
hour, one having four in his service transfer
red to him at their own request. There is no
reason TO doubt that this Board exercises, q
most careful and beneficial supervision over
both employers and employed. Some trouble
ana misunderstanding naturally arose at first,
and are frankly confessed to, in the Board of
Immigration's Report but these were caused
purely by difficulty ofinter-communication the
student interpreter sert by the Japanese au-
thorities being quite unequal to his position
AT last the Board was fortunate in finding
Hawaiian woman who had spent two-and- half
years in Yokohama and through her, much
good has been done and everything moves
smoothly enough. The only men who express
any wish to break their contracts and return
to Japan are some twelve OF fourteen who ap-
pear to have shipped as overseers, and who
have not been so employed, but enquiry is be-
ing made into their cases and any breach Of
contract will be rectifed and compensation
given. The health Of the emigrants appears
to be good one man died Of consumption
shortly after his arrival. two of other diseases
brought with them and one, who. the inter
prefer says, was insane, committed suicide.
This is the foundation for O statement which
our readers may have noticed, to the effect that
the Japanese in Hawaii were all hanging and
poisoning them selves because they could not
get back to their country and escape the slavery
in which they were kept The fact is that they
are free, contented and happy. To quote the
Boards Report regarding the absence of
complaints, his (Saburo the interpreter state
ment we feel sure is correct. Because, though,
some time since, before the men got used to
their situations and obtained n knowledge of
our customs, they came freely to ourselves,
and were always patiently listened to of late
they have not done this, and when met in the
streets or elsewhere, on being questioned, they
say they are welP and their appearance indi-
Gates it. One very considerable concession has
been made to them. Their original contract
was for Four Dollars per month, half payable
monthly in cash, and half In notes payable at
the end Of the three years service. As it was
found that they had hardly understood this, q
change was made in their agreements and they
now receive the whole of their wages monthly
in coin. No wonder they are comfortable, or,
to quote again from the Report, that many
are now looking ahead with cheerfulness TO the
termination Of their contracts in the hope of
procuring larger wages, or even establishing
themselves independently, as so many Of the
Chinese have done before them" On the
whole, it is evident that these emigrsnts are
well treated. contented and prosperous, and to
assert anything to the contrary is wicked and
unjust ,r t-iI.. f-AIe
What was required at first, and what the
properly alive to its own interests, is the dis
patch Of mission to Honolulu and the ap-
pointment Of a resident Japanese Consul. A
Japanese Embassy to Hawaii would be cordi-
ally welcomed and we'll received the advan-
tages to Japan Of the move would be obvious.
We have known for some time of design to
send an Embassy to China Such mission
would in all probability be insulted and, indeed,
it is said that the intention is that it should be
so insulted, in order that q pretext for an inva
sion Of Coroa may be found. This may be all
idle gossip, and the scheme wild one but an
Embassy to Honolulu would be productive Of
nothing but good japan and Hawaii can
mutually help each other. and in no more i'm
portant particular can Hawaii assist Japan
than in, for the present time, finding lucrative
employment for the lsbour paid SO i'll hore-
Intercourse with Hawaii would be the best
preparation possible for intercourse with the
nations which civilized it, which helped il in
the formation Of its successful government and
which now protect it. The Japanese viii hard
ly work out this revolution to a successful issue
in well-balancsd constitution without our
help, and the spectacle Of what we have done
for Hawaii would be an excellent lesson for
theuselves--Japdn Times. Oct. Is. 1859.
JAPAs AND HASAn.--When writing on this
subject last week, we did not know that the
steps we were recommending were under the
serious consideration Of the native Govern
meiit, though we had suspicion Of the fact.
We have since learnt. with great satisfaction.
that the Mikado has appointed ooweno Keske
and Miwa Hoichi Comm issioners for Hawaii.
They will leave with their retinue and com
petsnt interpreter by the next Pacific Mail.
The japan, for Honolulu. via San Francisco.
tits very gratifying to note, that at time
when another European nation comes knock