The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1870-10-15
TIE PACIFIC
Commercial Abbtrtlsrr.
SATURDAY,. OCTOBER Is.
Planters Meeting and Mr.. S. C..
wiIder'S Report.

the instance OF that ASSOCIATION, and unuer the
auspices of the Board of Immigration. with the OBJ
ject Of procuring labOrers, and of obtaining inform
alton on that subject. On motion Of Mr.. S. N
Castle, Mr.. W. L Green was called to the chair, when
the meeting being called to order, Mr.. Wilder, at the
request of the Chairman, made his statement as
follows
Mr.. CHAIRNAS AND GENTLEMEN You will notice
that in the report / have to make TO you tonight,
there will be found some difference in the views l
have to express and those contained 10 my first letter
to the Association on this subject. A FIVE months
residence and experience in China led to these
changes from my first impressions.
With strong letters Of recommendation from the
highest officials Of this Government, and with letters
also from Her Britannia Majesty's Commissioner and
C~onsul-GenerIl to the Governor Of Hongkong, I left
Honolulu in the American ship Charger on the goth
January last, and arrived at Hongkong on March
Ist, after n passage of % days. On that day 1 waited
upon Mr.. Keswick, the Hawaiian C-onsul-General,
who received me politely, but who at once informed
me that l had no chance whatever of getting laborers
there, as an order had recently arrived from the
home Government forbidding the emigration from
Hongkong Of any laborers under contract, except to
British Colonies and Dutch Surinam.
| then went to Canton where the Governor Of
ADA6HOB SA ~h- 1pNA avs WIS IT
siding temporarily, to pay my respects to him. 1
stated to him the object of my mission and presented
my letters, He met me with great courtesy ami
kindness, and asked me numerous questions about
our islands, our Government, sugar plantations, &C.,
and stated that all ne ever heard about the islands
was favorable, and that he had never heard any bad
reports about our treatment of Chinese but although
his sympathies were with us, it was not in his power
TO concede anything beyond his instructions from
home, and which had quite recently arrived, pro-
hibiting the emigration Of laborers under contract
from Hongkong except to British Colonies. lie said
that he believed that the emigration Of Chinese I'M
der a fair and honorable contract was a boon to the
Chinese, but he considered that the wages that We
offered (S6.O0 per monthly did not imply that we
were very much in need Of labor. He stated that
an exception was made III favor of Dutch Surinam,
that Government having satisfied the British author
tiles that their laws we're sufficient to protect the
Chinese. | afterwards addressed an official note to
His ExcelIency through the Hawaiian Consul General
making the same request, which | had made to him
verballyk nd to which l received the following reply
CoLoSIAL sFcesTAEY's OFFICE. 2sh March. 1870.
fore The Governor Your letter = The 2iGI Of March. rtfsT ni to
ne emigration Of ChiHense to Honolulu, 1 am directed by Ills
matter, AMI ac;s altogether under the instructions recently re-
criyeI from the Secretary Of state, which forbid any tmigra-
ton under contract from Iongkong. save to British Co.oI,ics
ami Dutch surnam- Much, therefore. as His Excenency regrets
his inability TO met the wishes Of the Hawaiian Government,
there i nevertheless no alternative but to prohibit the clear
ance OF vessels having etlisran,s on board for she Sandwich
Islands. 1 have the Honor 60 be, SIR. your most obedieut ser
want, .GAKDINE Ia AUSTIN,
Colonial Secretary.
would here state that Hongkong is, as you are
all aware, AN island belonging to the British. 1t is
eleven miles long by about two to five miles wide,
containing twenty-nine square miles area, and
situated about SIX hours steaming from Canton. 1t
contains a population of 162. 900 souls, by the last
census, of which $500 are what We call foreigners.
There are about 800 policemen, 200 of which are
white men, 3 to 400 Silks from India, and the re-
mainder Chinese. About q, ZOO to 10000 of the
Chinese population arc born. live and die in boats or
saDpans. The common hbOrers or coolies, as they
are always called, get Sc per month : boys or a
better class OF men or house servants, get SO per
month a No. ! cook gets $50 per month. 1t ap-
pears some one gave these wages Un the first settling
Of the Colony, and that has continued to be the rate
for cooks ever since, although out of proportion to
other wages.
L found in Hongkong two gentlemen, Mr.. Gift and
Mr.. Williams, who were endeavoring to obtain labor
for the United States. They had been unable to
make any contracts with responsible parties to fur
nish them with laborers, the British law not allowing
them to make any contracts. None were willing to
endeavOr to obtain laborers for them simply on the
word of the Chinese, that they would go. They were
therefore obliged TO operate in their own names, offer
ing as high as S13 per month wages, and found in
every way-a return passage or SO in money at the
expiration of a three years service. Mr.. Gift obtained
17S men in FIVE months and a half, at n cost for adj
vances and passage money of S213 each. Mr.. Will
liams obtained 213 men in the same length of time,
which cost for advances and passage money 1915
each. OF this number 43 died on the sea passage by
sailing ship to New Orleans, which would increase
the expense Of those landed. Mr.. Williams had a
good ship fitted and provisional according to British
law, for 346 men. He had an English and two Chi
nese doctors, and yet the mortality was as stated.
With the experience of these gentlemen before me,
I did not see my way clear to obtain men. 1 was
recommended to try Annoy, and left on the 18th of
March in the steamer Douglas, and reached Annoy
on the 10th. The steamers now used on the China
coasting trade are built of iron, and are from 200 to
$50 feet long, and from $50 to Coo tons measurement
they sit low in the water, with rather a deep draft,
large accommodation for Chinese passengers carry a
large cargo, and steam from 10 to y knots at sea
using about 1O0Olbs of coal per hOnr. The cabin
passage money from HoEgkong to Annoy was $50
Storage So.
On reaching Annoy, l called upon the British Con-
sui. He gave me to understand that my mission was
useleSSs anu .Nual HOtuiuB hhhteNcI ia " uOues
unless Hawaii had a treaty with China, as the Chinese
Government do not allow contracts to be made for
laborers with countries not having a treaty, but adj
vised my calling upon the American Consul. L
called upon him 1t was only after an hours con-
versation, and after showing my papers and authority
that this gentleman treated me with any courtesy or
consideration, when he acknowledged that my in
structions were such that if they could be carried out
they were honorable and honest, and if he could OBJ
tain the consent Of the Toutai Tor Goyernor) he
would do so. After waiting two days, | received in
an envelope on a small slip of paper the following
RULE .-CoOIie Immigrants are not permitted to
proceed under contract to nOn-treaty countries.
There was to this no signature and no date This
ended my hopes and efforts in Annoy, and 1 left for
Hongkong next day.
1 next determined TO visit Macao. The distance
from Hongkong is about forty miles. The steamer,
which was an American sidewleel boat, leaves every