The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-11-16
Systems of immigration and Settlement.


In the discussion of the question Of immigration,
the meaning Of the word Immigration, and eonse-
cuently the character and Importance of such dis
cussion, depends very much upon the direct object
aimed at in the proposed enterprise. Ii tins Is SIM
ply labor, it is IN no particular different from the
mast movements for this end, and the phrase i'm
IyorfgtiOn of LgboTers" best defines il the laws
enacted by our Legislature for the importation of
constituting the BUREAU OF IMMIGRATION,
contain the provisions necessary to the success OF
such efforts, aud the HAWAIIAN IMMIGRATION So
Getty resolves itself into an adjourned series of the
=. Plante. s. Meetings" held with similar enthusiasm
in the Fall of 1869. But if the thing desired Is n
population consistent with the area and resources OF
our country, which shall bring us labor and revenue
and home markets and exports and a hundred other
ways and means of wealth, then the enterprise is a
new one for us, not new TO other countries, and one
which will require much earnest thought and disin-
terested effort to be made successful.
1t seems proper here to refer to the HAwAIIAN M
MIGRATION SOCIETY just organized in this place,
though at the present stage of their deliberations
any definite criticism is rendered somewhat difficult
by the comparatively miscellaneous nature OF their
debates. But, making all due allowance for the
customary eagerness with which our community re-
ceives new sensations, the numbers and character OF
the membership OF this association show a strong
and widespread feeling in the subject OF immigra-
ton, beyond a direct individual interest in the at
tainment Of labor. On the other hand, the most
pronounced sentiment of these meetings Is by MEM
bers who appear hostile to a free immigration based
upon land settlement and those who are personally
interested IN raising sugar, 10 the eject thht Ihoor
is the true basis Of population )" and this rather
debatable statement is supported by such arguments
as this, i. e., Lrhen I employ five immigrants TO hoe
sugar, 1 hare contributed so many TO the census 81
the country, ergo, Sc, &c, and also 10 the further
effect that the promotion of a free immigration here
is impossible, in proof of which it is remarked that
land is Of course the main tHducemeat 10 u free I'M
migration, and tOe hare little Of such an tHducement
10 offer that there is no land Il of any importance 10
DISPOSE of,-this on the fact of our four million acres
occupied by fifty thousand men, women and chll-
dren,-that nothing Of the KIND has eUer been done
in u tropical country, ergo. &c, &c that all al
temps at small fdTmiHg hare proved u deluSion aHd
a snare that At is idle TO parcel Oi small lands 10
be settled as independent farms, but only as ddjuncts
10 large planting operations; that it rs not likely
that Chinese, Hindoos or .MaLays OiH be toiiling to
come here TO settle on patches; u series OF naked as
soI tions with nothing adduoOd 70 show that they ore
well founded. In contradistinction to these sentl-
ments as above noted, a portion of the membership
express an interest and a strong hope in a free i'm
migration founded upon a wider basis than the de-
msnds of the sugar plantations.
1t will be seen, with 4 little thought, that there ID
a very appreciable difference between labor and pop
ulatiOn, and those who need the former will get 1t
because they need it, and not for the sake of the
census outside of their own plantations, and the
HAWAIIAN IMMIGRATION SOCIETY, as 1t is moulded by
the one or the other of these ideas, will become a
planters association for the importation of laborers
under the regulations of the Bureau Of Immigration,
or an organization seeking the general prosperity by
the repOpulatiOn of the country and working to
effect this end mainly through the government.
Though the importation of laborers may be prop
erly and successfully carried on by private parties, it
seems clear that an enterprise Of such magnitude and
difficulty as the encouragement of a free immigration
and land settlement, can only be successfully accom-
plished in this country by the government, and it is
the proper work OF an Immigration society to pro-
mote enquiry, to gather reliable information, to in
huence public opinion and to be prepared TO cooper
ate with the governmental its efforts toward this end.
The experience of other governments in this work
becomes exceedingly valuable to us in our need. and
with it and our natural advantages we may take up
the work Of saving our country from bankruptcy
and our nation from extinction, with good confidence
of success.
The Wakefield system of immigration rs practiced
in New South Wales has been mentioned; there the
legislature appropriated funds and granted lands for
the purpose. The expenses of immigrants were paid,
and the conditions of obtaining lands were made easy.
The enterprise was very successful, and a large num-
Der of desirable settlers were introduced, adding much
TO the prosperity of the country.
The public is familiar with the inducements held
out by the Government of the United States to immi-
grants, in lands and homestead laws, and the
mighty stream Of migration to her shores, thereby
stimulated.
For our purpose, perhaps the Mormon system will
be the most useful and instructive. The Mormon
Government appropriates a constant fund for this
purpose, and has commissioners all the time in
Europe to attend to the business of transporting
passengers en- route for the city of the Saints, as well
as to preach the latter-day Gospel. All of the
necessary expenses of the passage are paid by the
government, and the immigrant arrives nj his jour-
. lily > nv WIN NA1N y ~
amass in the old country, a free man to make his
own arrangements in regard to work, or building up
a home as he likes. For the expenses Of his passage,
one hundred dollars or so, he gives his promlssory
note to the government, without interest, with the
understanding that it shall be paid in five years,
more or less as he shall be able, and they very rarely
fail in settling II.
For cur needs, a system similar to this would seem
10 be peculiarly adapted. There is very mu h in
favor of the success of an enterprise carried on in
this way, with what We can do in making 1t easy to
- VI - 49,, - nnlon ~ hn
no force TO draw comparisons between our territory
and that of the United States, without, at the same
time, comparing her wants and ours. She wants a
hundred millions of people, we ask for a hundred
thousand, and we have more than enough land for
them. We have learned from our experience what
crops we can probably produce. Our present agri-
cultural condition with the increase in the number
of PROSPEROUS small farms or patches, as some might
prefer to call them, proves as conclusively as could
be desired the adsptability of the country for settle
ment upon the principle of small homesteads.
Our manner of operation might be something
like the following: To appropriate annually, say
forty thousand dollars for carrying on the work
to appoint q commissioner of immigration with full
powers for the superintendent and control of mat
tiers and things relating thereto to open suitable
tracts of Government aud Crown lands to settlers
as it should be needed. This land should be held
for settlers in small farms varying from one T.
twenty or thirty acres. according TO the LOCALITY
and the working capacity OF the occupant. Th'
condition of tee simple ownership should be, say
four years occupation and cultivation. A shll
large enough for carrying three or four hundred
passengers should be procured to make regular
trips between here and Japan or China. performing
three or four trips a year; by this means lmml
grants could be landed here at an expense OF abou
fifty dollars apiece for adults. for which the Gov
eminent could take their notes to pay within, say
five years. The f~reighting business which the ship
could procure would go far to reduce expenses
The immigrants landed here would be free to shll
on plantations or elsewhere or to take homestead
and work for themselves. This plan. II successful
NOT too MANY for our assimilaIiOu-at a cost OF fort.
thousand dollars. These would pay in taxes th'