The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-04-29

inserts a letter containing figures; it commsnds the
letter bat more than trebles the figures because they
are altogether wrong and I might ask in al fairness
what amount Of truth can he expected in any est
mate Of this kind?
WY does this gentleman not g TO FIJI and pro
pound his scheme there what = Swing to the plan
ter j; would be! Why be would be 4 public beuefac-
tor, and surely would be received with open arms.
1t IS well known that q strict law regulates the
transportation Of coolies, and whether they 20 70 the
Mauritius or Fiji, or if ever they came here. this law
would have to be carried out; so that to charter 4
ship in any other bat the legal way would be impos-
sibls-
a qualified medical man. Unfortunately for Nj.
Collins / an personally acquainted with two or three
Of these gentlemen who leave England every yesr
for the purpose Of taking medical charge Of these
ships. L could give their names if necessary.
II inquiry could be made it would be found that
the two ships referred to as having apothecaries on
board had also properly qualified medical men II
L could De furnished with dates of departure and
names Of the ships l think l could procure the names
Of these gentlemen.
/ shall | trust shortly have a statement from a
large employer Of coolie labor as to the cost Of I'M
portation, which will be tolerably conclusive as 10
what expense 1t will be TO introduce this same kind
Of labor here If the British planter has TO pay SO
much for imported labor, the cost will not be less TO
a country not belonging to the British Empire.
The letter l am now considering goes on TO speak
"a ANcu "HO CaAb VIII Og N SWEET OI luSlF
brow not being the scum of the population. Who
ever imagined they were?
l said that the coolies were the scum Of the Indian
population. | still adhere to this statement have
had opportunities through daily intercourse with
those people of learning the history of many; and
that they are the scum Of the population the police
records of any colony where this class is introduced
would abundantly testify.
In your impression Of the 10Th you have given
the cost of shipping coolies twenty-five years ago.
This estimate would stand good now, as the arrange
ments and price are very nearly the same. I think
any reasonable minded person must now be con-
WINGED that l rather under stated the cost of impor-
tation when | put it at 1925 per caput.
This MIR. Collins speaks Of letters containing non
sense and the bother of replying to them, but surely
1t is nonsense " to ask US to believe that coolies
can be brought here for fifteen dollars per head; it
is surely g nonsense - to affirm that apothecaries are
put in medical charge of coolie ships; it is surely
nonsense " TO gravely that q ship be
chartered at SO much per ton for the conveyance Of
coolies when the Law viii not allow it. The writer
in your contemporary is evidently as ignorant of the
subject of transportation of coolies as his letter
shows him to be of common courtesy. And when
any individual stoops SO low as to endeavor to gloss
over q tissue of fallacies by a torrent of abuse. he is
certainly deserving alike of both pity and contempt.
W.