The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1877-06-16

for himself, his King and country, as when not
long ago he brought back the Reciprocity Treaty
that grand basis of the present and future
prosperity of fertile and beauteous Hawaii nei.
Bon rOyg3e'
We HEAR that H.. 3. Ms Commissioner and
Consul General, Major James Hay WOdehouse,
will proceed to San Francisco by the next
steamer, and that he is likely to continue his
journey as far as London. His presence in the
British capital will be very opportune for His
Hawaiian Maiesty's Diplomatic Envoy, as it is
well known that the gallant Major is an advocate
Of the scheme which forms His Excellency's
business to the Court Of ST. James.
IL THE present awkward state of the labor
market we learn that the government has be-
come convinced of the necessity of adopting
some special action, although heretofore inclined
to oppose the outlay of the public money on the
importation of single men, as plantation hands.
While the scheme for the introduction of families
of East Indians into these islands is now being ac-
lively advanced by the resolution of this gov
eminent to send a Diplomatic Envoy to London
for its furtherance, the actual want of planta-
ton laborcrs has decided the government to mo-
dify it's previous policy on this subject, and to
allow a certain amount of public money to be
conditionally expended in the introduction of q
limited number of plantation hands, without loss
of time. The Board of Immigration, of which
the Minister of the Interior is the President,
has been charged with this important task, and,
for the present, it seems likely that an attempt
will be made Immediately to obtain laborers
from China, who will be accompanied by a GER
tain number Of women. Working men. espe-
cially those with wives and families, from any
part of the world, are so highly desirable and
requisite in these Islands, that the government
is disposed to offer them inducements to come
here, either by grants of land or the reimburse
ment of the cost of their passage here. But, in
the present urgent need of laborers, it would be
useless to depend upon such an offer attracting
people to these shores, in any numbers, and it is
evident that, as we already have suggested, the
parties in this country most interested in the
labor question, are now called upon, with a view
to their own interests, to take joint action with
the Board of immigration in the adoption of
some plan for the immediate supply of laborers,
from abroad.
1t unfortunately happens that the best
schemes are often married by the want of unity
of action. In the present case, the need of
laborers is so pressing, that it is highly desirable
for all parties interested to adopt some uniform
plan of proceeding. As we are given to under
stand. what government purposes to do is, to
undertake to charter one or more vessels for the
purpose of bringing over from China a certain
number of laborers, along with their women, as
far as it may be possible. The cost of making
a contract with these people in China, and sub
sequently transporting them to these shores will
be disbursed in the first instance by this govern
ment. But, 1t is expected, as We are informed,
that the planters and employers Of labor here,
will bind themselves to reimburse government
for the cost of the passage of that particular
number of Chinese coolies with their women,
that each individual planter or employer of labor
may decide upon engaging for his plantation or
otherwise. This, we may state on reliable
authority, is the course government proposes to
follow, in the matter of Chinese importation.
The best course for the planters and employers of
labor to follow would be to come to an under
standing amongst themselves, each one pledging
himself to pay for the cost of passage of a GER
tain number of Chinese coolies with their wives,
drawing up a list to that effect, and duly for
warding the same to government, which would
then be In a position to take action at once for
the importation of the number of Chinese re-
quired. This is what we hear the government is
disposed to do in this matter, and it is as much
as can reasonably be expected. AS we lately
remarked, the sugar planters, with their enor-
nous ~profts-thanks to the Reciprocity Treaty
and their abundant capital-thanks to their
lucky stars-are well able, and we believe very
willing to pay for the cost of the importation of
labor, without which their lucrative business
must come to a standsti!l. 1t might be objected
that it is hardly fair to make them pay for the
cost of passage Of the Chinese women, as we'll as
the men. Upon this matter, we really do not
wish to pronounce any opinion. They must set
tie that point with the government. themselves.
We again refer to the subject of South Sea
Islanders at the Fijis, about which we have already
taken occasion to make some remarks. We are
happy to state that there is at least q possibility
of some of those time-expired South Sea
Islanders at the Fills being obtained for our labor
market. We hear, upon good authority that
this government will probably take steps with
the British government of the Fijis-through the
good offices of II. B. Ms. Commissioner and
Consul General hereto secure, if possible, a
certain number of those Islanders for our labor
market, on the same terms. of course, as those
which we have explained as likely to be adopted
in the case of the Chinese coolies.
In conclusion, we venture to express the opin-
ion that this government deserves the thanks of
the country for the active and efficient measures
which it proposes to adopt in order to supply the
deficiency of population, particularly of the
female sex, and the urgent need of agricultural
laborers,-the great drawbacks to the prosperity
and progress of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
~
ILLREQrrrED KINDNEss-On the 18th a foreigner
mined James Hogg-no relation to the Ettrick