The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1879-09-17
Adjourned Labor Meeting.

Adjourned labor Meeting.
An adjourned meeting of citizens was held at the
Chamber of Commerce Thursday, the 4th inst.
to take into consideration the report of the
appointed to enquire into the feasibility of East
Indian immigration. Hon. Mr.. Rhodes being in the
chair
The Chairman read the report, which was signed
by four out of five members, recommending that the
meeting request His Majesty's Government to take
steps to introduce by way Of experiment the nun Der
Of East India Coolies recommended by DR.. Hide
brand, say 800 400. The fifth member of the
committee had not signed the report being deferred
by the dread of cholera which fell disease he heard
had broken out in ship conveying East Indians to
FIJI.
The Chairman then reminded the meeting that
memorials from majority of planters throughout
the islands had already been sent in to the Govern
ment and that the memOralists had been auth Orita-
lively told that III. Ms Government are ready to
empower a commission TO proceed to India to re
"pOrt upon the feasibility of procuring India Coo
" lies, aud with authority to make labor conven-
" uon, but he had learned that such "a measure
would be of avail unless q treaty were first made
DR.. Hildebrnnd in his report, page 3D. says Before
entering on the details, let say that no Gov
eminent is allowed to recruit Indian Coolies unless
" the right has been acquired by u special treaty'
This confirmed by information received from
other sources he therefore thought the first step
would be to get the treaty if possible He then read
several extracts from DR.. Hidebrand's report and
from work written in 1868 by Charles Kingsley all
showing great advantages 20 be derived from Indian
immigration.
These extracts rather lengthy, we shall thore-
fore summarize some Of them. Dr. Hillebrand, who
wrote TO the Board of Iu migration in 1866 spoke in
mn AZ faU e
seemed to dread mortality on the passage FROM In.
diE, which however, more to be dreaded for
some Indian races than others. He estimated the
cost at Ell sterling for each adult, but cons Tered
that the cost of exchange, loss by DEATH &C. would
raise the cost of each individual landed in Honolulu
to more than that figure.
Mr.. Kingsley Gays in 'At Last p Il6: "Immi-
grants are brought over from Hindoostan at the
"expense of the Colony. That they are well treated
"on the voyage is sufficiently proved. that on 1864
souls imported last the death rate during the
voyage was only 81 por cent, although cholera
attacked the crew of one Of the ships before left
" the Hooghly. Daring the last three years ships
with over 800 emigrants have arrived several times
" in Trinidad without u single death. The healthy
are apprenticed for five years, aud distributed
among the estates which have applied for them
They are expected by law to work for $50 days in
"the year, nine hours day, they are punished for
wiIlful idleness, and protected against tyranny or
al fraud. 1t is found necessary to protect them
against each other by giving them rations instead
"of allowing them to cater for themselves"
CATER he has served his Eve years apprenticeship
" the coOlie has two before him, either be
" can reindenturc himself to an employer for not
more than twelve months, or he seek employ
Z" ment where he likes. At the end of Il continuous
residence of ten years in all he is entitled to a free
passage back to HindOOstan, be may exchange
Z" his right TO free passage for government grant
a. of ten acres of land. He has meanwhile if be has
been thrifty grown rich. His wife walks about, at
'' least On high days, bedizened with jewels nay
NM har 4.
"cane field with heavy silver bangles banging down
over her little brown feet, and what wealth she
does not carry on her arms, ankles, neck and nos
trils, her husband has in the savings bank"
The East Indian when his term of service has ex-
pired does not, like the Chinaman, Immediately take
store and commence trade on his own account but
settles down on the land raising provision and stock
for sale. Their good manners are conspicuous
" One saw in moment that one among gentle
men and ladies'. The dress of many of the men was
% naught but scarf wrapped round the loins that
Of most of the women naught but the larger scarf
g which the Hindoo woman contrves to arrange in a
most graceful as well as perfectly modest cover
% ing even for her feet and head. These garments
" and perhaps a brass pot were probably all the
" worldly goods of most of them just then. But
every attitude gesture. tone, was full of grace of
" ease. courtesy. self-restraint, dignity. 1 am well
aware that these people not perfect that like
'' most heather folk and some Christian their NOR
" ais are by means spotess, their passions by no
means tramped out. But they have acquired
=" civilization which elbows in them all day long-a
Civilization which must make it easy-not onIy TO
make use of these people but purify and ennoble
them."
"The coolie and the negro do not amalgamate
g The coole shocked by the unfortunate awkward.
mess of gesture, and vugarity of manners of the
average negro and still of the negress looks
" on them as savages while the negro in bis turn
!" hates the coolie hard working interloper and
despises him as a heather. Heavy fights between
:" the two races arise now and then, in which the
lin in ,ffa .celarI l..
the advantage the burly negro by dint of his
greater courage, and the terrible uuickness with
(Which be Yields his beloved weapon, the long
hardwood quarter staff"
"Overearly marriage among the coolies is a very
serious evil The girls practically sold by their
fathers while yet children, often to wealthy men
much older than they Love is out of the question
But what if the poor child, as she grows IN sees
some one to whom she for the first time in her life
takes fancy2 Then comes n scandal; and one
which is often ended swiftly enough b. the cutlass
Wife murder is but too common among these Hin
g docs, and they cannot be made to see that it is
"wroug."
Mr.. Rhodes read extract from a letter from Mr.
Hart in Kohala, in which the said that owing
to many OF his men being Frustrated with measles he
had been compelled to hire ceestals in the neighdor.
hood at one dollar per day. but that they bad struck
for two dollars.
1t seemed to be the sense of the meeting that de-
irabe as was the introduction of these people it
would be Of no avail to make any attempt till
treaty had been made with Great Britain for the pur.
pose Messrs Widemann and Rhodes were of opinion
that ttere was in Mr.. Carter's statement
that forty to eighty thousand pounds must be ex.
pended before receiving single coolie.
On motion of Mr.. ]. S. Walker the report of the
Committee recommending Government to take msas.
ures to Introduce 800 or 400, coolies adopted On
motion of Mr.. Widemann a committee was apDointed
to draft memorial for general circulation and sig
nature supporting the Recommendation of the former
committee. Messrs Rhodes, Widemann and Glade
were appointed The meeting then adjourned.