The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1881-10-19


TalkyrisH, Scandinavian newspaper published in
San Francisco. TRANSACTIONS have been furnished
us through the kindness of A. Unna, Esq.
A WARNING TO ScASDSAuANs.
During the wear 1880 arrived in Norway gentle
man who pretended 70 be agent for the Bureau of
Immigration, government Office IN the Kingdom
of Hawaii. His name was L'Orange and he was a
resident of the above named place; be had along
with HIM contracts for everybody that wished to
emigrate, such contracts to be signed in Norway
Many people were charmed by the smooth words
and promises that followed from the lips of this
gentleman The contracts we're for three years
time, and the pay was 50 per month for man and
SiJS for n woman The time for work was ten
hours in the field and twelve hours in the mill. 1t
was not required of anyone to work on Sundays
and holidays Married people could have with them
two children and during the voyage were to be
provided with good fresh food, etc. After while
We were to have feed free for horse and a COW (;
thus Mr.. LOrange succeeded IN getting many peo-
pie to 90, who now repent having been so credul-
Gus In the matter. We had not progressed further
than the North Sea when we got bad meat; for a
long while the food consisted of the following
Sundays about 80 ounces of meat, potatoes, %
cubic inches soup pro persona Mondays and Fri
DAYS mackerel and soup as above, which was
cooked with the salt fish. Tuesdays, pork and sour
krout. Wednesdays and Saturdays, herring and
potatoes pro persona. Thursdays, salt meat and
bean soup; coffee we had every morning with
boiled cracked wheat and the same at evenings,
the bread was good and was served out twice a
week-of water We got one quart pro persona every
day at one o'clock, but if anyone came too late
he had to 60 without water that day. All this had
been well enough, if the water had been clean and
fresh, but the most of it was damaged; the water
to that degree rotten that 1t skunk all over the
deck when 1t came out of the hold; 1t had been
filed in old dirty casks, and 1t looked like soup
made of ryebread and beer (dark-brown). With
this nasty water the meat was cooked and was
thereby made very bad. But what could we do
Where was the fault with the Captain or the
authorities in Drammen! If we made any
complaint, the answer was cit was good for
slaves-shut up otherwise we will put you IN irons
and lock you up" This was the justice and en-
couragement we got but we don't wonder at that,
because il was a German vessel and under German
communicable name of the vessel was Muse0, and
it shall always be remembered by us Nobody was
punished except one man, who was handcuHed and
locked up the others got their backs up about
that so we refused 10 work; our grub was then
stopped for day, and We were told that if we did
not want TO work and help the crew, We could 60
without food, and We were then forced on ac-
count of our weeping wives and small children to
give in. We arrived at Honolulu, May 18th, 1881.
Here we were confined inside of a penned place
where we should remain until somebody came and
bought us il was pleasant to see how ladies and
gentlemen went around and gazed at us it was as
at fair at home, where cattle being sold, only
they did not know who of us were the fattesti
thus we were sold one here, another there; those
that were not disposed of went to another island,
there they got master over them-but what can
you call such treatment of civilized people-to
call il slave-trade sounds too bad in this nine
teenth century. Mr.. L'Orange had in his service
a girl, one day she got engaged-her intended was
a sea Captain who lad to leave his chosen bride
he did not stay away alOng-on his return he was
surprised 10 find that she was not at Mr..
LOrange's, but with an Englishman. The Captain
wentthere and told the man that he wanted to mar
~ the girl in his employ but he got this answer.
81 have paid 500 for her, and if so be, will have
the money returned, whereupon the Captain
pulled out the money 5000 and the girl was free
To call this slave trade would be lmpudent;
leave il to the reader to draw his conclusions;
the most heart-rending is, that Scandinavians
coming here from civilized country shall be kept
down (suppr essed) by negroes and kanakas that
are used as oYerseers on the plantations. We VIII
therefore warn our countrymen to be careful and
on the lookout before concluding contracts which
these travelling agents present to them in order to
fool our people and bring them into misery. A
white man coming from the cold north is mser-
able here before he gets used to the tropical heat
1t goes far here, that the wife Is separated
from the husband, and they have to work miles
apart so that it often occurs that for several weeks
they do not meet. 1t is hard to work hero for 80
per month when n free man receives $50 per
month, the women have only S41S, whereas wo-
man that is free receives so. woman has to
work a whole month to get money enough for a
pair of shoes that cost here four five dollars.
How is she to get money to dre5sg We hope
the hour of liberty will come once, even for US.
| am sure that if Gustaye Adolf and Charles
slaves they would turn over in their graves and
say What has been done during the long time we
have been at rest ~
We wrote a complaint about our treatment on
board when We arrived and sent it to the Swedish
Norwegian Consul, but our complaint went into
the waste paper basket, we have heard nothing of
it, it was not even inquired into. We have, there
fore, nothing else to do than to be silent and
suffer- which always is the lot of the poor.
ANDREAs LANDRGREN,
Emigrant on MHscQ, 1881.