The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1881-03-05
To The Editor of The P. -Advsrtissr.


To check. in a great measure. the practice Of
systematic desertion from labor, a practice that in
creases in about the same ratio as the number of
labOrers increase on the islands. would 1t
not be we'll TO establish a few regulations Of the
following nature Every adult person arriving at
the islands, upon payment Of the usual hospital tax,
shall be given a receipt for the same, such receipt to
describe the sex and nationality of the recipient, and
to be signed by some designated official, who shall
keep a record Of the same.
Any per,Ou engaging to labor on these islands,
upon a written contract, shall be required by the
employer to produce the receipt spoken Of, and to
surrender it to the employer, who shall retain it
until the contract has become void. All persons I'm
blowing IabouI under written contract to be required
to retain the receipt of the employee, until the ex
piratiOn OF such contract. when il snail be returned
TO said employee, endorsed by the employer with the
fact aud date Of the discharge Of the employee.
IL any employer shall engage any laborer, upon a
written contract. without taking the precauiiOn to
secure the receipt ns above stated, such employer
shall not be entitled to sre, or otherwise recover any
damages for los Of time or money advanced upon
such contract, consequent upon desertion Of service
by the EN- Joyce.
In case of the failure on the part Of the employer
10 make the proper endoI sement upon the receipt.
and return the sam 10 the employee at the exI irt-
ton Of this contract under which il is retained by
the said employer. then the employer shall be sub
ject to a fine Of 500, one hundred dollars. one half
Of which shall be paid to the party whose receipt
has not been returned, and one half shall be paid to
the benefit II the Government and, in addition, the
employer shall be required TO furnish within one
mouth, a duplicate receipt TO the employee, frcm the
official signing the original.
The fact Of the surrender, by the er pluyee, OF the
receipt TO the employer. upon the commencement Of
the term of service Of the contract, shall Ge endorsed
by the employer, upon the copy OF the contract
retained by the employee, aud, ia like manner, the
return to the employee of the receipt properly eudors-
Ell, upon expiration Of service under the contract,
shall be acknowledged by the signature Of the en-
pIoyee upon the copy OF the contract retained by the
employer.
Such a system, as above sketched out, would
resemble somewhat the . passport" system Of the
West India Islands, and could entail 10 hardship or
expense on any one. Proper provision could be
made to compel '' yagrOms and idle persons" TO pro-
duce their receipts, whenever there seemed TO be
any good and sufficient grounds for suspecting deser-
tiOn from labOur and, any attempts to fsIsify such
receipts or its endorsements, could be punished under
existing laws.
The practical working Of he above system could he
extended to embrace shipped labour already on the
Islands. by requiring the endorsements of the en-
plOyer and employee 10 be made on existing contracts
upon their expiration.
Some such system as this, or else a rrelI mounted,
foreign police force. is necessary to prevent the
practice Of desertion from labour, and stealing of
advance, from becoming an uncomfortable evil. G..