The Hawaiian gazette., 1881-09-07

HE managers OF plantations seem 10
unite in praising the Portuguese as de-
sirable laborers. Here and there we oc-
casionally hear some slight objection to
the number of children which they bring
along with them; but such complaints are
few, and are mostly made without thought
of the ultimate advantages to be gained
from this class of immigrants. The i'm
portation of Portuguese is not amomentary
stopping of gap in the labor market, as
Chinese immigration is, it is providing for
the future as well; the Chinese, when he
has finished his contract, either goes into
some other work, or returns at once to his
own country: under any circumstances, he
does not become permanent resident; he
is always hankering after return to the
Flowery Kingdom, and sooner or later he
pulls up his stake and goes The excep-
lions only go to prove the rule. The
Portuguese gives us a stable and perma-
nent population; he comes, and comes
gladly, with his wife and his children /;
once in the country he certainly cannot
easily leave it; he is bound down by too
many ties; man with family is not
likely to become rolling stone; the mere
expense of moving must deter him; more
over, what has he to gain by moving?
Nothing. This country presents to him
all that he can wish for; he can make a
living for himself, and can find employ
ment at once for every member of his
family. 1t is in this particular that the
Portuguese is going to be especially useful
to us The first immigrants may, and in
fact almost certainly will, find other and
more congenial employment than planta-
,r-o,-l- 4hnI,- Lo,-D
expired: they are becoming small retailers,
carpenters, farmers, and cultivators on
their own account, ETC.: but such occupa-
tions have their limit, and as the families
of the Portuguese grow up, they will in
eyitably have to seek work upon the plan
tations. 1t is in this particular that the
great advantage is coming to us through
the introduction of Portuguese. The Portu-
guese are a race who Will, in the future,
supply our labor market, here, at our
doors, instead of obliging us to go con
stantly abroad, at great expense, to seek
it. The Chinese or the South Sea Islander
will never do this for us. We doubt very
much whether the Hindu would do it for
us We know very well that even to doubt
the advantages of the Hindu is regarded
by some people here as very near akin to
a very dangerous heresy; but nevertheless
we cannot help doubling. We do see very
plainly and palpably the advantages to be
gained from the Portuguese; whereas the
advantages from the Hindu are, as far as
the Hawaiian Islands are concerned, very
problematical. To our mind, the former
people viii help us largely in settling
many of our political problems; they will
help us to maintain the independent native
sovereignty, for they will become a part
of us; they will mix readily with our native
population: they have done so wherever
they have colonized, forming, physically,
a fine race. They will enable us to carry
on our agricultural speculations at a profit,
and, if properly handled, would make most
plantations paying concerns, even If the
Reciprocity Treaty were not renewed.
Our planters and spectators in sugar
should look forward, not to the next five
or ten years, but to the future of their
families. They should consider that, even
if they personally become wealthy, their
wealth when divided up among their
families, will, after all, only enable the
boys to start on better footing than their
fathers; that it is not only the present
good they have to strive after, but the
future benefit which is to accrue to those
who come after them. That good is only
going to come from having a stable popu-
lation, which will increase, which will
amalgamate with the present population;
and the only people to fulfill these condi-
tons, of all those who have been tried,
seem to be the Portuguese. We earnestly
hope that Portuguese immigration may
continue to be'vigorously pushed on. We
trust that no short-sighted policy of pres
ent apparent gain may be allowed to
thwart it. The owners of plantations who
have families to bring up, who have boys
to set upon the high road of life, cannot
afford to say with the Irisllman, what
has posterity done for met"