The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-04-08

AAS' ia " NAAt tIbaNiA DNh L1AeAt1NATf &CCoN
the same time, with little likelihood of the
men being willing to re-engage. The inn
portation of Chinese has been p~eremptorily
stopped, or suspended, by cir own govern
mgnt. South Sea ISLANDERS such a. we have
got, have proved a failure, and the
vessels that ought To have been looking for
more have been wrecked. Norwegians, ex-
cept in a few cases have proved undesirable,
and rumors were rife tlIat the government
of Portugal would not consent TO any more
emigration of its subjects to the. islands.
Under such circumstances it is not to be
wondered at that our planters were uneasy
and full of apprehensious. Fortunately the
rumors from Lisbon have not proved we'll
founded, and the last news from there is
that our Commissioner had arranged for
further immigration from the Azores, and
had just chartered a steamer in connection
with it still the fact remains that no la
borers, beyond those who may be coming
from the Western islands, is to be looked
for from any quarter to supply the wants of
our planters, which according To the statis-
tics recently furnished by themselves to the
Government, reach the totai of 3,Il7 men.
(See tabular abstract of replies from Plant
ers which we publish in another column
Coh Va ~ SCpA tCAAlCE NAh@
the imminent difficulties in which planters
are likely TO be landed, for want of necessary
labor, nave brought about what neither ar
gument nor persuasion had previously been
able to effect, viz a vigorous cooperation
of our planters in the business of helping
themselves. In response to an invitation
from planters and from plantation agents
resident in Honolulu, a very large number
~ fI,nuo ~Anfla,.an ,rhn a-a ,rapra In The
culture of sugar cam OF the other islands
came into town to attend the meetings of a
Planters Convention; called for 10Th ult.
During these meetings some very Valuable
work was lone as will be seen by a perusal
of the full reports published in our issues of
Goth March and April 1st. The Convention
resolved itself into II Hawaiian Planters
Association, and appointed from its mem
bers a number of Committees whose reports
upon the several subjects entrusted to them
will be found in eEtenSO in the ADVERTISER
of 25th March. Subsequently an incOrpora-
ted company called the Planters Labor
and Supply Company" was organized, and
took the place of the Association, and is to
continue its varied labors. The primary OBJ
ject of the company however, is to secure
supplies of labor for its members, amongst
nv are HcdiIy I'll III SuSdT DidilcIS u
these islands, large and small. The follow
ing resolution unanimously passed at u
meeting of the Company, will explain the
position INTENDED to be taken up "Resolv-
ed, that the planters of the country desire
to cooperate with the Government in the
i'm the introduction of immigrants, and that
they are ready to reimburse the Govern
ment the cost of the introduction of male
luLo.o~, ,rl hoI;oxa fbat mill, O,,.b rnoIa
Iaborers women and their families, ought to
be brought into the country, and that the
Government should bear the expense of the
introduction of such women and children,
families of such male laborers." Explana-
tions politely made to His Elk. the Minister
of Interior, Mr.. w. y. Armstrong, at one
of the meetings, showed that the Govern
ment had not been either inactive or with
out forethought i'm regard to this important
matter. Although the operations of the
Government were at the moment necessari-
Iy confined to measures for the introduction
of Portuguese, active enquiries had been
made in several other directions as to the
probability of securing laborers, from which
it appeared that the Government would en-
deavor to have the the prohibition of emil
| grafton from China removed or modified?
was prepared if encouraged to do so, to en-
deavOr to- engage II number of men from the
New Hebrides would if desired and i were
found practicable seek to enter into arrange
mentS for the import ,tion of East Indian
Coolies was gathering in view
of inducing an immigration of negroes from
some of the poorer districts of the United
States and wOuld be ready in some meas
ure to encourage and assist voluntary emf
grafton from many parts of Europe. But
as to their immediate future, as in the pres
ent, the Western Islands and Portugal were
the sources of supply relied on by His EX-
celIency, and he did not look upon it as i'm
probable that all immediate wants might
be supplied from those sources, even up to
1000 men, with a large accompanying pro-
orptiOn of women and children. All these
projects of the Government however, with
the exception of what can be done with the
special credit of 100000 which has been
appropriated for Portuguese immigration,
depend upon the will of the Legislature for
their accomplishment, which body has been
summoned to meet on the 10Th inst. Mr..
Armstrong more than limited, that i'm face OF
the demands Oh the public purse for roads,
bridges and other internal improvements,
a considerable part of our expenditure for
immigratiolsTTm the work is TO be prosecuted
on a proper scale, could not judiciously be
made a charge on current revenue, but
should be provided for by a loan. The form
alton of the Planters Labor and Supply
Company will no doubt materially strength
ell the hands of the Government in whatev-
er direction it may look for immigrants by
relieving it of the heaviest part of the pecu-
MARY burden. The Minister indeed plainly
intimated his opinion that the mere impor-
tation of male laborers was not the proper
work of Government, but a business hich
those requiring them should undertake fol
themselves.
Intimately connected with the Labor
Question here is that of the Liquor Traffic
Plantation laborers in every district of the
Kingdom are demoralized by the facilities
which the Chinese storekeepers and peddler'
afford t'~m of obtaining secret supplies q