The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-10-21

Under such circumstances. it is quite evi
dent, that it is easy for anybody to carry
his complaints before the ears of the au-
thorities, and every just complaint is inn
partially heard at the tribunals. There
are three judicial resorts; the courts i'm the
first resort, one for each district, arr COM
posed of natives. The superior judges, one
for each island, a-e juTists nominated by
the government for life, people with a good
salary and highly respected. Appeals
may be made from them. either to the
highest Court, which consists of three
Older experienced and clear jurists, or TO "A
jury in which a judge from the highest
Court, is in the chair. According 10 the
opinion of Mr.. Knudsen, bribery of the
tribunals is out of the question. On the
Islands are prevailing, he says, SO good a
spirit and a feeling, that people would feel
ashamed If anything OF that kind was
attempted, and for the same reason they
would never let their subordinates suffer,
and would never Cypress them
Of course, here as everywhere. are found
exceptions there are owners of planta-
lions who have been proceeded against
on account of improper treatment OF
their laborerS, Norwegians and others,
and il may be possible that the ribunals in
a few Instances by finding these complaints
~unfounded may have committed mistakes.
But Mr.. knudSen feels assured that the dis
satisfied parties have nothing else to COM
plain of, except that 1t is required they shall
fulfil those engagements which they have
undertaken to do by contract. The law
with respect to the fulflmeut of contracts
Tor work Is severe, but that il does not give
any sanction to anything which in the
most remote degree may be ca led slavery
will appear from the fact, that il bears "A
very close Resemblance to the so-called
shipping law of the State of New York.
The people who got a free passage with
Captain EOrange's expedition, and who
have entered into the agreement to work
off the costs of the voyage in the course of
three years did, of course, until the eXpi-
| ration of that time. rain less than those
who had themselves paid for their passage F.;
it Is this they are dissatisfied at, and which
they would like to get altered by their COM
plants. Complaints of that kind which
a reason of their own. The fact is that un-
der tho existing treaty of be-
tween the Islands and the United States of
I America, one of tho great sugar refineries
at San Francisco has drawn to itself all
connections with the raw prod GERS of the
lslands, and the competing refinery has,
therefore, y great interest i'll the non renew
al of the commercial treaty, because the
other which Is interested for several mil
lions Of dollars on the Islands, will then be
ruined. The treaty expires next year,
and when matters on the Islands are pOr-
trayed In a sufficiently hateful light, there
may be Il nance that the force of the opinion
will prevent the renewal Of it.
Of the real state of things with regard to
these complaints, Mr.. Knudsen got "a very
lively impression when he, in thisS Spring
uldIc al JItp Will ulS ldLliiy W lDt lSltil
of Hawaii. When he came to the town OF
Hilo, situated on the east coast of the is
land, he met In the street six tall and
pOwerfully-built Norwegian women. He
stopped them, made himself known to
them as Il Norwegian, and asked them how
they were getting on. Why they were
slaves! "What :" he said, " how is that -
Yes, they were slaves. Did they then get
too little to live upon? "No" but they
were slavesl But as they neither suffered
hunger nor were o~ver-worked, were they
then perhaps chained mop but they
were slaves. Nothing could be got out o
them except this war-cry, and they were
unable to give any foundation whatever fol
the assertion contained i'm it.
The Government feels of course very
keenly annoyed at the complaints which
have appeared In the American and Scan
dinavian Press about the supposed oppres
sion of the N~orwegians on the Islands, anC
both the Government and any body else
whom ii may concern are looking forward
with great inpatience to the arrival in the
kingdom Of Mr.. Grip, the secretary of Lee
CATION, and this gentleman will be assisted
by all parties so as to render his investi
CATION into the affairs as profound and
~thorough-going as possible.
1.-THE above article has been copied by the
N0tionaHidende, of Copenhagen, and othel
Scandinavian newspapers. ED. p. G. A.