The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-02-25
VINDICATION.
of German Emil
grants in Hawaii.
The German Government Declares
Itself Satisfied.
LFRoM OUR own CORRESPONDENT. !

pied of late with the subject of Ger
man laborers in the Hawaiian
Islands; and in view of its great inn
portance to your readers, L send u
complete account of the proceedings.
On December 16, 1884, during the de-
bate on the Budget, Herr Won Bun
sen, the reporter of the committee,
asked the Government whether the
official documents now received from
Honolulu would enable it to give
some information on the former
charges with regard to the bad treat
ment of the German laborers in the
Hawaiian Islands.
Herr Reichardt, of the Foreign
Office, then made the following state
ment: ''By order of the Imperial
Chancellor, Prince Bismark, the COM
mander of German war-vessel last
year made a thorough inspection of
the laborers' quarters on certain plan
tations. This inspection was ex-
tended to all demands of humanity,
particularly to the manner of work,
to the fulfillments of contracts by the
owners. and to the guarantees of
legal protection for the labOrers, in
case of breach of contract. The in
spection has resulted in establishing
the fact that there is no cause for
complaints, and that all conditions of
the contract are strictly fulfilled.
Certain complaints which have re-
Gently appeared in the press are de-
eminent is not in a position to
remedy. The disappointment to
which emigrants are nearly always
subject, has also appeared in Hawaii
in high degree, after the laborers re-
cOgnized that they would have to
work just as hard for certain wages
as at home, and, therefore need not
have emigrated at all. The honorable
| firm (Messrs. Hackfeld & Co.. against
which these charges have been pre-
ferrod, has also been deceived by I'M
scrupulOus agents, who have con-
tracted with Industrial workmen of
doubtful value, in place of field labor
ers. All these charges therefore may
be considered as exaggerated, partly
untrue, and partly frivolous. The
result of the investigation is to the
effect that the Indignation expressed
in the Reichstag against the Govern
ment for having permitted the sailing
of these expeditions from German
ports, was totally devoid of founda-
ton"
This official statement, one would
think, should have effectually settled
the question; nevertheless, the ques
ton again came up in Parliament OF
the 18th of January, during the debate
on the Emigration Bureau. Herr
Hasenclever Social Democracy once
more preferred charges, alleging The
bad treatment of German emigrant'
to Honolulu, stating that they have
been compelled to live on meat from
persisted cattle; that they are pu
into the calaboose for the smalles
ofenses, etc. in short, that the con
dition of emigrants in Hawaii is o
, such a nature as to justify the mos
energetic interference on the part o
F the Emigration Commissioner.
Herr Meyer deputy from Bremen
then said "These accusations refe
to the emigrants sent out by tn,
house of Hackfeld & Co. This firm
has built churches and schools OIL
their plantations, and l have seer
with my own eyes the circular t.
emigrants, in which they are ex
, pressly informed that they will hav,
} to perform not light, but, on the con
, trary, hard work. The charges agains
other German firms, which have ap
peared in the papers, have not we
been substantiated. The same com
| plants have also been sent home b,
} the SWedes and NOrwegians employee,
in the Sandwich Islands. AS Swedel
, had no Consul at Honolulu, the Con
) sal at Washington was sent out t
investigate the matter on the spot
and by his comprehensive report i
was proved that these charges wer
unjustifiable. If the German Govern
ment were to follow this example
which I consider quite unnecessary
the result would be the same"
Another Social-DemocraticD eput y
Herr Book (from Gotha), then said
1.-THE complaints of these emf
J grants are completely justified
Several hundred emigrants iron
, Thuringia went out to Honolulu
on contracts with Hackfeld & &c
Their treatment there has been sc
inhuman and brutal that they have
had to complain, after long sufferinga
They were thrown into prison withOu
any inquiry into the matter. Thes
are not newspaper reports, but I hav'
myself received two letters, which
am ready to submit to the Imperia
Government. In any case the firm O
Hackfeld & Co, at Bremen, SHOULD
be held fully responsible for the ful
carrying out of the contracts whicl
have been signed in Germany.U Th