The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-01-09
PORTUGUESE IMMIGRATION.

We have received details of the ship
ment OF Portuguese immigrants by the
Stirlingshire, chartered on account OF the
Government by Mr. Hofnung, H. H.
MS Charge d Afaires, London. There
are on board this fine iron ship 456 per
sons, comprising the following: Men,
160; women, 90; minors, tweleve years
and upwards, 4s; children between one
and twelve, 128; infants under one year,
y. The expense of this party of immi-
grants is upwards Of $4,000, which the
Government has incurred to provide suit
able labor for these Islands, with an ulti-
mate view to industrial emancipation
from the Chinese.
And this brings US naturally to re-
view of the whole question of Portuguese
immigration. The number of Portuguese
introduced under the auspices of the
Board of immigration since 1878 was
9,415; and if the party now ahoat on the
Stirlingshire arrives safely, as we trust
viii be the case, the total would be 9,871.
OF those introduced as above stated,
,439 came prior to 1882, when the Glib
son Administration went into power, and
1876 have been introduced since then.
The Immigrants by the Stirlingshire will
bring the number to the credit of the
Government up to 8,432. Doubtless
some OF the male immigrants left the
country for the Coast, but great many
of them have drifted back again, and the
natural increase has been large. The
Portuguese thrive in this country and do
well. They are very much better off
here in every respect than they could
ever hope to be in their own country,
and it is knowledge of this fact that
renders them SO willing to emigrate to
Honolulu.
OF course this active immigration
policy involves heavy expenditure.
As we have already stated, the immi-
grants by the Stirlingshire cost the Gov
eminent over $40, 600, and previous inn
migrants We're proportionalIy costly. An
saas Of this head of outlay may be
->-aa to statistics of i'm
migration and expenditure ,,nda. Tho
auspices of the Bureau of Immigration,
which appear in the Honolulu ALMANAC
AND DIRECTORY for 1886. From 1873 to
to 1886 there had been u ,233 immi-
grants introduced by the Hawaiian Gov
eminent. The cost to the public treasury
for immigration from 1864 to 1885 inclu-
sive was $95l $40 79, and to planters 1857, :
449 20, making an expenditure all told
of 81 $40, l29 40. The bulk of these inn
migrants arrived subsequent to 1881.
There is Unavailable record of Govern
ment immigration prior to 1873.
These figures furnish key to the in
crease of the public debt, about which
Opposition writer's puzzle their brains to
such little purpose. The present Ad-
ministration borrowed, under the Loan
Acts of 1876 and 1884, in round numbers,
$9S0,000, has been expended in imm-
igration during the last two bien-
NAL periods. $672, 191 Il, the balance of
loan being applied to other public pur-
poses provided for by law. Furthermore,
it is fact that the entire funded debt Of
the Kingdom is represented by the Gov
eminent expenditure on immigration,
minus $126,820 81, the figures being:
Total national debt $500. $I,O7S, 800 90
Immigration expenditure. 951, 679 70
Balance ........... $126, $50 81
There is TO be added to this expendi-
ture by the Government 1867 ,449 20 adj
vanced by planters for the introduction
of population through the Bureau of Inn
migration, plus further sum of 5000, 900
and 100000 privately expended by
planters for immigrants. This is very
admirable showing, and should satisfy the
class which il now displaying the
greatest hostility against the Govern
ment, that whatever faults may be
charged against the Administration, neg
lect of the planters interests is not one
of them.