The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-03-06
SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 1886.
IMMIGRATION.

+
the world that, in proportion to its
area and population, expends as
much money on immigration as does
the Hawaiian Kingdom. AS rule,
the class Of immigrants imported
here, at public expense, meets with
barely civil reception on other
shores. Immigrants of desirable
kind usually find their way, on their
own account, into places offering
favorable inducements. And among
the best inducements that can be
offered are genial climate and easy
terms in the acquisition of landed
property. The first of these, Ha-
waii has to offer in perfection, but
the second is too conspicuously
wanting. The first step of any i'm
portance taken in this connection is
due solely to private enterprise. The
very scheme which successive Gov
ernments failed to hit upon has been
set afoot by the proposed Land
Colonization Company. Should this
company succeeded in floating its
stock, it is to be hoped that its
affairs will be managed so as to
command public confidence, and
thus solve one of the great national
problems of the day. And when
private enterprise is endeavoring to
launch a scheme of immigration in
tended to secure for the country a
population, it becomes fair ques-
ton to ask whether the time has not
arrived for government to call a halt
in the importation of contract labor.
The class of people introduced by
this system is, generally speaking,
of very low order. While these
laborers are numerical accessions to
the population, they are source Of
weakness rather than of strength to
the commonwealth. The crying de-
feet in the immigration system is
that no provision seems to be made
for the disposal of laborers at the
expiration of their contracts. Con-
tract service ended, the laborer is
almost sure to gravitate towards the
city, where he has at least fifty
chances out of hundred to become
a "dead beat" if not something
worse. 1t is the experience of man
kind everywhere that the unemployed
are apt to settle down to murders,
stratagems and spoils," and be-
come burdens to themselves and
pests Of society. These are the
bare facts of the matter in this city.
The danger of the white mans in
dustries being stamped out by the
Chinese is increasing from day 10
day as batch after batch of contract
laborers is thrown upon the COM
munity. 1t is difficult to understand
why labor cannot be supplied to the
planters by utilizing the idle muscle
to be seen every day about the
streets instead of perpetuating 8
crying grievance by increasing the
sources of its supply. If Legislation
is potent enough to hold laborers tc
the fulfilment of their contracts, il
ought to be competent to deal witt
them for the prevention Of vagrancy
after they have served their terms
And, before importing any more
Asiatics into the country, it would
be we'll to ascertain how many O
those now here are available TO
service in honest labor, instead o
prowling about the streets anC
devouring the proceeds of othel
peoples industry. At least thou
sand Cinnamon could be spared
from this city, without leaving any
apprecable vacuum in the Mongolial
hive, and every surplus labore
ought to be re-shipped to whence III
came, or set to work at permanent
and useful employment. And nj
measures more effective can b'
adopted to encourage the class o
settlers the country needs than t.
make grand clearing out of thu