The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1890-03-27
THE LABOR QUESTION.

uo lOliOWluS iCUSOA Voo "AASSA
by MIR. w. r. Castle to be read at the
open meeting Of the Board OF lmml-
grafton, but was received too late to
be read there, and it is accordingly
printed here:
To His Excellency L. A. Thurston, Min
lister of the Interior, ETC., etc.
SIR: Yours of the 18th of March re-
lative to the labor question is before me.
Owing to an attack of asthma, l shall not
be able to attend the meeting to-day,
but, feeling the importance of the sub
iect, desire to say word or two.
must say that feel a great deal Of APP
prehension with regard to the continued
introduction of Japanese, feeling that it
may cause more trouble than the Chi
nese immigration. The admission of the
number OF Chinese permitted by the Ex-
cIusion Act, that is of twelve hundred in
a year, will not meet the requirements
of course, but in two years the admission
of two thousand Chinese, who could
easily be obtained, would certainly help
to relieve the labor market, and think
that the preparation and attempted en-
forcement of contracts which would re-
auire their departure at the end Of their
term of service would have some effect
in checking their large increase. l also
assume that constitutional amendment
will be adopted at the next Legislature
which will practically place the matter
within the control OF the Government,
and it is not at all certain, 1 suppose, that
the Supreme Court would hold a contract
as non-enforced which required the de-
portation OF Chinese after the expiration
OF the contracts, though l express no
opinion on that point. also look upon
the importation of mixed nationalities as
being valuable from the fact that they
are not likely to coalesce and will be a
check one upon another. Therefore, l
think that the importation of some
Chinese, probably few more Japanese
and some Portuguese, will assist materi-
ally in relieving the labor market.
This, however, is wholly preliminary,
and do not believe that it goes to the
root of the question What this country
requires and what we should bend every
effort to obtain, is the immigration and
settlement of different class of people
better class Of people. l will say now
Railway and Land Co. are now enter
tdllIluS Will 1CS,dAu W thCiI P1OpOSCO GA
| tension of the railway on Oahu, if indeed
concessions can be obtained which will
permit the extension of the railway as an
economical measure, is this: to import
| from the United States, or possibly from
Europe directly, immigrants who shall
| not belong to the pauper class, paying
| them wages certainly higher than would
be paid to Chinese or other low class
| laborers, with the promise and intention
| of furnishing homesteads for consider
| able number of these people along or
near the line of the railway. If we can
| also obtain certain concessions, which we
propose to ask of the next Legislature, we
shall then 90 ahead and build railway
from Hilo to Hamakua and import lab
| orers of that class with their families, il
possible, and settle them along the line
| of the road. have no doubt that con.
| siderable increase can be made in the re.
| spectacle settled population of the coun
try by this means if undertaken in the
determination to carry it out, but if the
intention is to introduce a servile class
only who will work for the lowest wages
then any such attempt as this need mo-
be made.
1t is my belief, gathered from CONVEX
sations with intelligent Norwegians an(
Swedes, that our former disastrous ex
} periments with regard to Norwegians
was due to the class imported. If prope
care had been used and a judiciou
selection had been made, which Nigh,
have been done, we should have had {
far larger proportion of those people ir
the country to-day and they would hav,
formed solid and substantial class Q
citizens. think that the planter Cal
and should, at his own expense, unde
the supervision of the Government Q
course, import and furnish land to con
, siderable number of respectable Amer
leans, English, Scotch, Germans, or MOI
wegians. I am informed by those VIII
ought to know, that immigrants of thi
class can be obtained, and it is the dut
, of the country to adopt. at the presen
time, the most strenuous endeavors
diversity our industries, or we shall pei
, haps find ourselves, at no distant date
stranded by the total abolition of suga
! duties in the United States. There al
Q instances in existence to-day upon tn
I Islands of small proprietors cultivatin
sugar cane, and have no doubt that tn
) same thing can be done by others whor
? we may be able to get into the countr,
- If we can only obtain immigrants of thi
I character who will settle, it will not I
long before the labor market for all futul
y time will be very much increased.
!, have the honor to be,
u Yours respectfully,
a w r CASTLE