The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1892-10-07
THE LEGISLATURE.
l02D DAY.
THURSDAY, Oct. 6, 1892.
Afternoon Session.

of Bill 1874 to restrict Chinese i'm
was continued.
Rep. Kaunamano believed that the
bill was good one, as if the provi-
sions therein were carried out the
planters could have cheap labor and
the country would not be filed with
unemployed Chinese,
Rep. Iosepa considered that there
should be more stringent measures
proposed for the return back to |
China of laborers after their terms
of service had expired.
Noble Baldwin said that the mea-
sure was most necessary for the
furtherance of the planting interests.
At the present time the planters |
we're in great distress and especially |
upon the matter of labor, Although |
the profits of plantations had fallen
off greatly there was not cores
ponding reduction in wages and
therefore the planters were sorely
tried to make it of benefit to them
selves to continue business. If wages
did not come down and if labor was
not more available then the plauta
tions would have to close up.
Rep. White did not favor the bill;
he thought that there were several
bad points and but few good ones in
it.
Minister Neumann believed it was
necessary that the plantations
should get labor cheap enough to
enable them to save their planta-
tions for better time, and the
House would be derelict to its duty
if it did not consider the difference
in the situation of the planting in
terests. If cheap labor could be OBJ
tanned for them which would not
compete with other labor, they
should not be thwarted but aided
in every possible way. 1t was well
known that under the artificial
stimulus of the Reciprocity Treaty,
all skilled labor had commanded
price here which it never commanded
anywhere, not even excepting Cali
fornia in its best days. Worse days
had come, and now the planters were
asked why they had put all their
eggs into one basket. The eggs were
there, and if they were not saved, we
would have nothing. A great deal
of the profits of the planters had
gone into mills and titled grounds,
which would be of no use to anyone
if they could not be run at profit.
The times for the main industry
were gloomy. He hoped they would
be brighter. Should we endeavor to
preserve the products of wealth,
labor and skill, or should we let them
go to ruin? If these things were to
be saved it could only be by letting
the planters get their unskilled
labor as cheap as they could get it.
The country has at present but two
sources of cheap labor-China and
Japan. He wanted to see the COM
mon field labor as cheap as possible,
provided that could be done without
injury to white and native labor, and
without danger to the safety of the
community. Everything in these
days must be figured down to the
lowest notch, if the plantations were
to go on. At present we had Japan
csc labor. If the japanese should
combine, the planter would be help
less, and it was therefore necessary
to have second source of labor He
was pledged by implication to his con
stituents to vote for restriction OF
Chinese labor, so far as he could do
so in justice to the rights of the
planter. He did not propose to vote
for unrestricted Chinese immigra-
ton. Neither did he propose to
commit the folly of cutting the
throat of the planters industry
when it was the only industry we
could hope to have for ten years to
10 nn,,1I hnWnyrnr ,rntr
for the bill in its present form, and
that for two reasons. The bill made
an exception of clergymen-a class
with which the speaker had not
come in contact-he hoped they
would come and stop this che ia
He had no objection to the tract
peddlers (colporteurs), they often
distributed useful if not interesting
literature, but he did object to wo
men who had no ties here; he
thought that was too broad as also
admitting children under Ia years
of age. If they were brought here
for the purpose of being taken tc
California that might be all right but
they must not stay here. He OBJ.
jected also to the bill because the
penal provision restricting Chinese
to certain employments could not
be enforced. How could they be
identiied7 The member from the
Fourth had smiled, and probably
thought the Marshal and the police
would catch them. No they woulC
not, it would be too hard job. The
only way to make this possibl,
would be to pass the Registration
Act. Before the Chinese could be
fined 500 he must be caught The
Registration Act would involve some
Inconvenience, of course, 1t hac
been said it involved loss of digni
ty, but he did not see how mans
dignity could suffer from peo
pies knowing what his name, bust
ness and residence were. This bill
could not pass without the Regis
tration Act. 1t was not the sugar
industry alone which was interested
in this. The coffee industry wa,
starting would go into ramie
The eggs could not be transferred
from one basket to several without
a cheap laborer to do it. We hac
no manufactures, no minerals, moth