The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-10-07
THE LABOR BILL.

ton In the House yesterday, ana
was discussed all day without any
result. 1t will be considered again
to-day. The bill is one of the
most important measures intro
duced during the present session.
1t provides for the admission of
Chinese without any limit set, upon
the condition, to be expressed in
the permits, that the immigrants
so admitted shall confne them
selves to domestic service or
agricultural labor in the field, or
in sugar or rice mills" A fine of
800 is provided for every violation
of this condition.
The Importance of securing
cheap labor for the plantations can
hardly be oyer-estimated. 1t is
rank folly to talk and act as though
the interests of that industry could
be separated from those of the
community at large. On the other
hand, the country has something
besides it's merely financial in
terests to look to. Its position as
civilized State must be taken into
account, and if we do not wish to
become an Asiatic colony, we must
not throw the doors wide to let the
Chinese in.
There are two objections to the
bill in it's present form. First, it
is questionable whether it is consti-
tutional or not, and in the second
place it would prove almost impos-
sihle to enforce the restriction as to
employment, owing to the we'll
known difficulty of identifying
Chinese. A constitutional amend
ment would obviate the first diff
Guilty and the passage of Mr.. Neu-
mann's registration act would re-
move the second.
1t is well-known that the passage
of the Mckinley bill has already
greatly lowered the wages of un-
skilled labor in this country, and
the downward tendency has prob
ably not stopped yet. Wages are
already very low in comparison
with the rates that have ruled any
time this last ten years.
The report Of the Inspector OF
japanese Immigrants, Mr.. Naka-
yama, in 1888, shows that in that
year japanese upon the expiration
of their contracts were, as rule,
re-engaged at wages varying from
$500 to $24.00 per month. They
may now be got for about half the
last named figure. A fall in the
average wage rate of 80 per cent
would mean probably a saving Of
$40 ton on the cost of sugar. Is il
probable that the wages of unskilled
labor can be brought much below
1920 month, by anything short
Of an absolutely unrestricted i'm
portation of Chinese?
There is another question
which should be answered be.
fore this bill is passed. How
will the Japanese Government
look upon the reopening of Chinese
immigration on a large scale? The
report of Mr.. Nacayama for 1897
contains some very important in
timations on this subject. Mr.
Nacayama says the numerous pub
lie officials and members of Parlia
ment with whom he conversed al
expressed great dissatisfaction with
the Act of 1890, authorizing the in.
PRODUCTION of Chinese laborers into
this Kingdom. He further states
that this correctly represents pub
lie sentiment in Japan on the sub
ject, and he closes his report by
recommending the matter to The
earnest consideration of the Minis
ter. The withdrawal of the Japan
! csc immigration would be disaste,
to the sugar industry, and nothing
| should be done without defnit,
! information in the premises.
There are supposed to be not les
than two thousand Chinese va
grants in the islands. If the Regis
tration Act passes, these men viii
have to go to work or leave tn
country, and if they adopted tn
former alternative the labor marke
would be still further relieved.