The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-05-01
Registration Act viii Soon be in
Operation.
PROBABLE INCREASED REVENUE.
VIII Enable Officers TO Locate Contract
Laborers-One Bad Feature In the
LAW Puddin' Head Wilson - and
His Thumb Records - Conditions.

SUPERINTENDENT
ton Taylor has prepared all the forms
necessary for work on the new law, and
he will probably begin registering citi-
zens on Monday. Just where the reg
istration will be done has not been de-
cided upon.
The Act" said Mr.. Taylor yesterday
will add about $4,000 a year to the
amount of taxes received, because we
will have a record of the exact location
of every man on the islands and there
will be no chance for him to dodge the
collector.
Another thing, by the law the oc-
cupation of every man and the name of
his employer will be recorded under
oath. With these facts at hand it will
be very easy for the police to keep
track of the vags and bummers who
hang around Chinatown"
"Will it not have the same effect up
on the white men who earnestly seek
work and pray they will not find it?'
Certainly" replied Mr.. Taylor, 1.-The
bum who borrows a quarter and invests
in bottle of sake and gorges himself
with hard bread and herring from the
dish at the end of the bar will, if the
police are on the alert, have to show
cause why they should not go to work
and earn money to live decently rath-
er than be snubbed by the bartenders
But there are other reasons, and
more important, perhaps, for consider
ing the Act good one. 1t has been al
most impossible to keep some of the
shipped men on the plantations. The
last lot for Eva went down all right
and the next day six disappeared and
have not since been heard from. I'm
der the new law, having their photo
graphs on record there is not so much
difficulty, and with the registration law
in action there will be no trouble, as
a man may be called upon to show his
certificate at any time.
What arrangements have you for
registering tourists?"
1T has not yet been decided. In or
der that there may be the least posi-
bic inconvenience to persons visiting
here for short time, and for pleasure,
the Minister may appoint registrars
among the pursers of the foreign
steamers and supply them with the
necessary blanks, to be filled out before
arrival here. 1t would take only mo-
ment afterward to administer the oath
and deliver the certificate. 1t could be
done on the same principle that per-
son going into the United States makes
his declaration regarding his baggage,
and would be no more trouble
But about the thumb mark, will
there be an objection to that feature of
the law? Suppose Chauncy Depew and
Cornelius Vanderbilt should come down
here and decide to take up a home
stead and go into coffee, or climb Maui
ma Loa with a view to buying Mokua-
weoweo for exhibition purposes, would
there not be an objection from them to
being treated as a criminal is in Chi
nag"
Not at all; at least there should be
no objections. They might think we
were going to give a reading in palms.
try. Or we might refer them to Mark
Twain's 'Puddin'-Head Wilson, and
have them think we were getting up
a collection of thumb marks for the
archives. Besides, there is really moth
ing Objectionable about the thumb
mark except the stain the ink leaves
on the finger. l have no doubt the reg
istrars could be provided with Coal
Oil Johnny's' soap and with it the stain
could be removed in moment. No, the
thumb mark is here to stay, and we an
ticipate no kick on that score. The law
regarding persons arriving in the ISL |
a1ds will not go into effect until Aug
ust l.
Then you think, Mr.. Taylor. that /
the registration law will assist materi- /
ally in increasing the revenue by aiding
the tax collectors to corral the unwilling |
and fleeting contributor toward the Gov
eminent surplus, that it will keep ship /
ped men on the plantations and rid |
the country of the innumerable bum /
ners and Migrants who live on free /
lunch and sake and the earnings of /
Prostitution"
Most assuredIy, The Chinese immi- /
grafton law is an improvement on any
thing the Government has yet had as
II has been shown that out of 1,S00 ar
rivals there have been but eleven de-
Sert1onS and six deaths. The law does
not provide for deaths, so that they can
hardly be attributed to any oversight
of the trainers. If there are any weak
points in the law they will surely be
made strong by the registration act.
As to the idlers and Migrants, the Gov
eminent has no way of telling how
many there are; there may be two hun
dred or two thousand. When found.
they may prefer D work on plantations
rather than go to Jail and in that way
the coolie immigration may be reduced
to an extent.
I'VE will probably begin work on
it will be arranged to suit the conven-
fence of the people to a great extent.
The city, for instance, may be divided
into districts.--For the Portuguese. the