The Hawaiian gazette., 1896-12-01
WANTEDA REMEDY
What Will Be Done About Free
immigration.
PROBLEM FOR THE MASSES
People Who Say Japan
Will Not Annex.
Japanese Merchant Gives His Ideas
on Situation An American
Who Sees the Evil.

thing regarding the alleged free labor
ers from Japan" said a japanese mer-
chant yesterday, "a year from this
time will find Honolulu full of ORR
entail beggars. The first lot to attract
the attention of the Hawaiian Govern
ment came by the ToyaMaru, but
there may have been thousands or per
haps hundreds who have landed here
under the same circumstances, but who
passed the lines without creating sus-
picion.
4 believe. however, the business be-
gan with the formation OF the new
steamship lines, and with them came
new immigration companies, whose aim
is TO make money, irrespective of re-
suits 10 the country The demand for
garden men and laborers is limited in
Hawaii, and with this influx of free la
borers TO the Islands you can imagine
the result at the end of six months or
year.
Japan has large surplus popula-
ton, and thousands of people over
there who are accustomed to work for
little or nothing will be glad to pay, be-
sides their passage money, the 10 yen
necessary TO guarantee landing
here And the immigration company
or the steamship company is willing to
advance the $50 necessary TO insure
a landing, in order TO make the
S. commission. Already there is a
combination between the proprietors of
two or three so-called hotels, kept by
japanese, and the men interested in
bringing free laborers TO the country
and it is a combination TO be beaten
only by the Hawaiian Government and
the japanese Government working to-
gether TO stop it.
| 4 have no idea that our Govern
ment has any idea or desire to get su-
premacy here; the Islands are too far
away from the seat of Government,
and 10 administer here would be an
expensive luxury without bringing in
any substantial returns. 1t is not to
the interest OF the japanese merchants
or representative japanese in Hawaii
to have the Islands full OF their coun-
trymen who cannot obtain work These
men must become a charge on some
body and naturally it would first be the
official representative of their native
country"
An American, who stands high in
the opinion of the Government, and
who is staunch annexationist. in
speaking of the arrival of so many
free laborers from Japan, said:
The situation is deplorable, and
something will have to be done. I'm
fortunately for the country the treaty
with Japan makes it impossible for
the Government to do anything with
out the assistance of the Japanese
Government. The situation is serious
for all classes, including the Japanese
do not know, OF course, where these
free laborers get the $50 they show the
authorities here, but really l didn't
know there was so much money among
that class of Japanese. But after all,
upon whom should the responsibility
rest? The planters. And the future
will bear out my prophecy that as
fast as the plantations get out of debt
the position will grow worse. The men
interested in sugar are making money
out of cheap labor; they tell the people
that without it their interests must
fail. Very well, then. Labor is pour
ing in upon US so fast that the price
must go down with the supply, and the
profits TO the sugar planter will in
crease proportionately, and some OF
them will soon be able to leave the
Islands and the plantations to the slave
drivers and the slaves and spend their
money abroad.
1T cannot be said that all the plan
tations give encouragement to any
other class of labor; on the contrary,
in many cases where a few years ago
there were positions filed by white
men, today they are occupied by Ash
aties. Do you blame the japanese who |
is blacksmith, sugar boiler or assist
ant engineer on a plantation for i'm
proving his condition, or the employer,
who makes it possible for him to take |
the place of white man? Four-ffths
of the retail business men complain |
of hard times and no business. 1t is |
not because there is less money in |
the country or less demand for their
wares, but because the business has