The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-07-03
THE PUSHING JAP.
The Little Brown Men Monopolizing
business in Thursday Island.

\ recent visitor to Thursday Island
unbosoms himself to the Charters
Towers Eagles as follows:
The most remarkable thing that
strikes the visitor to Thursday island
is the Japanese. They swarm every
where. and now have a foothold in the
island that is daily growing stronger,
and, if not checked, will end in them
owning it. To my mind the Japanese
question is the most difficult and most
urgent before the people of Queens
land today. About twelve or eighteen
months ago they numbered about 300.
Today there are about 900, and still
coming by every boat Twelve months
ago there were 90 men earning good
living with single boat pearl she'll
ing; today there is only one. Only the
strong companies are able to resist
them. On the shore they are gradu
ally monopolising the business of the
whites; the only opportunity for white
girls to get work at Thursday Island
is as barmaids. Japs fill every other
domestic Office. Somehow the public
do not take kindly to the Jap as a
barmaid. They have squeezed out ev-
cry white carpenter, nearly every
white diver, every small shopkeeper,
every laundress: they run every bill
lard saloon. and are demons for .e
are getting the ascendancy. There is
hardly business man, whatever his
position, who dares to say word in
public against them. One man des-
cribes the Japanese boycott as the
most fearful thing in the world and
the severest thing business man had
to meet.
The Japs of Thursday Island are
rapidly picking up even to the small
est detail, every feature of the Euro
pean character. Their attitude, pose,
Their fippant repetition of English
swear words, they way in which they
barrack the Salvation Army, their
games-everything reminds one of the
European city larrillin. He has adopt
ed the European dash and go and en-
terprise, but withal he retains the cum
ming, duplicity and acumen of his
countrymen. They appear to place
the most abiding trust and confidence
in each other. That is their strong
point, undoubtedly. A japanese diver
might have a stolen pearl and every
other Jap on the Island know it, but
they never split on each other.
1t has long been supposed that
Thursday Island is the Gibralter of
Australia, but this fattering notion
has been burst by the Japs. They
have been heard to boast that they
know of passages into the Straits
through which they can take a big
boat without going within the range
of the batteries on Thursday Island.
They are not ignorant of the value of
this knowledge. and boast that should
trouble ever arise they will use it.
They hold to the belief that they could
easily whip anyone opposed to them,
and if they are as successful in war as
in business, there are some grounds
for the belief. They fancy themselves
to be invincible. They are fatalists,
saying that if their time has come to
die, they will die. Many instances are
given of this. If a man dies among
a crew of japanese divers, he is strip
ped and his suit is donned by another,
who Immediately takes his place and
descends to work in the same spot.
Darnly Island natives will not do so.
They will leave the vicinity. There is
no question about tive will have to
reckon with the Japanese before many
| more wears PASS.