Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1897-07-22
STATUS OF CONTROV ERSY
CoRnEspON NDENCs BETWEEN JAP.
An AND MAwAsi.
Miaister Cooper Give. = summary Ca
Members OF che Press-The OTcr
Of ARBITRATION.

Minister Cooper gave an inter.
view to members of the press at
the Foreign Office Wednesday, in
which he recited the substance
of the correspondence between the
Japanese and Hawaiian Govern
ments relative to the rejection of
Japanese emigrants at the port of
Honolulu. Much of the matter
has been already published in es.
sence by this paper, and may be
gone over lightly now.
Mr.. Shimamura, Minister Resi-
dent of Japan, on March 20
presented the formal protest of
his Government against the re-
lection of would be immigrants
who arrived in the steamer Shin
shiu- Maru. Almost the entire
correspondence in the controver-
sy then started has been conduct
ted with reference to that parti-
cular ship, although emigrants
coming later in the Sakurs Maru
were rejected on similar grounds.
The Japanese protest was based
upon. the stipulations in the
|, treaties between the two countries.
After the preliminary CORES.
pondence Minister Cooper's prin-
cipal letter in reply to the protest
was dated on April 2. 1t stated
that lag emigrants were refused
landing because they came under
contracts with the Kobe Emigra-
ton Company, executed previous
to their leaving Japan, guarantee
ing them employment on arriving
in these islands. Their passages
had been paid by the company
and they arrived here entirely
destitute, while their contracts
we're not approved by the Board
of Immigration. Seven immi-
grants forwarded by the Morioko
Immigration Company came un-
der contracts approved by the
Board of Immigration. These
were allowed to land. There
were 3l7 emigrants who had $50
each to show ae required by the
general immigration laws of this
country, but they were refused
landing because they had been
recruited under promise of en-
ployment on arriving here, and
the money was only lent to them
for showing to the customs officers.
Some emigrants in the same YES
sci bringing those rejected came
independently of emigration COM
panies and were landed on show
ing their ownership of $50, or
proving their prior residence, or,
in the case of females, that they
had blood relatives in Hawaii.
Minister Cooper calls attention to
a letter from this Government to
1.-THE then japanese representative,
Mr.. Shimizu, in 1895, claiming the
right of this Government to sus
pend japanese immigration at
any time. The rejection of the
emigrants in question was in ac-
cordance with the spirit OF the
laws of this country. The utmost
good faith had been observed in
the entire procedure. Enclosures
gave particulars.
FROM MINISTER sHIMAMURA.
Minister Shimamura replied on
April 6 to the following effect:
Comedies with expressions of
Minister Cooper regarding friend
ly relations always existing.
| Wished to express sentiment of
his country that in dealing with a
small country like Hawaii the
same high order of courtesy would
be observed as in communications
with more powerful nations.
While the matter would have to be
Submitted to his Government, the
Minister deemed it proper to state
his own views. Regarding the
first class of rejected emigrants,
lie considered their contracts
made in Japan, though they may
not have complied with every re-
quirement of the Board of Immi'
grafton, yet they complied with
the spirit of the regulations
Taking large view of the matter
would it not have been best not to
have imposed SO hard upon the
simple and ignorant people