The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-05-04
.JAPkN'S POINTS
Hawaiian Government to be Ask
ed Questions.
WITH SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS
Naniwa is Bringing Com.
missioner Akiyama.
An Explanation of the Situation
From Japanese Point
of View.

The Japan Gazette quotes two pa
pers. published in the vernacular on
the history of negotiations, resulting
from the sending back of the Japanese
free laborers as follows:
The Mainichi and Yomiuri have not
eactly the same version as to the in
structions which Mr.. Akiyama carried
over to Hawaii The former says that
the Foreign Office conceived the prob
ability of the Hawaiian Governments
shifting it's ground as to the cause of
the rejection-which indeed appears 10
be the fact-according to the Japan
Government, therefore, according to
the Mainichi specially furnished Mr..
Akiyama with instructions to meet the
new explanation of the Hawaiian Gov
ernment The Yomiuri however, states
that the instructions furnished to Mr.
AEiyama were solely based on the or
iginal explanation made by the Re
public. and hence Mr.. Denison is now
engaged in drawing up representations
to be forwarded to Hawaii in connec-
ton with the new feature of the trou-
BILE. Be that as it may, the shifting of
their ground by the Hawaiian Govern
ment may be taken in the sense of an
admission on the part of that Govern
ment Nthat it's action cannot be borne
out by reason. From what the Main
ichi has learned from certain quarters,
the points to be presented to Hawaii
in regard to the present complications
are somewhat as appended:
1. For a so-called contract laborer
there must be, either between the Ia
borer and his employer or between the
former and an emigration company a
mutually concerted agreement deter
mined in the form of contract to the
effect that the laborer will undertake
a certain kind of work or will be made
to undertake it.
3. The perusal of the Hawaiian law,
issued in 1895, clearly indicates that
laborers who have agreements with
emigration companies merely in con-
nection with the process of crossing
over. cannot be regarded as contract
laborers.
s. If the emigrants specified in the
second clause be designated as contract
Iaborers, what kind of laborers should
be designated as free Iaborers whose
landing has been acknowledged and
permitted thus far?
4. In view of the fact that the Ha-
waiian Government formerly permitted
the landing of laborers as specified in
the second clause as free 1aborers,
why was it maintained as illegal in the
present case alone?
). Was it not an act amounting to
a perversiOn of tire meaning Of the law
and calculated to vitiate mutual amity
as well as contradicting the best in
ternational usage, if laborers coming
under the second clause were all the
time intended by the Hawaiian Gov
eminent to be dealt with in accordance
with this provision in Law No. II, is
sued in 1895. the effect of such an in
depreciation being that free laborers
who conclude contracts with an emf
grafton company shall be held as VIC
lating the law?
The emigrants sent back on board
the Coptic are now in a distressing
condition. owing to want of funds. and
negotiations are now being carried on
between them and their emigration
agency, the Morimura CANT, as to the
payment OF the return passage money
This certainly looks as if the Hawaiian
authorities were correct in calling
them destitute: but the story now is
that, out of desperation, they took 10
gambling while coming back to Japan,
and they do not readily consent to pay.
event when their agent tells them that
he will forego 10 yen out of the pas
sage money of 80 ven. Apart from
this question of money, the agent is at