Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-31
ASlATlCS IN HAWAII
japanese Are Rapidly Taking the
Face of the Chinese.
CONTRACT LABOR YET IN EVIDENCE
As Business Men the CeIestiaIs Are
Highly Successful.
FARMERS AND MERCHANTS
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special correspondence OF The Evening Star.
HONOLULU. March 10. 1870.
Owing to the enforcement of the Chinese
exclusion acts here. the same as on the
mainland. very few Cinnamon are now be-
ing landed though Immediately after an
nexation and until the United States inspec-
tor of Chinese was able 10 apply the laws
of Congress in their full scope the ce.est1a.s
arrived in comparatively large numbers. Of
late the immigration of field laborers has
been almost exclusively Japanese. From
January = IN February 10. this year. 4.}5t'
Asiatics, chiefly Japanese, We're landed at
the port Of Honolulu for sugar plantation,
contract fdburers.
During the same period the action of the
board Of health for the suppression of the
plague, directly or indirectly. caused the
destruction of private effects. homes, mer-
chandise and places of business of more
than j,tsd free and independent Asatics in
Honolulu. Between November 1 and De
csnber -, last year, nearly 1000 tons OF
oriental freight were landed al the port oil
Honolulu without furnigation. while in jan
uary OF ms year property worth hearly
Sl.pSI.Hp belonging to Chinese and Japa-
nese was burned in the plague infected and
quarantined district
May Be Reimbursed.
These figures are given only that the sit
uation may be the better understood. and
not for purposes of criticism 1t is not IN
likely that the unforyunates will be amply
reimbursed by the government for the
losses they have sustained.
The Asiatics have been imported into
Hawaii by the sugar growers under three
years labor contracts. These contracts
have penal features, providing for the i'm
pTIsonment OF the iaborer If he declines To
work, unit! willing to resume. the time
spent in prison is added TO the term of his
contract. Prior to fsy2 the Chinanan whose
term of employment had expired might con-
TIME 20 work ON the plantation as free
laburrr. h. might leave and seek other en-
ployment. or h might return TO China The
grea ter portion chose the first course, many
Of the more saving ana enterprlSIug accept
Cd their freedom and sought employment
elsewhere: few struck out for themselves
as growers of rice, vegetables and on
But since 1>.,2 they have had to choose be-
tween deportation and new term of con-
Tract
Wealthy Chinese in Hawaii.
There are many wealthy Chinese mer-
chants in the islands now once they or
their fathers We're just such penal contract
laborers Brought out in the early days.
they completed their service terms and at
length became independent rice planters
ana merchants
The chinese in Hawaii labor with pa
ti-Hc. from daylight 10 darkness. live fru-
ga.ly and i,i,i-- h-ir time. They ia not hes
tate 10 stalk ali IN a venture in which they
hav" confidence, and If they lose the loss :
borne with st"Icdl Indifference. Each in
turn has come ouI plantation Iaborer.
has served his period of three years and
then has Joined with others and leased
piec" # waste land that the white man
AID tn natives have been unable to cuiti-
vare win prrtIc. This has been turned into
q m"n-y-u2akine rice plantation, vegetable
garden OF tarp patch After saving UP sufti-
ci"nt money the enterprising Chinaman
usually comes 10 Honolulu and buys
share n SOM store Or small manufacturing
Industry Finally. he PAGES his eldest son
IN charge II the business. and. taking one
or more IT the younger boys with him 10 be
educated r-turrs to China.
Work in Companies
Their enterprises are usually carried on
In companies. varying IN numbers of from
thre- 70 tRUr ta-llrs or laundry propreturs
t. thirty " more pIanters of rice. FIRE.
qu"rt4y on wealthy merchant will have
shares in many enterprises For instance
ne may b'- Priucipa, owner Of a rice mill
and have subordinate shares in a sugar
p antarion. +. Timber yard dry goods store
grocery store, several rice Plantations Se.-
eral taro grounds. Laundry. a hardware
store, a ds-~smaklng. tailor shoe shop,
ahI perhaps De the owner Of several large
4eA~rhu!d- that ne Is SublettIng in smaller
portions I" ktnsmea. whose contracts have
more recently Expired
The Chinese business man keeps queer
looking books Of account in Chinese charac-
tiers on vertically ruled manila paper The
entries are truthful and the record sutfi-
Gently complete 70 Indicate clearly all the
essentials Uf the transaction. As merchants
Cinnamon are reliable and their obligations
are faithfully kept. witnesses in court
they seldom tell the truth unless they be-
lirv@ il will aid them To gain the case
They have little retail stores all over the
islands They grow vegetables for the
white men and tarO for The natives They
carry their products loTR distances over
land in baskets suspended from sboulde-
po.es. and raise ducks fish ponds. in
which choice mullet are raised.
Leasing and Marrying.
Cinnamon seldom buy ground They AL
ways prefer to lease it, They will hire it
Tor hve, ten. twenty or even fifty Years at
a stipulated yearly renta.. payable semi
annually Many Of their lands are owned
by the natives, whose weakness is to secure
some sort OF an instrument that will in
sure 10 them a definite income for the re
mainder OF their lives.
There is nothing more truly cbaractarist;c
or the Chinese in Hawaii than their deal
lngs with the natives in leasing and cult
waiting their taro lands. A Chinamau viii
see piece OF ground that a native woman
Is cult1vating In loose and unscientific
way. possibly obtaining from II enough to
furnish tarO for herself and relatives He
VIII In some way secure the right to use A
small piece OF land adjoining hers and then
Ne Will Gu. tiyate her friendship while he
cultiyateS the soil He will make some ac-
eeptable presents to her; perhaps will give
her a little money to buy gin with and In 9th
er inonensive ways do all that he can to win
her good will. Next. having found out who
her native counselor is he will retain him
for S25. $50 or 500 and ask him to obtain
five. ten or twenty years lease of the
woman's land. 1t does not take the native
lawyer long to convince his client that 1t is
n1anireSfiy to her interest to make the
lease
II the Chinaman cannot obtain a long