The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-09-19
FULL
OF BEGGARS.
Associated Chair
ties Are Taking
Action.

charity of the people of the city just
now than at any time in the history of
organized charitable movements. Dur
ing the thirty days past there have been
15S appeals for aid made to the Asso-
ciated Charities, or nearly six day,
| which is greatly in excess of the bust
ness usually done, and perhaps as much
as in any two previous months during
OF the appeals for aid the majority Of
these have come from Porto Ricans and
negroes. OF the total there were four
cases in which the Illness of the APP
pellant was so pronounced that there
was nothing to do but send the sick
one to the hospital. In the case Of many
of the two races named there is moth
/ ing in the appeal for aid but desire
to get something for nothing, and it Is
| the knowledge OF this condition that
has caused the Associated Charities to
move cautiously in the matter of CIV
ing aid.
The number of plantation laborers
who are seeking to be cared for at
the expense of the people has called
for investigation at the hands of the
charitable people, and they have found
| that peculiar state of affairs exists.
The Porto Ricans are among the num-
| bers who were sent to plantations on
| this island and who received an advance
| in the shape Of an order for IS, when
| they reached their destination. With
| ci1rD ha oil darc do 20
the city and have remained ever since
in the business of begging, and perhaps
petty thieyery.
| The negroes are the worst, as a class.
For instance when there had been re-
Gently demand for aid from some
| negro men, they were given the re-
quisite meal tickets to prevent any suf-
| fering on their part, and were sent out
to take Jobs at work on the docks.
| They came back for more of the meal
| tickets, saying that they had applied
| for the work and had been refused. But
Mrs. Berger was at the telephone in an
instant and the story Of the colored
workers was disproved and they re-
ceived no more. This is said to be one
of the favorite courses of the negroes as
they have let it be known that there is
no place to live except in the city.
| The antipathy of the Porto Ricans
to living outside of the city was shown
recently when there We're 140 of the
men secured for the Oahu plantation,
| from one of the shipments. They were
taken to their new homes and the adj
vance promised was paid to them This
was one evening. In the morning there
was not single one of the Porto
Ricans on the plantation but within
week there were a number of them
asking for food from the Associated
Charities. It is said that there are
other instances. where the Porto Ricans
have deliberately abandoned plantation
life for the city, refusing to do the work
of the fields when they had earned the
money to bring them into the city
! When the Colon was last in port there
was a great mutiny started among the
men in the ship, they protesting that
| they had signed to come to Hawaii, and
now that they were here they wanted to
| live in the city and would not go to the
country. There were meetings on board
| the ship, and it looked dark for the
plantation men whose money had been
paid out for the importation of the
Porto Ricans. But while the jabbering
|
| to understand what was really wanted,
there appeared upon the quarantine
wharf a number of the local Porto Ri
cans who at once began to speak Spanish
| to crowd upon decks. The verge of the
riot had been reached, when the diver
sion was made. 1t was an anxious
| crowd which had gathered at the rails
and listened first to the declarations of
the men on the wharf. Then they put
up their knives and soon after they went
to the agent of the planters association
and signified that they were ready to
take the proffered advance of S.. and go
on to the plantation. It was learned that
the men on the dock were telling the
men of the ship that there was poor
picking in the town, and they would be
better off on the plantations
Some of the Porto Ricans who are
now seeking aid in the city are sorry
that they came in, as they have no food
or medical attention, while there is no
place where they may ask for attention
as was freely given them on the plan
tation, as in the hospital. Seeing their
troubles now, they will be asked to make
statement which will be printed in the
Spanish language and distributed about
the Islands. In this there will be set
forth the conditions here. and the people
On the plantations will be given reasons
for staying away from the city. 1t is
expected by this means to keep the ISL
anders at their new homes. Then, too,
the workings of such men as the inter
prefers who send letters to the associat-
ed charities, telling of the needs of Ger
tain of the newly imported laborers, will
be stopped.
Meanwhile the Associated Charities
feel that they can handle the situation
If the Benevolent people of the city do
not take the matter out of their hands
and give Unfortunately to the beggars,
SO many Of whom are professionals at
the game. 1t is the plan of the charities
to investigate thoroughly all the claims
which are advanced to them, and they
will dispense charity for all, if the peo-
pie do not make the professionals indie !
pendent of work by private benefactions. J
As the plantations are anxious to haye !
laborers, the men and women here who |
seek aid first will be asked to return to |
the places from which they came to the |
city. If they refuse, they will be given |
chance to go to work in the city, and
will be aided if there is any sickness.
But there will not be any giving away
nrln fNy- 10 saar, &C. h 10 ic !