Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-12
SURPLUS LABOR
PORTO RICANS ARE ENGRAVING
TO HAWAII.
WILD STORIES OF SLAVERY.
Spanish Papers Publish Scare Stories
to Make Trouble-But Many Are
Going.

San Juan. Porto Rico. March Cor
-fesronaence of the Associated Press
lie surplus labor population OF Porto
1..c' is being gradually out permanently
L s.>,re,ie 10y emigra ton. During the past
I " months over SEQ men. women and
children have let for Hawaii. and if tbs,
Hawaiian sugar planters association
ores not cancel its order with the local
agent and if too much opposition is not
raised heHe about 1890 more will be sent
t. tha far away islands. The local agents
have heaN considerably handicapped by
the publication of numerous scare stories
il the local Spanish papers. These stories
are written and circulated by a certain
element by means of newspapers and
han lhills which have been distributed in
tie districts from which the emigrants
are being recruited, and the ignorant
NCuidhe emigrantS are led to believe
that they are being sold into slavery and
that their masters will submit them to
all manner of torture and cruelty on the
sugar plantations of Hawaii.
The last lot of Hawaiian bound emil
grants sailed from Ponce. March s. They
intended to sail on the second. but the
steamer was held up by the authorities
Oh complaints from parents that their
children were being taken away without
complained that their husbands We're de-
sorting them. The ship was detained
ever night and several of those intending
TO sail on here We're taken off by the po-
lice.
An unsuccessful attempt was made on
tn second instant to ship 400 enigrants to
the Cuban iron mines from Ponce. The
steamer sent here by the Spanish Amer
lean Iron Co. was an English freighter
and not licensed to carry passengers.
The boat was held up by the customs
authorities and the man in charge of tn.
EXP 1ition dismissed the emigrants, say
Ing that he was an irresponsible employe
and not obliged to pay the four days pay
which the men claimed was due them
while waiting to sail. He had entered
into no contract With the pepole beyond
Vel bal promsie to give them work at 81
a Gay. The disappointed men naturally
feltthat they had a grievance and riot
Was imminent. when they We're quieted
by the police. Seventy-five of them sailed
the next morning on the Californian for
New Orleans. en- route to Hawaii.
Other immigration agents are solicit
ing men to go to Ecuador to work on the
Mcdonald railway contract. The ia
n,aican laborers which that company has
taken 10 South America are reported to
lie troublesome and unsatisfactory and
the contracting company is anxious to
engage ) 600 Porto Ricans. Small parties
of 50 or 100 are continually leaving the
island.
The emigration of her laboring class
may be considered as a blessing for
Porto Rico. The island is exceedingly
Cver-rolulated ard there is no work to
be Offered The vast army of unemployed
Those who are left behind have more op-
portunty to better themselves and those
who enierate. especially those who go to
Hawaii Will be given permanent en-
p;oyuant They find the climate and
stvle of labor the same as that which
they are accustomed to here, and they
ore given free fuel, rent and schooling
for their children.