The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-05-15
THE PLANTERS BUNCOED
PORTO B1CAN LABOR VERY LIKE
\ SWlNDLE.
Conditions Revealed by the Legislative
Inspection Yesterday Poverty. In
trinity and Legitimate Children.

Inspection of Porto Ricans by the
legislative joint committee yesterday
afternoon showed that Hawaiian SUI
gar plantations are not getting what
they bargained for from Porto Rico.
Some of those who saw the lot of immi-
grants on the Colon thought that the
planters were being buncoed at the
other end, in being compelled to pay
the fare to Hawaii of a lot of people
who will never be able to work.
The Legislators saw poverty, disease,
infirmities and old age and a proper
ton of women and children that will
reduce the useful force of those who
came on the Colon to One-third. AS a
result of these conditions il is stated,
the planters are thinking of sending
physician of their own to exercise more
care in accepting laborers at the other
end.
Among the men and women examined
by the Emmeluth committee at the
end of the quarantine landing yester-
day were many, especially children,
that were very weak The evidences
of poverty were almost appalling. The
children, it is stated, many of them
started from their homes without any
clothing at all and some of the grown
up people with very little. The un-
natural plentifuness of misfit shirts of
all descriptions, some children having
shirts that had been made for big men,
bore silent testimony to the donations
of old clothing en- route. Half of the
people have nothing at all in the world
but the wretched clothes they wore,
others carried handkerchief or sack
of goods and here and there was
cheap trunk. 1t is the poverty of Porto
Rico, however, and has nothing to do
with Hawaii, where, If the experiences
of other Porto Ricans may be taken
as criterion, it will soon disappear.
The numerous children are practi-
cally all illegitimate. The marriages
are no marriages at all. This is said
to be for the same reason as in the
case of Guam. Spanish priests made the
price of weddings so high that it was
beyond the poverty stricken people,
and men and women dropped the for
mality of marrying.
There were two physicians in the
legislative party that went to look at
the Porto Ricans, Senator Russell and
federal quarantine officer harrington.
Both agreed that consumption was not
to be seen in more than ordinary pro-
portion. DR.. harrington said that the
people seemed to be very weak and
helpless and that while on the steamer,
away from the eXcitements of the
many embarkings in Honolulu harbor,
they lay listless and seemed hardly able
to move about The sharp eyes of Dr.
Russell soon detacted several cases of
what is known as tropical worm," and
one case in which the latter was COM
bined with typhoido fever. The combin-
alton is invariably fatal. The sufferer,
a boy of about eight years, was being
carried in his mothers arms to the
freight boat that was to take them to
the kinau. His chances of living till
he reaches his new home are small.
Some of the members of the legislative
party expressed pity for the boy and
mother, undergoing the hafdshins of
rough immigrant travel at such a
time.
There was a very spirited dialogue
between Emmeluth and Senator Bald
win chairman of the Senate commit
tee, on the landing. Emmeluth wanted
to stop the Porto Ricans from leaving
for the Kinau. Baldwin said that the
resolution gave the committee no auth
GRITTY, except to report to the House.
which Emmeluth finally admitted and
Gilhllan pointed out that the Porto Ri
cans were Americans and could not be
prevented from entering the territory
if they passed the federal quarantine.
Emmeluth recalled the clause in the re-
solution declaring that no more Porto
Ricans should leave until the Joint
committee reported and he said it was
up to the board of health to stop opera
tons.
The discussion ended in Emmeluth
hailing a small boat and starting to
stop the Kinau. 1t was a humorous
picture as the Home Rule statesman
left in his small boat, with the rest of
the wondering committee lined up on
the landing to watch him go.
1t was understood that two reports
would be made as a result OF the trip.
One will be that of Emmeluth and pos
sibly one some others, and it will roast
the Porto Rican immigration in the
best style its authors can command.
Emmeluth wanted to keep the Porto
Ricans on quarantine island for two
weeks, and feed them up, a process
which was naturally isted by their
appearance and condition. The other
members of the committee favored a
report approving, on the whole. of the
immigrants, though agreeing with EN-
meuth in some points.
The members of the committee were
senators Baldwin, Russell and Kanuha:
representatives Emmeluth, Gilhllan.
Dickey, Keliikoa, Kumalae and Puuki.