The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-10-08
FIRE CLAIMS WILL Be
VIGOROUSLY
PRESSED
FOREIGN OFFICE HAS
ALREADY DIRECTED STEVENS
TO COME HERE TO GATHER IN
FORMATION ON THE SUBJECT.

d. w. Stevens. Counsel to the Jap
anese legation at Washington. is ex-.
pected in Honolulu by any steamer to
secure data regarding the Japanese
fire claims for the use of the Japanese
Foreign Office and the Japanese lege-
ton in pressing for payment by the
United States.
This is one of the results attained by
c. Shiozawa and Z. Ishikawa who
were recently sent to Japan on behalf
of the Committee of Thirty which has
had the matter of the Japanese claims
in hand, and of the claimants in gem
eral.
"Our mission was this" said Mr..
Shozawa, one of the delegates who re-
turned recently from Japan, ito pre-
sent clearly to the Japanese govern
ment the facts regarding the claims.
how they arose, the disastrous effect
they have had on the prosperity of the
japanese colony here, the suffering
that has been experienced, and the
crying need of a speedy payment Of
the awards. OF course all this had
been written time and again in consul
lar reports and more directly in behalf
of the claimants. But it was felt the
matter was one worth a personal pre-
sentation. With this end in view Mr.
Ishikawa and myself were sent. We
were prepared with all the data show
ing how the claims had arisen, the
bankruptcies and poverty that follow
ed the losses, how many men before in
comfortable circumstances were ruin
ed and with debt staring them in the
face had become hopeless and run
away, sometimes leaving those de-
| pendent upon them to the charity OF
! the colony or of the community. We
took the certificates of award along
with us to show how the government
here had considered and treated the
matter. We showed that the territory
| was unable to do anything at this
time; that hope was centered in con-
gress, but that if congress failed to act
at the next session as it had at the
/ last, hope would be again deferred and
the disasters of delay would continue.
We were received by the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Baron <omura.
| though most of our business was
transacted with the First Assistant
Minister Chida.
The results of this part of our mis-
! sion are shown in letter from the
Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Jap
anese Consul in Honolulu. In this let
ter it Is stated that the Foreign OlIice
through the Japanese Legation at
/ Washington will present the matter to
the President and the Secretary Of
State, and will strongly urge that the
matter be called to the earnest consid-
GRAFTON of congress. We were assured
by the Foreign Office that everything
that could be done would be done, and
that we may believe that it will be, is
shown by the fact that Mr.. Stevens
has been ordered here to thoroughly
inform himself on the subject for the
advantage of the Legation at Washing
ton.
THE second part of our mission was
to seek to raise a loan i'm japan on the
security of the certificates of award.
We had the approval of the Foreign
Office and had interviews with a num-
Der of bankers. We were always re-
ceived courteously, and while it was
universally admitted that the awards
would be paid some time, the delay and
uncertainty as to the time of payment.
made it impossible for the banks to do
anything for us, and this part of our
mission was therefore without actual
success"