The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-11-30
Want to Have the Anti-Asiatic Hack
mems Clause Invalidated
by Courts.
Consul Saito Objects to High SherifPs Refusal
to Renew Licenses for Japanese fIackmen
Who Cannot Speak English.

! noxious section got into the bill after
/ having been killed in committee. Just
! the course of action to be taken has
not been decided upon. The opinion
which was given to the interested par
ties by Kinney, McClanahan & Cooper
| was to the effect that the law is illegal
|. and the section objected to could be
rendered invalid. Another opinion by
one lawyer upheld the legality of the
law. and the japanese intend to get
other legal advice before finally de-
ternining upon their course of action.
There has been a general falling off
in the hack business every month since
the Rapid Transit was extended all
over the city. Last month for instance
of the licenses expiring, fourteen or
fifteen hackmen failed to make a re-
quest for renewal. Nearly all of these
were natives.
The refusals to grant licenses to
hackmen have been confined to Asia
ties, and Consul Saito recently wrote
to High Sheriff Brown inquiring why
the Japanese We're being Disseminated
against. The reply contained a refer
ence to the section in the hack regula-
tions given above and statement that
the county act would not be enforced
until after it becomes effective.
HIGH SHERIFFvs VIEWS.
''The county act has nothing to do
with the rejection of japanese and Chi
nese hackmen,' said the High Sheriff.
1--WE have however been turning down
an average of from five to six appli-
cants a month for about six months
past, on the ground that they are not
sufficiently conversant with the En-
glish language to drive hacks. This is
in accordance with regulation in the
rules compiled by Supt. Boyd some
years ago. There has been so much
complaint lately not only from white
hackmen but from the English speak
ing people generally against the ignor
ance of Asiatic hackmen, that it was
determined to enforce more strictly the
rules for the issuance of licenses. The
men turned down have been totally
deficient in their knowledge of En-
glish. Some of them have been en-
gagged in the hack business for three
and four years, and few have been
new applicants. Several Chinese were
turned down because of their lack of
knowledge of driving. The Treasurer
sends us list of licenses as fast as
they expire, and when the renewals are
applied for, tests are made by the hack
inspector and myself. The applicants
are made to undergo an examination
in English and afterwards the hack
inspector or his assistant drives about
the city with the applicants and is
given an opportunity to find out about
their knowledge of driving. If all tests
are satisfactorily passed the license is
granted.
Il received letter from the Jap
anese Consul a few days ago inquiring
as to my reasons for denying certain
licenses asked for by japanese. and 1
sent letter giving the desired in
formation. He was apparently under
the impression that the applications
had been rejected because of the coun-
ty act. That was not the case how
ever. If the hack license provision in
the county law holds good it will prac-
tically drive every japanese and Chi
nese hackman in the Territory out of
business. Still that was the intention
of the men who put the amendment in
the bill, believe. That section re-
quires that they should be able to both
read and write the English or Hawai-
ian language and few Asiatic hackmen
could comply with those conditions