The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-03-27
MONEY OF
THE CHINESE
They Should Draw
It For Their
Own Use.
James W. Girvin on
the Chinese
Fund.
he Urges That it Should Properly
Be Handled By the
United States.

) Editor Advertiser: The report of tn
committee of the Senate on the SOCIAL
! ell Chinese Fund" contains much trut
and some wise suggestions, but on tn
whole It is not satisfying.
Firstly. there is no such fund as tn
Chinese Fund" the fund referred t.
under that title being balance due de
|, Dositors in the defunct Hawaiian Pcsta
Savings Bank" 1t may be that THU
balance has been drawn on by other.
than the. Chinese, depositors to such al
extent that the present balance is now
due solely to Chinese
All who chose were depositors in that
bank. the Chinese immigrant laborers,
however, being compulsory depositors.
This was in accordance with law to
make provision for their departure at
such times as they should cease to be
employed at agricultural labor.
BY law. the Postmaster General was
compelled to deposit all receipts in the
Tt easury as soon. as he had $500 on
hand. and the government used the
money as 1t came in. the depositors re-
ceiying interest for the amount of their
deposits. Thus, the government owed
the depositors, and when annexation
took place this aggregation was one of
the debts of the country
The United States government having
assumed the debt of Hawaii to the ex-
tent Of four millions OF dollars, "IncIud-
ing amounts due depositors in the Ha-
waiian Postal Savings Bank" it be-
came necessary for the United States
government to know what that balance
was. A stated account of the same was
forwarded and that specific amount
was RENTED. This. then, is what is
known as the Chinese Fund" although
at the time OF Its receipt there were
many others than Chinese depositors.
A Chinese laborer's deposit could only |
be used in one way; that was to pay his
him whatever balance was in excess
after paying for his ticket.
There are rumors of Chinese selling
their pass-books on the banks for so
per cent OF their face. 1t is unlikely
that any enc would buy an account OF
anything else that the purchaser could
rot realize on.
The committee of the Senate discov-
that the aggregate due to Chinese
iepositors is $155. 546.7O, a very large
Is interest ceased On those deposits. 1t
llso discovered that this balance was
lot the property of the Territory, and
/ it had pursued :ts study a little fur
her IL would have discovered that it
vas the property of the United States
government until such time as it was
demanded by the depositors. The stat
lite of limitations never runs in favor
bank, and the money could never be
he property of the Territory, which
vent of any of these deposits being
ncalied for in a reasonable time they
would escheat to the Federal govern
nent, which fact determines the own
J ship of the fund.
As a matter of fact. when those Chi
ese laborers emigrated to Hawaii
hey agreed to depart as soon as they
eased to be employed as agricultural
aborers. but there was no forfeiture
lause inserted in the agreement in re-
ard TO their deposits, and a depositor
an remain in the country as long as he
leases and demand his deposit on leav- =
,g (
AS the United States government has
clustered all Chinese in the country
nd granted them permission to remain.
their agreement to de-
art, the latter is abrogated by the
primer and it is the opinion Of many
lat every Chinese depositor who will
resent his pass-book, accompanied by
is registration papers. is entitled to
IS money.
They should be permitted to draw
own their money and thus let this
rye sum Of money loose in the COM
unity and free the government of the
,rense and annoyance of longer caring
r it. There will always be a balance,
,wever, as there are some of the Chi (
sc dopositors who could not comply 8
it'll requisition to produce registra-
,.,. s,so-.a7 and d