The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-09-04
THE EXCHANGE
DECLARES ITSELF
BUILDERS AND TRADERS SET
FORTH THE POSITION OF THEIR
ORGANIZATION ON AsIATtCs.

The Builders and Traders Exchange |
declared itself last night as to its at /
titude on the Aslatic and labor ques-
tions. This was done by the adoption
of the following.
The Builders and Traders Exchange
deems it advisable to publicly state its
position on the labor question, so 1t
may not be misunderstood by the press
or public.
This Exchange is not labor organi-
cation, but is composed of employers of
labor and seeks to form sound public
opinion and a just reciprocity on all
sides.
This Exchange believes the welfare of
the Territory of Hawaii and body poll
tic requires the recognition by law of
the citizen, and those eligible who sin
cerely and adequately serve the Terri
tory with head or hand in daily labor,
to the exclusion of the alien in every
instance possible.
This recognition was secured by the
enactment of the recent Legislature.
This Exchange favors the protection
and encouragement of the one industry
on which the Territory at present de-
ponds and which exists mainly by the
generosity of the Legislative enect-
ments of the United States Congress.
This Exchange is on record at the
Department of Commerce at Washing
ton In favor of restricted Chinese labor
for unsl<illed plantation work.
This Exchange, though its represen-
tatives persistently urged on the U. S.
Commissioner General of immigration
the desirability of restricted Chinese
labor for Hawaiian Plantations.
This Exchange realizes that Hawaii
affords the Oriental an opportunity to
vastly improve his fatherland condi-
ton through plantation labor, domestic
service and corresponding employ
ments.
This Exchange, in so far as 1T can in
f1uence public opinion, demands that
the Oriental shall thus be content and
cease to attempt to force himself in
to all avenues of business and en-
ployment on a scale of civilization ut
terly destructive to all the social and
economic standards established for
American civilization.
This Exchange re-affirms it's asser-
ton that the moment the Oriental de-
mands for himself and his family the
same standard of living as the white
man he ceases to be a menace or i'm
portant competitor of the Caucasian.
This Exchange believes every in
dividual who, with his family, is sus-
tanned in his high standard of living
by American civilization should be true
to that civilization and true to those
who enjoy it's advantages with him.
| The individual who unnecessarily
throws his patronage to lower stand
ard of living and civilization than he
is willing to accept for himself and his
family is seeking an advantage over
his fellow citizen sand equals.
There is a point where selfishness
ceases to be judicious. 1t needs only
minority to act on similarly selfish
lines to begin to break down American
civilization, and the moment majori-
ty act on identically selfish lines the
whole American economic civilization
on these Islands will fall to Oriental
standards, so far as individuals are
concerned who depend on daily en-
ployment and American mercantile
patronage.
Persons of wealth and special ability
can escape, but their environments
cannot fail to be degraded.
This Exchange recognizes the fact
that labor organized and unorganized
has done much to compel and has not
yet ceased to afford som excuse for
the employment of Oriental labor. Any
mechanic or laborer who cannot be
depended upon when needed, who is
hostile to his employer or who will not
yet ceased to afford some excuse for
full days pay is surely throwing his
example and influence in favor of the
Oriental.
| This Exchange secured the passage
| by the recent Legislature of labor
law, relating to labor employed on
Government work that has never been
paralleled by any previous labor en-
actment.
The law defines a days work in the
following terms: Eight hours of ac-
tual service shall constitute a days
work" 1t means labor shall deliver to
the public eight hours work and the
officials have the law behind them to
require eight hours, of actual work and
| not elSHL HOuTS OI mere dlleIudHSS'
This Is exact justice to the Govern
ment, the public and labor.
The Builders and Traders Exchange
is an organization at whose meetings
its members and guests can freely state
their opinions, however widely differ
ing, or even heated in expression with
out apprehending any subsequent i'll
feeling or personal or business preju-
dice.