The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-05-23
THE CHINESE
FEAR TROUBLE

Collector Chamberlain has received
from Washington instructions to send
the Chinese registration records there,
ana there is a disposition among local
Chinese to complain of the proposed
new system. In the matter of dealing
with Chinese the various bureaus con-
stitute a regular Circumlocution Office,
and Intellectual complaints have been
made many times in the past.
Under the new system the photo
graphs and records showing the right
Of Chinese to remain in Hawaii will
all be held in Washington. One reason
for this is believed to be the lack of any
proper place for such records here. The
thousands of duplicates of certificates
issued by Chamberlain, all bound and
numbered, are in his offices in the base
ment of the Capitol building and they
are records which would be kept in
fire proof vaults if there were any.
Under the present system it takes
weeks for a Chinese to get a duplicate
Of his certificate if he wants one and
with the records all sent to Washington
the Chinese are wondering if they will
have to go up against similar troubles
and return. If a Chinese loses his cr-
tifcate now, he goes to Collector Cham
berlain and asks for a duplicate His
APPLICATION is referred by Chamberlain
to the Treasury Department at Wash
ington. That department turns it over
to the Bureau of immigration and the
la tier bureau sends it back to Homo
lulu for investigation by immigration
officials here. Then it goes to Wash
ington again, to the Bureau of Immi-
grafton, then to the Treasury Depart
ment and if approved back again to
Chamberlain, with permission for Is
suance fthe certificate. All this takes
two months or more. The matter was
discussed when Commissioner Sargent
was here, and Chamberlain has sug-
gested that the applications be investi-
gated by the immigration officials here
in the first insance, so that the sending
the application to Washington twice
may be avoided. The following are
the instructions received by Chamber
lain yesterday
The Act of Congress, entitled An
Act to establish the Department of
Commerce and Labor approved Feb.
Ia, 1908, provides shat the authority
power, and jurisdiction now possessed
and exercised by the Secretary of the
Treasury, by virtue of any law in re-
lation to the exclusion from and the
residence within the United States, its
territories and the District of Column
hin of Chinese and persons of Chinese
descent, are hereby transferred, to and
conferred upon the Secretary Of Com
merce and Labor, and the authority,
thereto, now vested by law or treaty in
the Collectors of Customs and the Col
lectorS of Internal Revenue, are here
by conferred upon and vested in such
officers under the control of the Com
missioner General of immigration as
the Secretary of Commerce and Labor
may designate therefor.
In pursuance of the foregoing pro-
visions of said Act, which takes effect
July /. 1903 you will on that date, or as
early thereafter as possible forward to
the Commissioner General of tmmigra
ton all records, duplicates, letters, pa
per and data of every kind ia the files
OF your respective offices, relative to
| Chinese or Chinese certificates of resi-
| dence."