Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-27
To Encourage Immigration.

To Encourage Immigration.
An indirect result of his visit was the APP
pointment by the Hawaiian legislature of a
special commission which is authorized to
encourage immigration to the Islands
Agents will be sent to the United States
and to Europe and Asia in the hope that
the advantages Of the island country may
be so well advertised that there will ensue
a rush for locations and homesteads. Al
though the japanese seem to make the
best laborers for that country. Mr. Ssr-
gent says that Portuguese. Chinese and
Porto Ricans are acquitting themselves
creditabiy in the cane fields and planta-
tons. \ particular effort will be made to
interest the working classes of Italy and
special Inducements will be offered in the
way of homesteads and the like.
MIR. Sargent went to Honolulu and then
to lfilo. the Island OF Hawaii the
largest of the group, and to Maui. Refer
ring TO the Japanese. he says that from
July l. 1904, until April 80. 1905, 921l Japa-
nese males, l 40S women and U92 children
left the islands for the mainland" OF
these. 6.si2 went to the United States and
2,369 went back to the orient whence they
came. Very few Chinese are emigrating
the same rigid exclusion laws applying OF
course. to the Hawaiian Islands as apply
to the ports OF San Francisco or Seattle.
In this regard Mr.. Sargent said that immi-
grafton figures might be misleading be
cause probably half of the Chinese and
japanese admitted to the ports of San
Francisco and Seattle are from the Ha-
waian Islands and not direct from the
orient. as the reports sometimes indicate
/ Better Pay in This Country.
One reason given for the exodus of Japa-
nese to the United States proper IL that
labor agents have been working In the
ranks OF the laboring classes and represent
that the American employers in California
and other western states will pay from r.
cents TO 40 cents a day more than the en-
ployers I'm Hawaii. The common laborers
in Hawaii now receive an average of SOB "A
month and found" which includes house
1uel, light and medical attendance The eli
mate ana the rotation of crops permit labor
all the year round, making the laborers' lot
not an altogether unhappy one
The strike fever has invaded the Is
lands, according to the commissioner gen
eral. He says that two strikes of large pro-
portions have been inaugurated I'm Hawaii
within the past six months though the
wage question was not paramount in either
trouble. Notwithstanding this. Hawaii pro-
duced last year the largest sugar crop in it's
history.
A new immigration Headquarters has
been erected at Honolulu. under an APP
preparation of 100000 made by Congress-
The architect and the builder were resi-
dents of Honolulu, and all the work was
performed by Hawaiian laborers. This
according to Commissioner Sargent was
source of particular qualification to the
residents of the island capital while he
and the lmmi grafton bureau were happy
to see the bureaus interests so well cared
for. Work is about to be begun at San
Francisco on the new $500, 900 immigra-
ton building authorized by the recent
Congress.
A Wrong Inference.
Mr.. Sargent was asked to explain the
figures liXap ~ tho mr. mi or,
ton bureau. showing that out OF 81 ap-
plcations by Chinese for admission to
the United States during June only IL
were deported. This was said at the time
of publication to be extraordinary, and IT
was limited that the large number of adj
missions was due to the Presidents or
der affecting the administration of the
exclusion law.
That inference is wrong" said the
commissioner general. "Out of that 81
only 40 were new arrivals The rest were
merchants students and others who hold
their papers as citizens of the United
States and who had been home for a visit.
OF the 46 new arrivals IL We're deported.
so you see that the labor market Is not
threatened to any alarming extent"
Further than this the commissioner de-
clined to discuss the Chinese immigration
problem. He did say. however. that he be-
lieved the entire trouble could be remedied
by the practical application of a sugges-
ton made by him in his two previous an
nual reports, which is that all Chinese con-
templating a visit to the United States
must apply to the United States diplomatic
or consular representatives and secure
passports. These passports should not be
given until the United States representa-
tive at the Chinese port is convinced the
applicant is entitled to admission to the
United States, and then, the commissioner
saws when the Chinese arrive and present
the passports there will be no delay or en-
barrassment He had a long talk with
Secretary Metcalf of the Department OF
Commerce and Labor at the Eaters home
I'm California but II could not be learned
whether this particular phase of the chi
nese question was discussed.