The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1905-04-14
AMENDMENTS TO IMMIGRATION
LAWS,

AMENDMENTS TO IMMIGRATION
LAWS.
It is coming to be generally under
stood here that big effort will be
made next winter to secure extensive
amendments to the immigration laws.
Two years ago, when the immigration
laws were extensively revised, it was
supposed that the revision would stand
for ten years at least. 1t may, hut if
that proves the case it will be only af-
ter some very serious contests. The in
crease Of immigration this year has
broken all records. For the six months
ending February 2s last, it amounted
to 405, 1863, as against 334,76 for the
SIX months ending February 20, 1904,
and 306,42S for the six months ending
February 2S, 1903. The immigration
is of pretty good class. The increase
is attributed to no specific cause, fur
Their than the desire of European peo-
pie to make better living, which they
think they can do in America. Many
of the immigrants are coming from
Russia. The number of Russian immi
grants for the six months that ended
February % last was S4,766, as against
40, 166 for the six months of the SINH
lar period two years previously. This
was an increase of 72 per cent, where
the increase IN immigration generally,
large as it was, exceeded that of 1908
by only 81 per cent. The Russians
who entered this country in February
of this year were 11,99S out of total
immigration for the month of 67,117.
1t is, of course, too early yet to say
what the outcome of the agitation for
revision of the immigration laws will
come to. There will be strong forces
for revision. and likewise strong forces
AGAINST revision. The demand for la
borers is still very large in many Sec
tions of the country. This is notable
in the South, where the planting of
foreign colonies is proceeding extern
sively for the first time in the history
of the government. The Industrial de-
velopment of that section has increas-
ed the demand for labor. The railroads
are doing GREAT work in overcoming
the prejudices of the Southern people
against foreigners and in the course of
the next two or three years the effect
will be marvellous. The labor organl-
cations will favor increasing the re-
strictions and, as an election for men,
bers of Congress will then be but q
few months off, more or less timidity
will exist about antagonizing the labor
vote. The effect of that will be to
ward no legislation at all. The rail
roads and steamship companies are al
ways tremendous factors in passing
immigration legislation. They fight
restrictions upon immigrants. The hos
tility to the Japanese, which is rapid
ly developing on the Pacific Coast and
which | alluded to in recent letter,
will be injected INTO any agitation here
for immigration revision. Then there
will be the Chinese question and the
unyielding opposition of the labor in
terests to the admission of Chinese
more freely into anv of the islands
than they are admitted to the main
land. Others are anxious to apply the
educational qualification, which Ha-
waiian interests have opposed for good
reasons.
1t is altogether probable that the
agitation in the next session of Com
gress will be largely of an educational
character. mat is usually the way
with such matters. None the less, il
becomes just as important for the in
terests affected to keep on guard and
to put their arguments before the com
mittees authorized to deal with the
subject
There has been a general exodus Of
government officials during the last
week or two. Business is dull in the
departments. There are few changes
in personnel with the administration.
Cabinet officers have been going away
on vacations and next week the Presi-
dent is to start away to be gone six
weeks. That assures duh period in
this city.
At the Interior Department but lit
tie business has been received from
Hawaii. Several transfers of public
lands were recently returned without
official approval, because of irregular
tiles in making up the record. 1t