The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-03-07
ATTORNEY BALL ENGAGING
STEAMERS UP NORTHWEST

sengers to San Francisco and Seattle.
AT least two such steamers are al
ready announced and the companies
owning or chartering them are adyer-
Using in the local Japanese press.
The S. N. Steamship Company Is
advertising the we'll known steamer
Centennial, to come to Honolulu and
Hilo about March 20. and to make
monthly trips thereafter. from San
Francisco to Hilo and Honolulu and
back, with Hilo as the principal port
at this end. The steamer wants la
borers as passengers, and she will go
to the island where 1t is thought that
the largest number can be had. In
ducements are being offered which the
charterers hope will result in the steam
er being crowded with Japanese steer
age passengers every trip. The Oriental
Trading Company of Seattle is another
concern which is about to send q
steamer here. This company's vessel
is the Olympia, and 1t is announced
in the advertisements that she will be
here about April is. She is to carry
Japanese passengers and freight to Sc
attic, and special inducements are be-
ing offered to passengers.
There Is no doubt that this is a
most unfortunate state of affairs, in
a larger sense than in its application
to the labor situation in these islands.
The temper of the people of the Pacific
coast has never been mild towards
sudden invasions of laborers from for
eign lands. What will happen when
these people see steamer after steamer
arriving at the docks of San Francisco
and other ports, crowded with Japa-
nese laborers? 1t is greatly to be fear
ed that there will be ugly disturbances,
which may lead to some most unpleas-
ant consequences. The Japanese gov
eminent has done its share to prevent
such a contingency by stopping immi-
grants from leaving Japan for America,
but it cannot stop them from leaving
Hawaii. There are agents from the
coast in various parts of the islands
now. They are describing me attrac-
tions of California and other Pacific
coast states in glowing terms. They
represent Paciac coast men who want
some cheap laborers on the coast.
They are expected to fill the steamers
which are to be placed on the run.
Without such steamers, no less than
6096 laborers left Hawaii for California
est year, while those returned to
Japan foot up to $3.50. Only about half
that number came here from Japan.
What is Hawaii to do for labor IL the
exodus continues?
The unfortunate situat ion is due in
large part to the action of the local
steamship con- panies in throwing so
many difficulties in the way of Japa-
nese who try TO book passages for the
coast in the regular way. Such in
tending passengers have been COM
PEELED to produce passports and COM
ply with all sorts of illegal and UNI
necessary conditions which were im-
posed only as obstacles. They have
been compelled to employ brokers and
pay large fees for the purchase of
tickets. The new steamers are re-
suit of this. Had the regular steam
ship companies carried on business
with japanese in the regular way, the
proposed competing steamers could not
have hoped to be successful The
travel by the regular steamers would
not have been so large as it will be If
the special steamers come, nor would
1t be in crowds of laborers whose land
ing all at once will attract the atten-
Aion of the whole nation. Hawaii
wants laws to allow her to import
cheap labor. The Olympia and the
Centennial, with their holds crowded
with Japanese plantation laborers from
Hawaii, will be nice arguments for the
Planters Association to use at Wash
IN,