The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-11-19

| citizenship. Very few, indeed, OF tnoSe
| entitled TO vote do so. On the other
| hand. there is ample evidence that the
| Japanese aim 10 control the labor stu
alton, and every reason to believe that
they will succeed At present the SD
| gar industry is dependent upon their
la Dor. and there does not appear to be
| any available substitute for it. Almost
| every kind OF white labor has been
! tried in the fields. with satisfactory re-
| suits only in the case of the Portu-
| guese. They are no longer available
| The cost of their importation is at the
| present time almost prohibitive, and
| they have now no inducement to emf
| CRATE in the prosperous state of their
| own country.
| In this connection Governor Carter
| of Hawaii, said: 1T has for many
| years been necessary to promote immi-
| grafton of field hands to the islands,
| and MANY countries have been drawn
| from. There has been regularly con-
| Quoted emigra ton from Germany, Cali
| cha. Norway and Sweden, Azores, Ma
deira, Portugal, China, Japan and
Porto Rico, besides which British, Am
orleans, Italians and negroes from the
United States have come in small num-
bers. To-day there are no white men
| laboring in cane fields here. Those
who have tried it have never stayed
by it for any length of time, and album
dant evidence exists that the whiteman
can not and will not stand the work of
tropical cane fields" Some years ago
the largest plantations in Hawaii tried
an experiment with American farmers.
Fifteen families from the West were
brought to the islands. All their ex-
penses We're paid. They were settled
in comfortable houses, each with
garden patch and the use Of pasture
land. Each family was given a GER
tain area to cultivate in cane, and
every assistance in the way of blowing
and preparing the ground was afforded
to them. The experiment proved
complete failure. The work was be-
yond the endurance of the Americans.
and II months after their arrival not
one of the emigrants remained in the
fields. 1t was clear then that the
planters must rely upon the Japanese,
and the latter thoroughly appreciate
the situation. They are a rough lot,
difficult to keep in hand. Most of them
have been drawn from the cities of
their native land and many are crimi-
nails and unruly characters. Violent
outbreaks and riots have been frequent
among them and on more than one oc-
casion very serious trouble has been
averted only by the interference of
their own government. They have
formed labor organizations and are
striving to unite all their countrymen
engaged in the cane fields in one union
Should they succeed the sugar industry
will be entirely at their mercy. Ex-
tensive strikes have already occurred
which have been the cause of enOr-
nous losses. There are a number of edu-
Gated and intelligent Japanese engag-
ed in trade in the various centers, and
these are reckoned among the most
valued citizens of the territory. Hun
dreds of japanese, both men and wo-
men, are employed as domestic SER
wants, and in this capacity they have
no superiors
In marked contrast to the Japanese
are the Chinese. Originally drafted
into the fields they worked well in their
stolid fashion; never took part in the
agitations of their fellow-laborers and
gradually left the plantations with
their savings. They are now engaged
in trade, Or in the cultivation of taro
lands. With hardly an exception they
are forging ahead by the exercise of
commendable qualities. Hawaii has no
better citizens than its Chinese, and
none more prosperous. In 1901 there
were upwards of 1,160 Chinese pyaing
taxes on real estate assessed at 1920 |
0S4, and nearly $4,000 of this race rated |
as owning personal property valued at
1925, 1902. In the same year the Cauca-
sion taxpayers owning real estate |
numbered 1856, assessed at $19,890, oil; |
and the Caucasian personal property |
taxpayers, 1881, assessed at s5,37O.6s4.
The ox-like Chinaman is the most |
peaceable, industrious and lawabiding |
member of the community. He Is an
excellent husband and father, and is |
much sought after by the Hawaiian |
girls. He is very ambitious for the |
educational advantage that the islands |
afford. There is no caste distinction nor |
any color line in Hawaii and, there |
fore, no bar to the social, commercial
or political advancement of the young |
Chinese Hawaiian. These youths are |
in great demand by business houses !
and banks. Government officials and |
merchants unite in the statement that |
none better than these young men can |
be found to fill positions requiring ex-
ceptional honesty and intelligence.
In Hawaii the Chinaman is appreci-
ated. The whites want more of him
They would like to get rid of the Jap !
anese in the sugar plantations and put
Chinese in their places. Several at
tempts have been made to secure for |
Hawaii exemption from the Chinese
Exclusion Law, but with little prospect |
of success. There would be no danger
of injury to citizens of other portions
of the United States in granting this !
privilege to the Hawaiians for the /
law of the territory makes
ample provision for the prevention of |
Chinese from going thence to the MAIN
land
In the meanwhile Hawaiians ask |
themselves: What is to be the compo-
sition of the population of the territory
in the future? Is the present prepond- |
erance of the Japanese over any other |