The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1906-12-11

TWO ACRES

of letters viii bn sent from these Is
lands to the relatives and friends OF
the recently-arrived immigrants from
Madeira. awaitisg the news from here
which will determine whether they
viii follow to Hawaii or migrate to
the South American countries which
have active emigration agencies at
work among them. And. with the eX-
oeption of the experiences on the voy-
age over, the reports of the immigrants
are likely to be favorable ones.
with Hawaii itself the newcomers
are charmed. The climate here Is
somewhat warmer than their old At
lantic home. a fact which pleases them,
and the uniform kindness with which
they have been received by everyone
from the moment they stepped off the
Suveric has given them already great
aloha for the land of their adoption.
But there are some kicks coming and
it is quite possible that there will be
occasion for some judicious handling
of the newcomers to make them thor
oughly satisfied and attach them to the
soil.
According to the stories told last
night by three of the new arrivals, one
an elderly man, who brings family
of children with him, and the others
young and bright-looking men, the in'
ducements held out to them before NIL
grating have been found exaggerated
since their arrival. The story they
tell is summarized as follows:
Upon the arrival Of Mr.. Stackable
and Mr.. Fraser at Funchal, advertise,
ments were published in the local pa
pers asking all who wished for infor-
nation concerning Hawaii to call at
their Office. To those who answered
the advertisement it was promised that
all who would come here and would
work on plantation for three years
would receive a two-acre plot of land
in fee simple and would also be given
a house to cost $4O0. This was to be
theirs in addition to the wages they
would earn, viz: $40 a month for the
first year $21 for the second year and
1922 for the third. During their stay on
the plantation they were to be given
free medical attendance, free fuel, free
water and stove.
There was to be no compulsion as
regards staying on any one particular
plantation, but only those who would
work out their three-year term were
to be given any land.
Now the Immigrants find that instead
of two acres of land the amount has
been cut down to one and that only
the heads of families are to be given
any. The young men, who may wish
time, can not be allotted any land now.
pointment to many.
The immigrants are loud in their
kicks over the food served to them on
the voyage. 1t is not the quality of the
provisions nor the quantity to which
they take such vigorous exception, butN
to the manner in which it was served.
The cooks We're chosen at random from
the ranks of the immigrants them
selves, and, according to the reports.
could do almost anything but cook. |
The captains treatment of the passen-
gers is not criticized except for the
fact that he neglected to See that the
food was properly prepared. A jealous
passenger resented the attentions paid
by the skipper to one of the Portuguese
girls. and n small-sized riot resulted,
he crew and passengers fighting over
he skipper, the latter being DESTROYS
If throwing him overheard. This was
,nly incidental, however, the main
lick being that the officers failed in
heir duty as overseers of the cooking
So serious did this become that after
passing the straits of Magellan num-
,er of the men broke open the store-
DOM, threatening to take out the sup.
lies and prepare the food themselves.
The immigrants have not words
nough to express their thanks to Mrs.
iasson. who worked increasingly for
hem throughout the long passage. Ac-
ording to the stories of the three last
light, 1t was due to the tact of Mrs. I
iasson that there was so little trouble {
board the ship, she having succeeded l
/ smoothing over many things which {
therwise would have resulted in per- I
APPS serious riots.
The majority of the younger men t
nd women among the thirteen hum {
red newcomers can read and write, '
hFiiS dtteiutu the receltiy-eStaDllSn> | {
1 public schools in Madeira. Most
the immigrants have also a little q
oney, the total cash brought by the c
lipload being something over $4,000. A
reat many of them are musicians, a
eir favorite instrument being the vio- g
n. and one of the passengers Is an a
'chestra leader. {
Prior to leaving for Hawaii the ma /
rity of the men were small tenant \
rmers on the landed estates of their p
lands, the others being ox-drivers T
Id farm laborers. Il
A few of the immigrants yet remain c.
Honolulu, having got out of touch y
It'll the others before the exodus to n
e plantations. Others are only now
ing released from quarantine. These d
altered members of the party are be, Il
2 rounded up by ]. F. Dutra, who is sc
teresting himself in seeing that they
e placed where they can begin their T