Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1906-09-01

III the board of immigration, there
fore, has a large measure of success
In meeting the civic needs of the Ter.
rltory, just to thai degree will II hast.
en- the time when civic interests and
commercial interests come into con.
fliCt. The labor problem and the civic
problem Of Hawaii are in reality only
two aspects of single problem. Its
settlement will not be reached with.
out both struggle and sacrifice. and
will be brought about by forces which
have not yet been seen in operation in
Hawaii.
The Asiatics come over as temper.
airy visitors. incapable OF acquiring
citizenship. and not disposed to settle
permanently in the country.
The immigrants of other races eth.
or come with the intention Of making
Hawaii their permanent abiding place,
or acquire that intention after few
years residence; they can become cit.
liens. and they or their children ex.
ercise this right. One population is
migratory. the other settled; one re.
mains unassimilated and alien, the
ether becomes assimilated and Amer.
lean. Considered under civic as.
pcct. then, one is alien. and the other
is citizen; but considered from the
purely economic point OF view of la.
Dor supply. one is imported and the
other is resident labor.
The supply Of workers more or less
permanently attached to the islands
consists Of Porto Rican, Hawaiian.
and Portuguese field hands, with a
slight sprinkling of other Europeans;
and OF both Hawaiians and white men
OF various nationalities in skilled oc.
equations. On account OF their mum.
beers and their adaptability to planta-
ton work, the Portuguese are by far
the most important element among
resident laborers.
The same inducements have existed
TO attract the Portuguese TO the Pa.
clfc Coast that have recently innu-
enced such large numbers of Japanese
have never had the same effect upon
the Portuguese population.
.
Several instances were reported
where Portuguese, who had left for
California with considerable sum of
savings, had been obliged to write
back to friends at home for money to
return to Hawaii.
The Por ,ugucsc Consul AZ Honolulu
related an instance that had recently
come to his knowledge In family
where he visited, of an old Portu.
gucsc woman. still residing on the
plantation where she had formerly
been employed, who could count Ga
descendants on that and the neighbor.
ing plantations.
Therefore the Portuguese arc home.
makers.
In comparing whites and Asiatics,
or rather resident and imported la
Dor. one important fact Is often over.
looked. Imported labor Is temporary
labor. It does not live In the country
until the age of retirement. Its eco.
monte and social ambitions usually
receive their satisfaction In another
country.
Il was not necessarily any racial pc.
culiarity or physiological advantage of
the Oriental that adapted him to cane
cultivation. We have no proof that
be would not break down as quickly
wen more quickly-than white
nan under the severe labor Of the
tropics. The Japanese. like the Por.
tuguesc. come from the temperate
zone, and the Koreans now immigrat'
ing are from a country possessing
rigor Of climate. Like
the Asiatics, the Portuguese-let 1t
be repcated-tire of field labor in
me, or become physically incapaci-