The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-08-01
.STRAUS On WHITE
Immigration
Secretary Gives Little Hope
From the Law as 1t
Now STANDS.

| Secretary Straus gives little encour-
| agement to hope that further immigra-
| ton of the kind represented by the
| Suveric, Heliopolis and Kumeric can
be expected under the present law. He
| does not say it that way. He says he
regards it as unfortunate that the
| immigration law does not contain spe-
cial provisions to meet our require
ments." To the committee from the
| commercial organizations which called
on him yesterday afternoon, he ex-
pressed the same thought in very sim
liar language. But the Secretary Of
Commerce and Labor is very guarded
in what he says. He is not painfully
guarded. Indeed, he is such a pleas
ant talker that he quite captivates his
listener. He is so completely master of
his subject and of himself, that there
is no suggestion in his talk that he is
guarding himself, or that he has any
thought that he might say too much.
1t is this complete mastery of his sub
ject that is one of the charms of his
discussion of any subject. He is never
unprepared, and he is never unprepared
with something entertaining.
Secretary Straus received a call yes
terday afternoon from representatives
of the Chamber of Commerce and the
Merchants Association. To them he
said that he was here to get informa-
ton rather than to give it, though in
any way that he could be of service
to the people of Hawaii ne would be
glad to be. He made inquiries as to
the thought and sentiment of the peo-
pie here on matters that come within
the scope of his department, immigra
ton, for instance, and labor. He ask
ed, for instance, if it was thought here
that the continued immigration of
would swamp the islands.
To a representative of the Advertiser
he gave the following interview:
THE purpose of my coming" said
of Commerce and Labor |
Straus, lis to study, within the scope |
of the Department of Commerce and
Labor, the needs of your little country;
and 1 desire to say at the outset that
anything I can do to advance your in
terests 1 will gladly do. And in saying
this 1 feel that interpret the wishes
and desires of the President.
AID OF MERCHANTS AND PLANT
ERS.
''I desire to utilize one or two of the
summer months to acquaint myself
more thoroughly with the field work
Of the department.; and it was no less
the Presidents suggestion and desire
than my own that / should extend my
trip to these islands. 1 am very glad
have done so. am sure that the
Ten days which I shall remain here,
with the aid of your merchants and
planters, will enable me to understand
.he singular conditions and require
nehts OF these islands, better than the
xading through of all accessible liter
lture relating thereto would do.
THE Department of Commerce and
Labor touches your interests in sew
,ral important respects. There are
aids to navigation which come under
he Lighthouse Bureau of the depart
nent. There is the labor problem.
And there is immigration.
IMMIGRATION LAWS
1.-THE conditions are such that it is
that, for instance the i'm
migration laws do not contain special
provisions to meet your requirements.
Perhaps through the information gain
d by the Congressional Committee, '
md others, the future may develop {
some special legislation to meet more I
uIly your special requirements. In
he meantime I shall be glad to aid :
you to the full extent of the limita- {
ions of the law.
In regard to the Japanese immigra-
ion into the United States, the Japa-
lese government has shown desire to
Keep out from the mainland the labor
ng classes. And the present tendency
# that emigration is toward British z