The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-08-09
STRAUS PLEDGES
HELPING HAND

is as peaceable as Florida or New
York; more peaceable, in fact. There
is no local trouble. No one fears any
trouble of any kind. I have heard peo-
pie talking about the Japanese trouble
The papers from the mainland tell US
of rice that has been stored here for
| military purposes and of regiments of
Japanese hiding in the cane fields and
drilling. Personally I believe nothing
of the kind. have travelled all over
the country and have never seen any,
thing in the least approaching any
thing of the kind. What we want here
are more japanese. Any attempts to
bar out these immigrants will not
solve any of our problems. We need
labor in the sugar industry and in our
other industries. Labor and capital is
needed to develop the islands. We
have the capital, labor we must get
somewhere. China is barred to US.
Europe is open, but the bringing of inn
migrants from there, if it is allowed. is
accompanied with tremendous expense.
There is no other place where we can
get labor in sufficient quantities but
Japan.
But we must develop along other
lines than sugar. We must hold to
sugar while we must Without the su-
gar industry there would not be
enough boats in the whole of the trans
port service to carry away the poor
devils who would have to be assisted
out of the country. But it stands all
in hand to work for the developing of
something else, so that If the sugar in
dustry should fail from any cause
there would be something to fall back
upon.
ITO introduce small industries to
take the place of sugar we must have
a foreign market. The local demand
is so small for agricultural products
that if a farmer brought ten carloads
of cabbages into the city he would
glut the market. And the market Is
comparatively limited along the Pacific
Coast. Fresh fruit is our best chance.
The trade has developed wonderfully
along the Atlantic Coast because the
growers there have quick and sure
transportation. Here, through the re-
striction of the shipping laws, we are
month. Now. bananas refuse to ripen
according 10 steamer schedule, the
consequence being that they ripen on
the trees, and when the time comes for
shipping much of them are too rotten
to even feed to the pigs. The shippers
find themselves face to face with the
laws of Congress. This is one of our
grievances. 1t is, just to call this state
of affairs a grievance. 1t is one OF
the things upon which we may justly
appeal to Congress for relief. Some
thing must be done. What, we Will
leave to you.
1.-THE development of the tourist
business here is another of the things
/ wish to touch upon. We have every
possibility, every willingness to do all
we can, but the tourists must have
steamship accommodations. Last year
half of the steamships flying the Amer
lean flag were withdrawn from this
run, three by the suspenion of the
Oceanic Company and one by ship
wreck. We have direct statistics TO
show that many tourists have been
prevented from coming here through
the steamship offices the vessels have
from thirty to one hundred passengers
booked more than they can take. Time
and time again the Pacific Mail boats
have been able to take but ten or
twelve passengers from here when
from fifty to one hundred wanted to
go. 1t is not fair deal to put US
in the position of people who can
take train when steamships are not
available. If I could take a railroad
train from here to San Francisco
would not be here talking to you about
the difficulties of steamship travel. But
in this matter we are not getting the
square deal that the present admin
istration calls for. We do not ask to
be treated better than the rest of the
people of the United States but we do
ask to be treated as we'll.
"One question more, that of the agri-
cultural lands. Apparently represen-
tations have been made to Washington
to secure some amendments of our
land laws. Some of us believe that
Washington should assume control of
the public lands of the Territory and
administer them under the Federal
homestead laws. Some believe that
Washington should not. / am one of
those who believes that Washington
should not. I do not have to mention
the tremendous frauds that have been
perpetrated under these laws, where
by unscrupulous spectators and cor
porations secured control of thousands
of acres of the public lands which
should have been reserved for the pub
lie, evidence that these laws were
either loosely drawn or poorly admin
istered. believe that the present land
law, slightly amended, is better adapt
ed to our local conditions than any
other that we can get. With all due
respect to Governor Carter and to our
Land Commissioner, whom I believe
to be as thoroughly upright and hon
est as any official in any country of
the world, I think that there has been
one fault in the handling of our lands
I think that in constituting the land
law the official and the Executive have
been too strict in observing the letter
of the law rather than the spirit of 1t.
If it is administered with the object
of getting the people on the land it
viii accomplish all that we may de-
sire. If somewhat more liberal spir-
it is shown in the future than there
has hpap in tho most n ,rr,1A