Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-01
TROUBLE WITH JAPAN
Possibilities of Such a Thing
Laughed At !,
By RESIDENTS OF HAWAII
Mr.. Lorrin A. Thurston's Talk on the
Situation.
NO MILITARY ACTIVITY
Or Organization Of Japanese in the
Islands-They Need the ~,
Immigrants There. q
MILITARY ACTIVITY

Possibilities of trouble with Japan are
laughed at by the solid residents of Hawaii.
One Of the planters of the islands, and n
member of the insular board Of agriculture,
Mr.. Lorrin A. Thurston, who is now In
washington, had a talk over the situation
with Star reporter today. He said In q
general way that the continuation of free
japanese immigration to Hawaii was essens
tial to the continuance of the island plantas
tons. He said. moreover that the residents
of Hawaii would be well satisfied IL the Jap<
anese were allowed to come there and were
let alone by the residents of California, bue
ne declared that the Hawaiian islands were
being continually denuded of their Japanese
laborers by emissaries from the Pacifa
coast, who made a regular business of enc
tlcing them to California. So far as thad
scare stories of Japanese military activity
IN hawaii were concerned. he said there's
was not the slightest foundation for them
In this connection Mr.. Thurston said:
No Military Activity in Hawaii.
Il do not think there is any foundation
for the statement that there is any mile
tary activity or organization among tho;
japanese in Hawaii. Among the large
Japanese population there were naturally
number who had served In the army.
and during the war with Russia several
hundred or them returned to Japan TO res
enter the army. These men had interests
In hawaii and after the war was over
many OF them returned to Hawaii. IL in
also natural that among the large numbers
or men discharged from the Japane Sc army
some OF them should emgrate and some
of these men have come to Hawaii There
Is nothing apparent, however, in the way
or any organization among them, and no
friction or general opposition to them exs
lists In the islands.
of flapa hox,
chanical trades and to that extent have
supplanted white mechanics. We could
wish that this were otherwise, but thew
cannot De prevented from engaging in any
business in which they choose On the
other hand. more than one-half of our
common laborers are japanese and but for
these Japanese laborers very large NUNS
er OF white mechanics who are now en-.
gagged In business in Hawaii would have
nothing to do.
IF Japanese immigration to Hawaii is
stopped 1t will be most serious blow to
the industry and prosperity of the terri-
tory. The shortage of labor prevalent in
this country Is accumulated in Hawaii
chinese being excluded by United States
law, cur only normal source OF supply at
present is japan, as the normal source Of
labor supply of the mainland is from Eu.
rope.
Difficulty in Securing White Labor.
I'VE recognize the desirability of SEE
curing white labor in Hawaii and are doe
ing what we can to obtain It. but we ara
handicapped by the fact that steerage pass
sage from Europe to the mainland is onIN
about $25. while to Hawaii 1t 10 from s75
to 500 per man. On the other hand the
| steerage passage from Japan 10 Hawaii 10
only about $25. There Is no special reason
why a European immigrant should 30 to
Hawaii at his own expense. when 1t costs
him three or four times as much as 1t does
| to come to the mainland Of the United
| States, where his wages are as high or
higher than they will be in Hawaii. and,
except on a small scale, the cost Is pros
hibitive for the territory to pay the pas~
sage, especially when there is nothing to
prevent the immigrant going to the
Pacific coast whenever he chooses TO. and q
large number of them are likely TO do this.
as continuous efforts are made 10 get our
laborers away by the Pacific coast people.
LAS to the japanese coming from HawaH
| to the Pacific coast, ii has only been within
the last couple of years that this has taken
place Econ on b any Re h mas
people of Hawaii, for they want the Japa>
nese laborers to stay in Hawaii, whera
they are needed Neither was IL volun-
tarily initiated by the japanese themselves,
"The immigration to the Pacific coast
from Hawaii has come about by the exs
treme shortage OF labor on the Pacific coast,
and by those interested there more pare
ticularly in the northwest, actively recruits
ing labor from the Hawaiian plantations.
Recruiting agents from the coast come rega
newspapers that laborers are needed ut the
coast, offering higher wages than are paid
in Hawaii and offering to advance the pas
saees of laborerS who VIII CO. On nums
Der of occasions tramp steamers have been
sent down and gone from port 20 port
throughout the islands collecting laborers
who have been previously notlhed or the
sailings through the papers and runners
who have gone from plantation 10 PLAN
tation drumming up recruits IN many
cases passages of the laborers were pald
them.
'.The laborers who go to the coast are
largely used on the railroads In the nortns
west as fruit picloers in the orchards OF
California and laborers on the beet sugar
plantations IN California
"If a treaty is negotiated with Japan by
which laborers are shut out from rom, H iIa.ai;
to the Pacific coast, Hawaii VIII speeuiy
be drained of the labor absolutely neces,
sary to carry on its enterprises. ana we WI.
be in as abnormal and difficult situation
as would the eastern portion OF the lnlteo
States be If all immigration from Eorope
were suddenly arrested.
Purely Fictitious and Mischievous.
"The kilograms which have recently been
sent out from Honolulu as to military ace
tivity there are purely fictitious and miss
chieyous One Of them stated that large
amounts of rice were being landed and Sc.
cretly stored.
81 am a member Of the board of agri.
culture and happen to know the exact facts
in regard to these rice importations.
..The Japanese prefer japanese rice. az
the Chinese prefer Chinese rice. simply be-
cause they prefer the favor Of their homo
article and will pay as high as cent q
pound more for 1t than they will for other
kinds Of rice.
Last summer an insect pest infected
nearly all the Japanese rice coming TO
Honolulu to the extent that the board OF
agriculture, fearing that the insect might
infect the local rice, quarantined and finally
barred II out This resulted In completely
exhausting the supply OF Japanese rice IN
Z Honolulu, and now that the new crop ID
coming in from Japan q largenamount than
usual Is doubtless being imported to make
up for the previous shortage. That is all