The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-11

to this country were correct, and they
lare correct. I was in favor of then
ibefore they were ever passed. 1 an
lin favor of them now. This bill is jus
simply the opening wedge to nulIifJ
| the law that we have been operating
under and that we were all in favor of
and that is the test right here now
A man that votes for this bill is ir
favor of contract labor, and the mar
that votes against it is against con
tract labor.
Mr.. Keifer. Mr.. Speaker, I wish we
had time to properly consider this bill
Those who seem to be against it pro-
coed upon the idea that they know al
about the conditions in the Hawaiian
Territory They talk as though the
conditions that they are familiar with
at home exist there. They talk as
/ though they would like to dedicate
those islands to our own American
laborers who are employed here at very
! high wages comparatively. 1t is i'm
possible to do that. The situation in
the Hawaiian Territory for some pur-
poses is exceedingly unfortunate. Our
/ laborers will not go to the island, and
until conditions entirely change there
they never will. They can get better
wages under better circumstances at
home.
The central idea of the bill is to
secure white European labor into the
Hawaiian Territory to become perma-
nent settlers and to take the place of
Japanese or Chinese laborers. And the
bill also looks to a method of procur-
ing white or European laborers to Sc
cure the more certain development of
these rich islands, and to discourage
the emigration of a worse class of resi-
dents
The islands are well adapted to rails
ing fruit, pineapples, and oranges, and
all things of that kind, but there is
no general or foreign market for such
fruit because they are SO far away
from a country that would consume it,
and their sales can only be to their
own people and to the ships that come
into their harbors. These islands can
not compete with California in selling
fruit to the people in the States. They
are too remote and the transporta ton
by water is too slow. The whole of the
islands. and they are rich islands, are
chiefly adapted to raising sugar. No
ordinary farmers of usual qualifications
will or can go there to cultivate the
cane or anything else on any consid-
cradle scale. The cane growth is the
best growth of course, but that is I'M
possible with men of ordinary means.
Most all the great cane fields there
cost a million or more dollars in prep
aration and for canals or bitches for
irrigation before you can raise any
cane on them at all. On some of those
great canals and bitches they have
haf ho
ter on the cane fields. Without an
adequate supply of water in general.
the lands are valueless. The owners of
the lands in these rich islands can
not get the kind of laborers they ought
to have. L went over the Kona dis
trict, in the western part of the great
island of Hawaii, which is largely
grown up with coffee trees, every one
looking perfect, not a blasted leaf, not
a stem that did not have coffee upon
it, Everything looked prosperous, but
looked detected, and why?
Because there was not enough labor
in that region to harvest one-tenth of
the coffee that was growing in that
Mr.. McGavin. Will the gentleman
allow me to ask him a question?
Mr. Keifer. Certainly.
Mr. McGavin. Being with the same
Marty that the gentleman went out
with
Mr.. Keifer. In the same wagon.
Mr.. McGavin (continuing). l will ask |
him if it is not fact that with many |
IF the sugar planters there was a de- |
nand for this cheaper labor from Asia, |
but among the people of the Hawaiian |
Islands generally there was a positive /
md most emphatic opposition?
Mr.. Keifer. There was against Asia
ic labor, but in favor of the kind of /
abor this bill is intended to bring into
he Islands.
Mr.. McGavin. will ask if it is not |
matter of common knowledge in the
Hawaiian Islads that these Japanese
md Chinese were being imported from
he Hawaiian Islands up to Nova Sco-
ia and then down into the United
states? Loud applause on the Demo-
ratio side.
Mr.. Keifer. I did not go into that
question. I do not believe it was so.
The people in the Hawaiian Islands,
japanese, Chinese, and all, have plenty
# employment in every direction, and
hey were not seeking other places of
Employment. In general, the Japanese
nd Chinese do not remain long in the
sland. but go home after few pros
'erous years.
Mr.. Cook of Colorado. I would like
o inquire of the gentleman from Ohio
whether or not he is in favor of the
of contract labor, either
japanese. Chinese, or Portuguese, to
work in the fields in his district or
state? Loud applause on the Demo-
ratio side.
Mr. Keifer. If we had that subject
lp I might consider it. Of course not.
n this bill we are not attempting to
leal with that question. My district
s not a district at all like the Hawai-
an Islands. and the conditions do not /
xist there that exist in Ohio. Now, I
I'M in favor of some labor there Amer
can labor does not go there. The
American farmer can not go there, be-
ause he can not live under the condi-
ions that now exist there. If you are
yoing to make those Islands productive
-Ou must get labor from where it can
De had No amount of wages will in
luce the Iaborers of any of the States
IF the United States TO 90 m these iS-