The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-09

We nave not.
Mr.. Bonynge. What is the pay of th'
Portuguese who are imported there I'M
der contract?
Mr.. Kalanianaole. For the last TIVE
years We have imported 1000 to 6o0i
Portuguese and Spaniards and a few
from other European nationalities
/ Mr.. Bonynge. How much are they
paid?
4 Mr. Kalanianaole. They are not
brought there under contract
Mr.. Bonynge. How much do they
get?
Mr.. Kalanianaole. AS soon as they
land, the planters. have their agents al
the immigration station, and they
bring forward to them this offer, that
they can have an acre or two acres
to live on, besides getting $50 or s25
| a month for their work. They work on
that scale for year or two. and at
/ the end of that time the planter turns
/ over to them the title in fee to the
acres of land that they had first set
| tied on.
! Mr.. Bonynge. i have been advised
that the Portuguese We're getting only
/ IS a month.
Mr. Kalanianaole That is not correct
at all. If anybody is getting efess
wages, it is the Asiatfc.
The Portuguese and other laborers
from European countries are getting
from $50 to $25 a month besides hav-
ing the advantage of the acre or 9
acres of land. In three years, if 1 re-
collect correctly, they have the right
to work in the plantation, and at the
same time they are supplied with a
house, f1rewood, and such as that, and
within that three years the planters
will give them the fee-simply title to
the land.
Mr. Bonynge. You say it is not cor
rect that the Portuguese are employed
at lower wages than the Japanese?
Mr.. Kalanianaole. No; they are not.
We are encouraging these men in order
to get rid of the Asiatics in our coun-
try
Mr.. Bonynge. I have been informed
that the real purpose of this bill is
to get the Portuguese at lower wages
than they can get the japanese for.
Mr.. Hamilton of Michigan. I under
stand that the Portuguese are said to
be the best laborers in the islands.
Mr.. Kalanianaole. Yes.
Mr.. Cook of Colorado. I would like
to inquire of the gentleman from Cali
ported into the Hawaiian Islands from
Portugal, China, and Japan does not
come in competition with the American
laborer in the gentleman's State and
all other States producing beet sugar.
Mr.. Hayes. I was going to explain
further to the gentleman from Colo
RADIO Mr.. Bonynge], and I viii explain
now, that the governor of Hawaii as
sures me that these 5000 white immi-
grants were not contract laborers; that
no one had any contract with them and
they had no contracts to labor any
where; that they were imported alb
solutely free from any obligation of
any kind, but we're at liberty as soon
as they landed in Hawaii to make any
contracts with anybody that they
chose.
fact that the sugar producers in the
Hawaiian Islands pay the transporta-
ton of this cheap labor?
Mr.. Hayes. The government did pay
the transportation of the 5000 fmrni-
grants from Europe to which I HAYES
Mr.. Cook of Colorado. Our govern
ment?
Mr.. Hayes. The Territorial govern
ment of Hawaii. Mr.. Speaker, re-
serve the balance of my time.
Mr.. Williams. Mr.. Speaker, it seems
hard in this House to get consideration
for legislation in favor of American
labor before the House. It seems easy
to get legislation considered that
strikes a blow at American labor. This
bill strikes down the contract-labor law
fars DC $cia lz
This hurts in the first place
the negro laborers of Louisiana who
are earning wages upon the sugar
there by bringing into
quick and easy competition with them
contract laborers to raise sugar in Ha-
wall and to put that sugar upon the |
American market without any tariff |
between Hawaii and the United States,
and, of course, in competition with |
these American citizens. negro labor |
ers, in the State of Louisiana. Tt is a |
blow, in the second place, though more |
remotely, at all American labor in the |
United States, because, notwithstand- |
ing the last would-be saving clause |
of the bill, which says, that nothing |
herein contained shall be construed to !
admit to any part or place of the Uni I
ted States on the North American con- |
tinent any alien who is inadmissible |
under the provisions of the act approx |
ed May 20. 1907" it would be absolutely |
a physical impossibility after this bill |
once passes to prevent these people. |
having once been settled for eensid- |
cradle length of time in Hawaii, from /
crossing the Pacific Ocean to the states
upon the Pacific coast. So that, hav-
ing raised the barrier, they would fin /
ally all come here that chose to come. |
The idea under this bill is to get
cheap Portuguese labor in the Hawai-
ian Islands upon the sugar plantations /
there. The very object of it is to get I
a cheaper labor. Now, the pretext |
made for it is that the law excluding |
contract labor is now being violated, as.
far as the Japanese immigrants into
Hawaii are concerned. 1t is never /
sound doctrine to repeal a law. if it |
be a good law with regard to some. be- /
cause others are violating 1t. If con-
tract alien labor is entering into Ha-
waii, whether in the shape of Japanese,
Chinese, or Europeans. the proper rem
ady is to enforce the law and stop it; |!
and If fhE i'm mi pra finn com iSSiorares