Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-04-13
VESTED INTERESTS
HURTING HAWAII
Make No Attempt to Americanise
the Islands or to Draw De-
sirable Citizens.

ton has lust presented to Secretary Magic
Of the department of commerce and labor
n ilrst-hand study Of Hawaiian labor con
ditions, in which he offers severe ar.
raignment of the vested interests who
control the islands.
The report is the result Of his three
months trip through the islands, and. 1t
is believed, will result in congressional
lnves tiEation. Although couched in the
most temperate language and drawing
few conclusions as TO tho culpability of
The land owners. 1t shows by a system of
charts and figures that the conditions Of
tho lower classes is little better to-day
than when the islands were annexed by
tho United States.
a few Of the vital facts set forth in the
report are:
That great majority Of the inhahi-
tants of Hawaii are living in a state Of
NassalaEe; that for all practical purposes
they are owned body and soul by the
SUGAR planters. who work them for star
walton wages and take their pay in return
for tho necessities of life, which tho
planters sell ct oxorbitant prices.
THAT tho country is not being Amer
icauizcd. Tho planters are making no at
tempt to draw desirable Americans or
Europeans They are actually assisting
In orientalzlne' the islands
JAPANESE INCREASING.
Almost one-halt of tho inhabitants are
Japanese Their numbers are Increasing
rapidly. In another decade tho islands
win be little more than a japanese se'-
Element. Virtually all Of these Japanese
have seen military service At homo and
would constitute an excellent Hawaiian
division" in case Of hostilities
Retwoen nifty and sixty Japanese
women arrive on each steamer Upon
LANDING they are married and go 20 work
In the fields. They work ten hours at
manual labor under the tropical sun.
Their Offspring are segregated with
thcm. and consequently grow to ma
turty with all the inherent instincts and
rats OF their fatherand No attempt
is hcing made TO AmeriCanize them
The agents of the planters. who are
raid 4 per capita foe for tn" lanorers
they induce to 20 to the islands, are
incorporating Valuations and the
consequence Is that they are sending in
number OF pennloss aliens. VINO upon
ending that they cannot live on the waEeS
pad by the interests. move on to tho
Pacific coast as fast as possible. A. a
result the slone states arc harboring manr
undesirable aliens. who sooner or later
become objects of charity.
Mr.. Keefc skaters the myth that
white men cannot live and Voali COM
foltably on the islands and states thai
Il would be an easy matter 10 induce
thom to MIGRATE If tie companies would
paY them a living WtGe. Oriental labor
IS cheaper. they can live on less ana
cheaper foods, consequently the COM
panes prefer them 20 nercans or
Europeans
Because sugar is more profitable
than other products the land owners
devote virtually all the land to the
former. with the rosui that food stun's
are scarce. y lahorer making - cents
daN Of 10 hours paws on an average
of 3S per cent. more for the principal
necessities Of life than the market
prices in the largest cities in this
country.
Speaking OF the European imml-
grants Mr. Keefe says:
~ was told that fulv 20 per cent. Of
all the white alicus brought to the ISL
ands had departed for the Pacific coast.
am quite positive that at least - pcr
cent. of the Russians went 10 San
Francisco as rapidly as they could
raise funds sufficient to pay their
transportation. In nearly every case
they arrived on the mainland pennil"ss,
and possibly became either public or
private charge, the United states being
helpless IN the matter, a. the aliens
could not he dcharred.