Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-10-08
some IMPORTANT TESTIMONY given ATFISHER
HEARINGBY IVERS ON LABOR And IMMIGRATION

considerable Importance that he has
| introduced that has been turned down
Fisher: The Board usually has two
! representatives of sugar interests
what would the other people repre-
ssnt?
Iyers: One of them is a local at
! trrney, the other business man, en-
kgaged in the newspaper business here
! Fisher: Is there anybody on the
! Board that might be said to represent
! the laboring man? Don't you think
that the efficiency of a board of that
kind as whole would be improved II
! there was somebody on that board
who represented the people?
Atkinson AS Vox PouIi.
1vers: | think Mr.. Atkinson could
! be said to represent the people. He
has been member of the board since
its inception since 1905.
Fisher: What is his employment?
1vers: An attorney.
Fisher: How does he. an attorney,
come to be so regarded?
Ivers: Well, he has always been
closely identified with immigration
and is looked upon generally as be-
ing representative of the people.
Fisher: And you think that there
is a feeling that Mr.. Atkinson per.
haps rightly or wrongly does under
stand and sympathize with their point
of view?
IVers: l think so. Well, in that
regard / will say that | discussed it
with the Governor and / thought there
should be an active head of that De-
partment who would do practically all
of the work and would be independ-
ent
Fisher: That is the work of Mr..
Clark?
Ivers: Yes that is the work of DR..
Clark
Fisher: How soon is he likely to
return? Will he return through
Washington?
Ivers: l think he will probably re-
turn through Washington. You can
have him return that way.
Fisher: Mr.. Ashford, you want to
ask any question?
Ashford: Mr.. Ivers, isn't it fact
that when parties come here, they
are assigned to go to different plan
tations and If they make any objec-
IHSy ~ do IlISy al 2 oSolS5iiSo
or get out of the station entirely-in
other words, that they are not allow
ed fair opportunity to make their
own selection-isn't that true?
Facts of Distribution.
Ivers: No, that is not true. The
circumstances are these: Most of
these people arrive ,here--most of them
come here because they receive let
tiers from friends and relatives who
we're working at different plantations
in the islands. On the arrival OF the
vessel here, great many people
knew the names Of the plantations
where they wanted to 60 and they
expressed desire to go to those plan
tations. and as far as possible, they
were dispatched to those plantations.
In certain cases they were more i'm
migrants who wanted to go to certain
plantations than could be accommo-
dated and they were finally persuad-
ed TO 60 to some other plantations.
Ashford: What was done?
Iyers: They were kept down there
there were only one or two who were
forced out of that station.
Ashford: Why were they forced
out?
Ivers: Because they refused to &C.
cept anything. Their attitude conVlnc-
ed the secretary that they were mere
1ly waiting for an opportunity to leave
for the Coast.
In regard to the Russians, Mr.. AT
kinson himself went over to RUSSIA
and selected these people. When the
first shipments of Russians arrived
here there was no trouble. But al
ter some of those people had been
little while on the plantations, they
began drifting back to Honolulu.
number of these people were In Ho-
nolulu when the first shipment OF MI.
Atkinson's arrived. There was some
trouble. The whole controversy seem
ed to be that they said they had been
promised $45 a month, whereas they
were promised as roubles a month.
4'hat is all that Mr.. Atkinson prom
ised them-45 roubles.
Ashford: Has it not been generally
understood that those people were
given to understand that the amount
of money that they were going to get
here would be equal to $45 as dis
tinguished from roubles.
No Misrepresentation.
Ivers: | don't think so. In fact,
am convinced otherwise. Mr. Athln-
son was so much interested-such
strong advocate of the Introduction OF
Russian people here-that | think he
took particular pains to convince these
people, but as a matter of fact these
people were mostly mechanics and
there were no opportunities to find any
employment for them. | visited the
Iron Works and MIR Hedemann agreed
to employ number of them at the
Iron Works. At the same time we did
secure employment for a number of
them throughout the town rs mecnan-
ics-several to Mr. Craig. He alter
wards came back and told us that
they were not mechanics.
Ashford: They were introduced
they had been recruited for plantation
work?
lVerS: Yes.