Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-10-08
some IMPORTANT TESTIMONY GIVEN At FISHER
HEARNGB IVERS ON LABOR AND IMMIGRATION

| uCNCl any Pi OJCSl vi lIiE
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?
Ivers: One of them is a local at.
! tCrney, the other a business man, en-
gagged in the newspaper business here.
! Fisher: Is there anybody on the
| Board that might be said to represen.
| the laboring man? Don't you think
that the efficiency of board of that
| kind as whole would be improved 4
there was somebody on that board
who represented the people?
Atkinson As Vox Poui.
Iyers: | think Mr.. Atkinson could
be said to represent the people. He
has been a member of the board since
| its inception since 1905.
Fisher: What is his employment?
Ivers: 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 a 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 I will say that l 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 inden~"6-
ent.
Fisher: That is the work of Mr..
Clark?
I've, Ivsrs: Yes tAar4sthe work of DR..
FISHER: How soon is he likely to
return? Will he return through
Washington?
Ivers: ! 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 a fact
that when parties come here, they
are assigned to go to different plan
tations and if they make any obJec-
ton they can go as they are assigned
or get out of the station entirely-ln
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
were working at different plantations
in the Islands. On the arrival Dt the
vessel here, a great many people
knew the names of the plantations
where they wanted to go and they
expressed a desire to go to those plan
tations. and as far as possible, they
were dispatched to those plantatlons'
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 persuao-
ed to go to some other plantations.
Ashford: What was done? g
Iyers: They were kept down there
there were only one or two VINO were
forced out of that station.
Ashford: Why were they torceu
out?
Iyers: Because they refused to ac-
cept anything. Their attitude conVlnc-
ed the secretary that they were mere
" 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. A
number of these people were in Ho-
nolulu when the first shipment OF Mr..
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.
That is all that Mr.. Atkinson prom
| Used 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: l don't think so. In fact,
am convinced otherwise. Mr.. Atkin-
son was so much interested-such a
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 number of
them throughout the town as'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