Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-06-09


printed, and it is this printed docu-
ment. copies of which have reached
Hawaii, that contains the letters
above referred to.
Original Report Now Here
! The detailed report made by keefe
has already been given much publicity
in Hawaii, and in its printed form IT
carries no additions to the rather SEN
sational charges made by Keefe and
unofficially published two years ago.
In fact. the printed document does not
appear to carry all of the criticisms
of labor conditions here that Keefe
then voiced. The declaration that the
sugar planters are insincere in their
! efforts to AmericaniZe the islands is
published, together with purported
facts and figures on homesteadlng,
immigration and wage conditions,
practically all of which were made
public in 1911.
! The last pages of the document con-
tain the new matter. In transmitting
the original report to the, secretary OF
labor. Commissioner Keefe wrote the
following letter:
Department of Labor, Bureau Oh I'M
migration, Washington. April IT,
1913.
THE Secretary:
ATTACHED hereto is very interest
ing report from Richard L. Haisey,
Immigrant inspector in charge OF the
Hawaiian Islands, which deals with
labor conditions in that territory. In
almost every detail this report con-
firms statements made in the report
which | submitted to Secretary Ma
gel of Commerce and Labor in Janu-
airy. 1911. Mr. Halsey's report shows
that the. conditions which then pre-
vailed on the plantations and in the
sugar mills still exist. Apparently
wages have not been advanced and
the plantation stores are still being
operated separately and for profit
merely, resulting in continuance OF
the high cost of living.
There are two important features
III connection with the present labor
and immigration conditions on the
islands:
"(1) The Importation of Filipino
laborers under the direction of the
sugar planters association. In my
report of January %, 1911, / dwell
at some length on the undesirable
character of the Filipinos then being
imported and their unfitness to per-
form the manual labor required on
the plantations and in the mills. AS
/ stated in my memorandum of the
9Th instant, withdrew the portion
of my report dealing with this class
of people upon the assurance OF the
secretary of commerce and labor,
that, after conference with Presi-
dent Taft and Secretary of War Dick
inson. he was in position to say that
few, If any, Filipinos would thereaf.
ter be permitted to leave the Philip
pines for Hawaii, and that such as
would be permitted to do SO would be
Of the highest type. Inspector Hal
sey's report would indicate, however,
that notwithstanding the above-men-
toned assurance, nearly 5000 Fill
pinos have been imported during the
last Is months. His report also shows
that within three years 10000 Fill
pinos have been imported into Ha-
wall by the sugar planters. No doubt
four-fifths of this number have come
since my report of January, 1911, was
prepared Mr. Halsey also confirms
what ! have said in that report about
Filipinos being generally undesirable,
their inclination to be both lazy and
shiftless, and that many of them be-
come inmates of penal institutions.
1t should not be forgotten, moreover,
that there is nothing to prevent these
very undesirable Asiatics from COM
ing to the mainland whenever they
manage to save the cost of transpor-
tation.
"(2)) The bringing in of laborers
from the Spanish peninsula under the
auspices of the territorial govern
ment. The greatest difficulty has al
ways been experienced as pointed
out in my report) in inducing Span
ish and Portuguese aliens to remain
on the islands. AS a rule they stay
only long enough to earn sufficient
money to pay their transportation to
the Pacific coast, where they arrive
practically penniless, and where their
presence has tendency to disturb
labor conditions. Such aliens can not
be excluded at mainland ports after
heing admitted to Hawaii. AS point
ed out in my report, very few, if any,
of them would be admitted to the
United States if they came directly
TO mainland ports from their native
countries. The letter of the Spanish
consul at Honolulu, copy of which |
is attached to Inspector Halsey's re-
port, is interesting and worthy of SER
ious tn ugoht, for it shows some of
the reasons for the discomfort and |
dissatisfaction that lead these aliens |
TO seek to better the condition on the
mainland, viz, low wages and high |
cost of living and bad treatment on
the part of those in charge of the |
plantations.
In the opening paragraphs of In |
spector Halsey's letter he speaks of |
the active demand for labor along all |
lines, skilled and unskilled There |
is one feature in connection with this |
which he overlooks. namely, that one
result of importing Filipinos is that
japanese are leaving the plantations
and mills and going RI HOnoIulu and /