Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-08-10

I
s. sheba, editor of the Hawaii shin.
pc, speaker at today's Pan.Pacifie
luncheon.
large number of other races we still
hold our stronghold.
Sugar is the mainstay, the source
of prosperity of the terr. tory; there.
fore we can say that the Japanese
have contributed largely to the well
fare of the islands and to the peck
cts of the people directly and indirect.
| ly, and that fact is never disputed.
We Japanese have not been a menace
TO Hawaii. but have proved to be bene.
fsctors. We are very proud of this
fact.
"In 1868 the first bunch of 4S Japa-
nese contract laborers was brought
here and since that time the number
has gradually and steadily increased
until today we number in the neigh
borhood Of $4,000, 1t having been es-
timated automatically at 89,715 in
June of 1914.
However, formerly the conditions
Of the japanese laborers under the
contract labor system were not very
much better than those of slaves, and
these conditions prevailed until the
annexation of the islands to the Unit
ed States Of America.
1--WE owe much to the reign of King
Kamehameha B. during whose time a
new field of activity was offered to us,
and to the Hawaiian people. who al
lowed US to come and share in their
happiness-the happiness and the
privilege Of enjoying life in this
earthly paradise
I'VE owe much more to Uncle Sam,
who by stretching out HIS benefcient
hands removed all restrictions upon
the liberty of men. and placed US on
a basis of equality with all the rest
Of Gods children. Through the emar.
cipation, which we may call the abro-
cation of contract system, Japanese
emerged from the shade Of monar-
chial barbarisfn and came to enjoy
the sunshine of true democratic civi.
lization.
Until the annexation of Hawaii
Japanese had performed their work
in submission, in fear of Jail and fine.
They were 'wikiwikied, so to say, and
were told to go ahead like steam by
ignorant lunas. who did not know
enough to make distinction between
human beings and lower animals. I'm
der such conditions no one can won
der that they had not fully manifest
ed their efficient, initiative and inge-
NOUS faculties.
Il remember an article In one Of
the English papers in those days
which advocated the importation of
African apes to replace Japanese plan.
tation laborers We may laugh at
such an absurdity now. but then the
plantation field labor was considered
nothing but a mere mechanical work
requiring no brains. presume that
there would have been enough mon
keys in Hawaii to consume all sur.
plus pineapple crops, If they were i'm
ported, and no one would lament the
oyerproduction and the want of mar
kets.
at was after annexation that the
Japanese began to show their true
worth and activity in various, direc-
tions
The number OF Japanese employed
on sugar plantations has been de-
creasing for the past several years,
but there were $4,000 Japanese out of
the total of $4,000 plantation hands
according to the statistics Of 1913.
In the coffee industry also there
are $50 Japanese families in the
Kona district, and they represent 80
per cent of the whole population en-
gagged in coffee cultivation The area
occupied by them comprises 5154
acres.
in pineapple cultivation japanese
labor again predominates in number,
and independent Japanese planters
control nearly 5000 acres on Oahu,
representing an investment of $685.
$50, while on Maui Japanese main
tain their own mill The total amount
of pineapples produced by japanese
farmers aggregates nearly $4,000
cases a year
Japanese control the fishing indus
try of the territory, particularly that
of deep sea fishing. A little more
than 800 Japanese are engaged in fish
ing on Oahu. and they own about So
gasoline sampans, while on other
islands there may be counted one-half
that number, more or less
"A number of japanese are also
engaged in poultry raising, in honey
bee culture and in small truck farm
ing. @se
I'VE can count score of fairly
good-sized corporations among us,
such as the Pacific bank. with 5000. 900
capitalization Honolulu Sake Brew
cry, with 100000; Japanese Rice Mill,
40 NnA 2. ~.