The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-08-07
governor TURNED
! D0WNNR0WW With
] Immigration men
Commissioners Have Decided To
Close Up Their Bureau
This Afternoon ~. +
AFTERMATH OF RECENT
LEGISLATIVE INQUIRY
Chief Executive, In Letter To
President Wodehouse, Pays
Respect To Planting Interests

(. A real live row between the Cover
nor, on the one hand, and the members
Of the territorial board of immigration,
labor and statistics, on the other. came
70 a showdown on Thursday when, ut
a meeting Of the board, it was decided
o close up shop and go out Of eE
istenee. ., p III :
At one O'Clock this afternoon Ralph
A. Kearns, erstwhile commissioner of
immigration, will turn the key in the
front door of the bureaus office, which
has been conducted recently in ittle
lanai room of the old Bungalow in the
Capitol grounds, and turn it over to
Ernest H. Wodehouse, president of the
board. When he does so the bureau
# immigration, labor and statistics
will 90 out of existence, after many
years Of usefulness. ~. .%Gt
In all this row, il is stated, the
Governor believes that the sugar and
pineapple interests derive a lot Of sat
sfaction because the bureau was prac
.ically forced by the last legislature
% go out of existence. n 2
Governor Gets Frank ~. ~ LII
"To be absolutely. frank, - says the
Governor in recent letter to Presi
lent Wodehouse, "this acts as a relief
to the sugar and pineapple interests
md leaves the poor in a disgraceful
Lurch so far as public responsibility is
oncerned." - : I-&Ehf 585k. sS'Ef
The last legislature treated the board
# immigration shamefnlly,, 1t is charR-
d. 1t cut out the salary Of the com.
thus forcing out OF office
Ralph A. Kearns, and it appropriated
barely the merest sum required to keep
the bureau breathing. ..,..s ~
Members of the board and bureau
all lay the blame on the Governor.
Under protest the commissioner ex,
pended certain large sums Of money 10
feeding INDECENT Filipinos, said to have
been brought here entirely as laborers.
at the national guard armory. The
Legislature investigated the star board.
ing proposition which, In one sense, led
It to cut out, entirely the Governor 5
contingent fund. " rr'sf.r.- .'.1
Of Feeding Fiiipinos o.,
Although the board proved beyond a
loubt that 1t had paid these moneys
'ut only under specific direction OF the
Governor and under protest and in
iirect violation Of the law, the legis
allure took satisfaction in Furnishing il
~ curtailing the appropriation neees-
'ary TO carry on the work Of the i'm
migration board as Il had been con.
iucted in the year, gone by. I
The row was brought to a head when
the Governor informed President
Wodehouse that, under 4 trade with
he federal government whereby the
Army took over the territorial immi.
grafton station near Pier 7 for some
9splanade lots, General Strong reuuir.
d that the station be vacated within
ess than a month. AL
Previously to this and following the
lctiOn of the legislature, the board of
immigration had practically decided to
20 out Of business. Commissioner
learns was then Just back from New
York, having conducted party of
epatriated immigrants there 10 see
hem safely on the way to their homes
n Portugal and Spain. III ~ y"
Reading Between the Lines
Then the Governor sat himself down
md wrote the following letter. under
late of June ls, 1917, to President
-..r z.. ..."""j 81
81 hand you copy of a commupi-
alton from Brig Gen. +. s. Strong.
department. commander, requesting the
pace now ocenPied by your board be
vacated. : Do, = 'ass u w =
=. ct understand the harbor commits.
ion, through the public works depart
nent, will furnish Won space for stor-
'ge and undoubtedly desk room. J."'
~ hand You copy Of a letter from