THE CHINESE IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 533, 30 April 1878, Page 3

THE CHINESE IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.

Wo' find ■ the following in the’ Hawaiian •Advertiser of' the 9th inst.:- 1 ' ; ' ■

In previous issueswo have repeatedly and ; earnestly called attention to the danger that | surely threatens the country if the policy is 1 persisted in of bringing here only inale Chinese I immigrants. The correctness of our position ; bn this point will'hardiy be disputed by 1 any- i one, and we hope and expect to see some legis- ; lation on the subject in the coming session of I the Assembly. But there is another view of ! this Chinese immigration subject which'has not yet, been alluded to by the ‘Press, but < which will ere long force itself upon public attention. How will it affect the trade and business of the islands ? .

Ever since we .were compelled by. the decline of the whalibgbusinessto turn our attention to agriculture, the consequent employment of • laborers in considerable numbers on the ■ different . islands of the group, has l led to the ! establishment, of numerous, “ country stores,*' ; where the plantation hands—mostly native; Hawaiians— i have.largely spenttheir,advances ! and their; wages., These stores ; procured their goods from the Honolulu importers and jobbers, i the money paid put on the plantations ‘ for labor eventually found 1 its way to the metropolis, ami coin was 'generally.,, fjojtay.” i Now, however, the native Hawaiian is rapidly j giving; place ,to the . Chinaman,; on ;mpst;of i our plantations, and John does not spend his : money freely. On; the contrary, be hoards, ; ;: with, .theview, ,some , dayp-of, going ..back! to China, with his “ pile,”; or else exchanging! his silver, for American gold,; he remits it-.to. his relatives in the Elowery Kingdom.; Audi if he, does find it absolutely necessary to buy, a modicum, of . dry. goods, ho will take pains, to deal.,-,with a countryman in preference: to : any one else—and the Chinese shopkeeper is; already found in every possible, Hook. and corner of the islands. These in! their, turiiiprefer, when it can be done, to ob-! tain their aupplies from their countrymen who are. jin the; Jobbing, business , in ' Honolulu, rather than, to order from theforeign importer. Now as the phinese immigration to those; liSlands . continues, and .increases as jit is likely to do, the [entire retail and jobbing . dry good business of the country will inevitably 1 fall into their hands, quite to the exclusion,of other nationalities. Thus, as things are going, there will be but,two classes of Americans or Europeans l im the islands—the planters, and the skilled mechanics whom the planters must necessarily employ. There will , also bo two . other, classes—the Chinese' laborers; and the Chinese shopkeepers,, while the pure native Hawaiian, ;tho original owners of the opuntryj will.dwaddle and dwindlo and disappear tiofore tho influence of the rival but hetorogenopus “ civilizations” of the reat and tho East. ~ |

Such is the;.prospect for tho future o£ Hawaiinei,,; Prompt ■ and wisa legislation-is needed to save the, Hawaiian raco and preserve Baypaiinn, independence. But where shall wo look for it ? ' !„■