The Chinese in Honolulu [pp. 467-475]

THE CHINESE IN HONOLULU
a fine rent to the owners of the land and a
revenue, in taxation, to the Government. As
fishermen, the Chinese stand next to the Ha waiians, numbering no less than 294. But the
Hawaiian fishermen work chiefly each for
themselves or in little companies of from three
to half a dozen. The Chinese work in large
companies, a firm of small capitalists owning
the boats, nets, and drying houses and other
buildings, and employing their own country men at wages, and sometimes with a small in terest in the firm, to do the work. If there is
one thing that this race understands better
than another, it is co-operative labor. By
means of it they get more out of their work ers than any other race can obtain out of
them. The Chinese take the lead among
,merchants and traders, more than half of the
people so employed being Chinese. They
claim 318 professional people of their race, 15
of whom are doctors.
There are among the Chinese of these
Islands 953 Christians, almost one in
twenty. Of these sixty-seven are Roman
Catholics and 886 Protestants.
On the material side, the census shows
I95 Chinese who own real estate. But as
a system of long leases prevails, the number who really though not technically
own real estate is very much larger. The
number of those who own their own
houses is 758, most of them being built
on leased land, which is a prevailing custom among all nationalities. The Chinese have I,I62 cattle, 3,253 horses, 889
working cattle, exceeding in this particular any other race. The total of pigs,
7,632, is also larger than the total animals of this kind owned by any other
race on the Islands.
In Hawaii all businesses are licensed.
In I897 there were 1,623 licenses issued
to Chinese, aggregating in license fees
paid to the Government $48,724. These
licenses were: 5 awa, I billiard, 2 boat,
I boatman, 29 beef butchers, 66 pork
butchers, 33 cake peddlers, 25 dray and
wagon, 82 drivers, 70 hacks, I82 hotels
and restaurants, 82 lodging-lhouses, 507
merchandise, 2 milk, I66 public shows,
I I salmon, 3 wholesale spirit, 2 retail
spirit, and 374 tobacconist. They own
property assessed at $I25,274.3I and on
this together with the license, poll, and
other taxes, they paid in I897 $II9,602.72.
In their collective and organized capacity, the Chinese are among the most
liberal contributors in the Islands to enterprises of a philanthropic, benevolent,
VOL. XXXII-31
or public-spirited' character. One who
has had much opportunity to observe
and know, says: "They impinge less on
the general resources for charity and.
charitable help, either public or privateresources, than any other element in thecommunity. They not only take care of
their own people, but they contribute
largely to funds for the aid of other nationalities."
The center and sources of the philanthropic and benevolent work of the Chinese is the United Chinese Society.'
This is a representative body, including
all the smaller organizations of self-help
and co-operation which the Chinese aptitude for co-operation has found necessary. The functions of the United Chinese Society included all those things,
whether of business, philanthropy, public spirit, race or national matters, or
matters of intellectual uplift, which can
be better done through organization
than by individual interest. It succors
the poor; finds work for the unemployed; takes care of the sick; relieves
widows and orphans; buries the dead;
sees to the return to China of the bones
of those who, dying here, wish their
bones buried on their ancestral soil. It
has charge of the public celebrations of
national holidays and events; it entertains those who are the guests of the
whole people. It looks after the general
interests of the Chinese in Hawaii.
One of the most notable of the Chinese benevolences is the new Chinese
Hospital' recently erected. It is on a
plot of ground donated for the purpose
by the Hawaiian Government. In every
particular it is up to the standard of the
most modern hospital. It has both wards
and private rooms, and departments for
men and for women. In appliances,
both surgical and medical, it is fully supplied. In charge of it is a physician and
surgeon graduated at a medical institu
i UNITED CHINESE SOCIETY.
Goo Kim Fui, president; Wong Kwai, vice-president;,
Chang Kim', secretary; Leong Pak Lum, assistant secretary; Y. Kee YumI, treasurer; Lao Den Kui, assistant
treasurer. Officers: Chew Kum, WongLeong, I,um Chun,
Chin, Li Chong, Ltnm Ken Chim, L. Ah Lo, H-o Fon, Fung
Kun, Wong War Foy, Tong Kat Poo, Ng Chin, C. Wai
Nam.
2 WAI WAR YEE YIN (or Chinese Hospital).
Chew Kum, president; Wong War Foy, vice-president;
Joseph Goo Kim and Lum Kun Chun, secretaries; Wong
Chow, Treasurer;, assistant treasurer. Officers:
Li Chong, Fung Kun, N. Ah Kang, manager.
473