Speech #820201187

These were for the most part aliens who had been imported to the Islands for purposes of working in the sugar and pineapple industries. The annexation of Hawaii and the incorporation of the islands into the Union as an integral part thereof in 1898 was followed in 1900 by the adoption of the Organic Act under which Hawaii became a territory of the United States. From that time until the present. with the exception only of the provisions covering the importation of Filipinos contained in the TydingsMcDuffy law. the Territory of Hawaii has been subject to exactly the same immigration laws as the rest of the United States. Aliens who have entered Hawaii. therefore. have been subject. with the one exception already noted. to the same restrictions as have aliens entering this country. The immigration of Japanese to Hawaii was subject to the gentlemens agreement of 1907 under which the importation of further male workers was discontinued. The immigration of "picture brides" continued until 1924 when this was stopped by the adoption of the Exclusion Act of that year. The result is that alien Japanese still in Hawaii are. with very rare exceptions. past the childbearing age and most are well past 50. Another 10 years should see the disappearance of practically all of them.