Speech #870244409

Americans of Philippine ancestry have greatly aided this effort. and I would like to take this opportunity to offer a special commendation to those Filipinos who settled in my own State of Hawaii. The Hawaiian Sugar Planters Association experimentally introduced a few Philippine families into the Hawaiian Islands in 1906. After the cessation of Japanese immigration in 1907. sugar planters began importing large numbers of Philippine laborers. Many others came on their own. The introduction of Filipinos was discontinued in 1932. because of the depression. but a few thousand more were brought in 1946 to help alleviate a temporary labor shortage. In all. some 125.000 Filipinos came to the islands. although many returned to the Philippines after a few years. Today. there are more than 69.000 Filipinos. many of whom are American citizens. living in the State of Hawaii. The Filipinos represent the last of the waves of immigration which have populated HawaiL As the last group to arrive. they were at a disadvantage in raising their standard of living relative to the level of other groups in the islands. But these immigrants showed their ability to stand up under the hard