PANAMA CANAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12909, 4 July 1905, Page 3

PANAMA CANAL.

OFFER'OF JAPANESE LABOURERS. t San Francisco, Juno 10. [ The President now has before him a propo.j sition made by Minister Takahira, of Japan,) to furnish any required number of Japanese! labourers for Panama canal work at 75 cent/; a day, transportation, to and from the istb-< inus to be furnished by the Japanese Government and the' United States to furnish] board, housing, ' and medical attendance.; This offer was made by Minister Takahiraj! After receiving " data gathered by Consul' Uyeno, of San Francisco, who visited Pana-i ma in company with a Japanese army surgeon. It is understood her© that the Japan-: ese labourers in question are now serving as soldiers in the Far East, and will bo taken*' to Panama in army transports. .'■.;. Minister _ Takahira's offer is taken, of course, as indicating th& confidence of the. Japanese Government that the war with Russia will soon terminate. So far as can be learned, the President is not inclined to accept the offdr of the Japanese Minister, = on account of the growing opposition to the admission of Japanese labourers into the United States. If the coolies are admitted to tho canal zone there will 1>» no method under the present law of preventing their' from entering; the United States. Chinese coolies, on the other hand, may he employed' at Panama and excluded from th'.s country. Unless means aro found for preventing wholesale immigration of Japanese labourers into this country, it is not likely they will be introduced into the canal zoa*.