The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1860-11-22
Icorrg,pouden,e Of the raerae Commercial Advertiser

Ms. EplroR 1t must he refreshing in these times
of general staguauUu 70 see aurounced-I "ec ana
thriving business.
1t Is wonderful what the fertile brain Of the genus
homo will develop, even under these Supplying SKIES
and it could never be known fully what Its capaoiIi-
ties were. II there was not occasionally a desperate
necessity for action when hope could discover no
point to aim At. Could you believe that this business
is no other than applying the estray laws to make
money. Probably in no place on this group DO the herd
or estray laws have a more unequal bearing than at
Wailuku. Mos; Of the land i only TIT for pasturage'
and. though it lies in common, is owned by many
different persons. The greatest part Of what remains
Is taro land, also lying in common and owned by a
still larger number Of persons. The tAro receives
very little damage but much good from the cattle
while kept clear Of weeds. Consequently more taro
Is raised than would be were there no animals run
ming ut large.
But the bearing Of the above laws could not escape
the notice of men Of lank pockets and tanker honesty
or. if you please, honor. 50 \. having a few patches
of taro in an open land where cattle have always run
without restraint. and being sadly in want of cash,
goes and hires q set of Migrants Of like honesty with
himself at one dollar per diem. or 4 share in the
spells, who. mounted. leggined, knived and lassoed,
watch around his patches and seize up the first cattle
that 60 there as usual 10 drink. Nor are they par
ticular, if no honest man IS in sight, fthey can scare
in a few more than would naturally go in, that their
gains may be the larger. All are now driven into q
yard handy by. and the rogues are started off to
notify the owners and demand damages, and if they
are refused, all are lodged in the pound-acc0riiHg
TO IGu.
B. sees that this works well and fills ~neighbor AS
pockets. but unfortunately B. has no land, so he goes
TO c., who has land, and offers to seize up cattle on his
land for a portion of the profits. And he too gets q
haul and fills his pockets-aH according TO ialc.
D. now wishes his chance and. having no land, he
goes and hires a lot of sand-hills by the year; not be-
cause he has cattle TO feed, nor that bare sand would
feed them if he had, but he hires his crew and posts
them about TO watch and seize up and fine all the
cattle who pass over the lot as often as they DO SO,
and he fills his pockets-according to iar.
Finally, solitary action becomes too tame for the
taste of our aspiring men. y whole district club to-
gether, choose their officers, hire their ''paniolas''-
character given above-and seize up by wholesale all
the cattle which pass over the region, especially if
they can be made to set foot in a taropatch-aH ac-
cOrding 10 lar.
The above are actual occurrences in this district.
with many more that might be named, and with col
lateral circumstances which l fOrbear now to mention.
There are few who do not own some animals, and
those who do generally own some land also in the
common lot. But a few arbitrate to themselves the
right to collect pay on all the animals which live
upon the many.
should in justice say that l know of only one for
eigner who, Of late has been engaged in this base
business. Nor will the better class Of natives do it.
Those who engage in it are men whose characters
being run down, cannot be hurt.
Nor is it accomplished without a good deal of liti-
cation, which occupies much time-dragging in men
who have other and better business.
On much of the land the stones lay needing only to
be piled up to secure it from cattle. But this would
cost some effort aud only spoil the game.
JUsTICE.