The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1860-04-05

Nh. EDITOR III behalf, and at the reques', OF
over four hundred Of those directly concerned in the
pulu business on the Island Of Hawaii, l desire to
offer through your columns a few remarks, which, |
trust, may be Of benefit 10 those interested. I under
stand that there l. a prospect that the pulu monopoly
"il. again t- given 10 a certain firm on Hawaii. Can
it be 50: VII the government exlct q merchants
so or more for a license yearly, and NJ the same
time, by granting a monopoly Of the pu.p trade, de-
priye them Of one of the sources Of trade that brings
money f.: their goods: To s.y the least, that l. a
glsring inconsistency and injustice. The traffic in
pulu alone constitutes about oue-half q the trade on
Hawaii.
What, let me ask, i the OBJ scti in granting a monop-
oily L il 10 sure trouble 10 the government In get
ting a certain amount Of money as revenue from pulu
picking If 20, then let IT be understood and pre-
claimed that the wishes auI the interests Of the peo-
PIE are o. srcoaaqry consideration, and that the gov
eminent looks out for itself, and devil take the
hiudmcst ."
But I do not think the rulers Of the people are en-
tirely deaf to reason, and therefore 1 beg to suggest
that, if proper regulation l. made, the government
will realize all they could wish, and perhaps more
money, than by granting 4 monopoly that Is olious
in the extreme.
Somewhere about a year ago, those engaged in the
Iu4i lIhat were -IATIlti iE 4 pIcc44illiuhc uiaitE III
dusegy from Her Highaezs, the Goyerness Of Hawaii.
In fact, the only %iH:imatio the people had Of a tax
being put upon the collecting OF pulu. &c. was by
demands being made b. Tom, Dick aud Harry, call
ing themselves ipaGs, and demanding, for some in
definite period. under great penalties and sore, the
amount Of - from each pulu picker, cash down, and
no growing, and If not So, some would take -. The
consequence was that the business came to Il stand,
AMI simply by the uncertainty Of the procedure, and
the responsibility Of the parties demanding the fee.
If the government desire a revenue from their
waste lands, let them advertise publicity that on and
after a certain. day, no person will be allowed to
gather from public lands anything to sell, without
first obtaining a printed license from the Luna kama
rai, (not a merchant or trader,) or some other re
sponsible disinterested party, say two agents in each
district Of HIlO and ~liamakdl, and one i'll each Of the
others, charging for the same. - each grown person
or head Of a family, and I'll warrant that those
permits or licenses will be decidedly popular. for such
an arrangement is desired by all pulu pickers. They
wish to be free to sell their pulu for cash, to whom
they like, and for the highest price. They object to
and de;est this system of monopoly, for it reduces
them to a system of slavery. What else can they call
it; They are in want of goods, they are coaxed to
90 in debt, are easily persuaded TO buy silk dresses at
several hundred per cent. advance on cost ,-and there
are but few articles they pay less than five hundred
per cent. advance on cost. No sooner do they get
their goods than the rub comes, how to pay. Why,
they are told, 20 pick pulu at four cents a pound.
The sum they actually get for their pull is about one
cent a pound.
These things are so, and they are a curse and a
shame. No monopoly Pulu pickers are ready to
pay for the privilege of picking. and they desire to be
free to sell their labor, honest, hard, back-breaking
labor, for cash.
There i money enough in Honolulu, seeking an in
vestment, which Will find its way to Hawaii, if him
ORANGES are not put toward by the government.
There are those giving six, five and four and a half
cents at the present time IL cash, and they can DO
well if they are certain that a monopoly will not be
granted, tor they will systematic their business, and
plan for time to come, thereby increasing facilities,
&c. The government demand cash for taxes. Let
the trade in pull be free, and there will be money
enough.
If. however. the foregoing are not deemed sufficient
reasons for the government to adopt a different course,
let those who are in favor Of granting the monopoly
90 and see for themselves what comes of monopoly.
Let them see the agricultural interests entirely de-
serted, the closed houses for miles, aye whole dis
tricts, the neglect, the poverty, the furnished wretches
coming out Of tha bush with back loads of pull, liv-
ing on ii root aud hapuu (the core of the pulu tree);
the cough, the rheumatism, and other diseases con-
tracred by working in the rains. cold. and lying in
the damp wood under a banana leaf. and all for a
cent Il pounI. In the name of humanity, at least,
give the poor natives a chance for their lives. Let
them labor free, and for cash, and things will wear
n different face. JUSTICE.