The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-09-28

half = dozen rice plantations. several cofee plsnts
;iolis. \ score Of extensive cattle and sheep farms.
besides a large aggregate ARA highly cultivated by
snail land-holders. and supplying the labor Of =
number Of lesser enterprises. the general service Of
the community, eossiing service. aud 50 forth.
In this rapid glance at orr resources and yield.
showing how small is our production iD comparison
with our AREA, and how large IN proportion % our
working force. the question Of population clearly
assumes n position Of the frst Importance In our
political economy. We see that hereafter our revenue
must depend very directly upon the number Of the
people that this question holds within itself the
solution OF the other important questions Of labor.
contracts, advances. home markets and Investment
Of capital that until our islands are occupied TO
their fullest extent. the limit Of our productive
power will never be reached.
IL is said that with sufficient labor there would be
room for one hundred average sugar plAntAtions
here instead Of thirty-two as at present, aud IL 10
probable that this number could be increased to enc
hundred and City.
The increase Of our rice yield ten or Eenty fold.
is simply a question Of procuring labor.
Macy new enterprises, experiments in new pro-
ducts, s1ch IS hemp. rsmie and silk. ask simply for
labor that they may contribute 70 the general pros
perity.
Our production has now evidently reached the ut
most capacity Of the population. The domestic e1-
ports Of 1863 were greater than those Of 1870. aud
almost the same as those Of 1871. Already do our
established enterprises feel this the yield Of our
sugar plantations falls far below the capacity Of
their fields and machinery. entailing Q loss on such
Investments which they can i'll afford 10 meet. This
disproportiou between the labor supply and demand
is rapidly increasing, for the native population aver
ages a decrease of twelve hundred a year-more
than two per cent
From these facts it is easy to forcsee n speedy de-
cadence OF our prosperity and commercial import
ance, unless some remedy for our want Of popuia-
ton can be found. Even our agricultural enter
prises will not be able 20 hold their oWn, but will in
evitably decline.
There is no prospect that we can ever depend 10
any extent upon the semi-annual visits Of whale
ships From our own resources must we work out
our destiny. These we find to be large and varied.
but We want hands 10 develop them.
There is no doubt but that before the dawn Of
civilization here. the population OF the group was
considerably over a quarter OF n million. Tho hun
dreds OF acres Of waste taro-patches which the trav-
eler meets with on all the islands, the many ancient
and deserted terraces marking the hill-sides and hid
den in the recesses Of the mountains. the carefully
cleared and now unoccupied potato aud yam gardens
in wide wastes Of volcanic aa. all tell the story Of q
numerous race in the past. And there is no less
doubt but that, with our lands brought 10 a state Of
careful cultivation, and through the economies Of q
higher civilization than our dusky predecessors could
boast, n nation Of at least a million might In comfort
and plenty occupy our islands, and make them rich
and prosperous.
The problem of repopulating the group is one Of
craftsmanship, and cannot be solved by spasmodic
efforts in enterprises for importing laboring men.
1t is Of far greater moment than the question Of the
supply Of the immediate labor demand its solution
holds within 1t the prosperity Of the future as well
as the present. II concerns the dignity Of our Gov
eminent, the permanence OF our institutions, even
our existence as n nation. Ii bears directly upon
public revenue and the income of each individual.
The Hawaiian is not to be displaced, but must be
supplemented. The means, as q matter Of course.
are through immigration. but whencei and howl
Questions of exceeding Importance and requiring
much care and wisdom in their settlement.
s. b. DOLE.