The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1873-03-01

navigation separates us from the American continent.
aud our capacity for agriculture and the support Of a
population, is exceedingly limited.
The capacity Of 1000 square milcs of srablc land
for an influx Of population, on the 5000 now in
~habiting the islands, would not be great. of our
agricultural lands. adapted 20 the cultivation Of
sugar cane, the highest estimate is 10000 aercs.
This, giving 1000 acres as the average Of a sugar
plantation, which is a low estimate, would give as
40 sugar plantations, provided the entire amount
was placed under cultivation, a result not 20 be ex-
Pected under any government, however favorable.
The permanent population, which these sugar plan
tations would bring into the islands, would De limited.
Some o. the pruprietors might be permanent. many
Of them would be nonresident capitalists, who, like
the nonresident landlords Of Ireland, would draw
wealth and substance from the soil 10 s9uander in a
foreign land, while they impoverished the islands
The operatives, the lAborers on these sugar rlanta-
tons would be Chinese coolies, or other foreign Ia
borers, and but few native Hawaiians. They would
be no acquisition TO any population, and very few
Of them would become permanent Allowing 100 to
eSch plantation. this would increase our laboring
population by an addition Of 10000. What other
inducements are held out to induce immigrants from
the United States TO come 90 these islands. The
extent Of our coffee producing districts is very lin
ited; the best rice land is the best sugar cane land;
and but few persons from the United States would
lmmigrate here 10 cultivate bananas and tropical
fruits. No foreigners would seek our islands to
compete with the natives in the cultivation Of yams
and kalo. Our commerce is not extensive, and will
not be for years. It's growth will be gradual. Ii
will develop and keep pace with the development of
the commerce Of the Pacific Ocean. Ii will not re-
quire a large access of population TO carry on this
commerce in addition TO our present commercial
people.
Like all other insular countries, cur capacity for
population is limited. Civilization here, contrary TO
the general rule, would require q greater extent Of
territory than barbarism. When cattle and horses
were unknown to these islands, when kalo, cocoa
nuts, bananas aud fish constituted the food of the
inhabitants, their wants were few and easily sup
piled. Now civilization has introduced new habits,
new wants, and a greater extent of territory is re-
quired for grazing and agricultural purposes than
formerly, and an access of foreign population would
augment this necessity. II on annexation, our agri-
cultural and commercial interests should require an
augmentation of 100000 Inhabitants, would not the
islands be peopled to their full capacity Would
they not be over-peopledr | believe candidly, as
much so in proportion as PitcairR's Island.
Nor do l believe that in the palmiest days Of Ia
waiian existence, under their ancient regime, before
the plague of 1904, that the population ever eE-
ceeded that amount. The rediscoverer of these ISL
ands, Capt. Cook, evidently made erroneous calcula-
tiOns, as 1t regards the population. This over
estimate very naturally originated from seeing 50
many natives crowded upon the beach at kealake-
kua and other parts of the coast. He did not know
or did not reflect that the whole population of the
islands was near the ~seashore, and that the whole
population of q district could be called together ut
one point on short notice. There is no doubt that
every foot of available land was cultivated in ancient
times, in such vegetables as formed the Hawaiian
staple of life, and that the population of the islands
was crowded to the full extent of their capacity.
Capt. Cook estimated Kauai, the most fertile island
of the group, TO contain a population of 10000.
This was approximately correct. Taking this as the
basis of calculation, together with the very small
numbers of troops employed by the chiefs in their
civil wars, in the time of kamehameha the First, we
can arrive at a tOlerably correct estimate of the popu-
lation before the great pestilence called dhuidu okuu.
Kauai, Oahu and Maui had about 81, 900 each, Mo
lokai 10000, Niihau and Lanai respectively, 1000,
and Kahoolawe 500. l am confident that the popu-
lAtIOQ of Hawaii never pxcen1pd In 0nO This VUonld
give an aggregate maximum population for all the
islands of 154,5O0. The islands are incapable of
sustaining a greater population than this.
The amount that this population would contribute
to the aggregate wealth of the United States, would
be Insignificant, as compared TO the necessary e-
penditures annexation would occasion.
Now what would be the cost to the United States,
OF tortlfying, protecting and governing these ISL
ands2 1t would probably be necessary to have mill
tary posts and garrisons in each of the larger ISL
ands forts would have to be built guns and
munitions of war furnished harbors improved ;
lighthouses erected, and n larger proportion Of the
Pacific fleet employed for the protection Of the ISL
ands and American commerce in the Pacific. 1t is
very probable, that the Pacific naval squadron would
have to be increased by the addition of several YES
sells. These Indispensable objects would cost in the
beginning a large outlay of money, aud they would
have to be continually kept up. The expenditures
would be enormous and would have TO be counted by
millions.
In addition TO all this a territorial government
would have to be organized and the salaries of gov
ernor, judges, legislative bodies, executive and min
isterial officers, and territorial delegate, would add
largely to the annual expenditure. What would the
United States Government receive as an equivalent
for oil this7 Two thousand square miles of agricul-
tural land, ~ffty-ive thousand people, who do not de-
sire the exchange, one hundred thousand dollars Of
revenue and sugar, rice and other island products
free Of duty. If the probable annual expenditure,
added to the first outlay, was three millions, and the
income from the islands one hundred thousand, it
would require no great powers at ~arithmetical calcu-
latiOn to compute the enormous drain upon the
United States Treasury. The western and southern
politicians would make the estimates, if ever the
question of annexation should come before Congress.
Now the United States territorial governments
consist of a Z" wheel within a wheel" Besides the
protecting territorial government, organized and
kept up by the General Government of the United
States, there is q territorial government, conducted
regulating and governing the internal affairs of the
territory, which has to be Orted by taxation up
on the people of the territory. The revenue derived
from duties on imports and exports, goes to the
United States. But there would be q property tax,
capitation tax, road and school tax upon the people
for the support of q territorial government. The
mass Of the population would contribute nothing
directly to the Government Of the United States.
They would only do it indirectly, by the payment Of
duties 10 the limited extent above specified.
The amount Of government lands that would be
acquired by annexation, is so limited in extent, as to
be scarcely worth computation. There are many
railroads in the United States that have received
fifty times the amount in subsidies. But as | have
reached the limits of my article, l will defer what 1
have to say on the second proposition till the next
issue. INDEPENDENCE.
Annexation.