The Hawaiian gazette., 1874-09-30
Communicated
A Third Letter from "Junius.' $

~ ne LctUOf " we UuzeHS.
The situation of the country, as have before
remarked, must arrest the attention of every man
who has concern for its welfare. When the
safety of the nation is at stake, no one can re-
main Indifferent, if he possess a spark Of patriot
ism. To censure is not the object of these let
tiers, but to honestly point ont what course Of
treatment may impart vitality to dying body
which may almost be seen to waste away before
our eyes. Let US then with candor and fairness
inquire what can be done that will promise TO
extricate the nation from the daily increasing
embarrassments that surround it.
have already spoken plainly of the necessity
of an efficient cabinet composed of men deter
mined to carry out the good intentions of the
prince who happily presides over the nation
councils and destinies, and who must see the re-
suits Of the virtues or laiings Of his mnsters;-Of
the imperative need of the sinews of war, pro-
vided for by the new loan bill, to enable a reso-
the negotiation of treaty embodying the princi
pie of free trade between this Kingdom and
America and OF improved nter-island commu-
nication which shall in effect bridge the bolster
Gus channels that separate our islands, cOnsOli
dating them into one united state
To deal in genernlities is easier and more
pleasing than the investigation of dry details (;
but as the administration of government con-
sists of details, requiring to be faithfully executed
there must be no hesitation in examining them, if
r;sbt 81, 10
ed or rejected: Turning to Hawaii, the largest
island OF the group, with an area far surprising
all the rest in its extent, find it deserving the
first care of a paternal government. Its topogra.
ply is such as to render travel, whether for
pleasure or profit, tedious and slow ; while trans
portation, over any considerable distance, is ex-
pensive and nearly impossible. With roads hard
ly deserving the name, husbandry is forced to
stand still on her luxuriant plains, like the Greek
slave, fettered and unable to advance. The life
of the ranchero becomes necessarily the pursuit
of the stranger and the native, and under the
tramping hoofs of roaming herds, the hilsides are
cut into a thousand burrows, and the forests are
stripped Of their young shrubbery. Well con-
structed turnpikes are the great want of this isl
and. 1t was sagacious thought which mpelled
Governor Kuakini thirty years ago to undertake
the construction of q road from Kailua to Hilo
across the central plains Of 1.-THE island-a bold
project which was checked and defeated only by
the rivers of lava that overlooked and destroyed
it. The idea was none the less grand because
impncticable, whoever merits the honor of its
conception.
To render Hawaii q more inviting field for set
tiers from every land, who shall come here seek
ing home the one great work imperatively
wanted is a road around the island-irom Kohala
to HllO, from HiIo to Kau and from Kau through
the Konas to Kohala-a well-but wagon road
which shall render the farmers carts accessible to
every district and almost every land in the island,
the great majority of which stretch from the sea
to the mountain forests. This is not the work of
year, but Of generation: still it should be one
of the settled policies OF the government. In
some places this work has been begun, in others
nature has aided it but the whole needs a mas
ter hand to direct and carry it forward, under one
well arranged system.
Perhaps the first step in this undertaking is
the construction Of new road from Hilo to ;he .
Crater of Kiauea-an airline wagon road which
shall shorten the distance to twenty. five miles
instead of thirty of the longest and most execra-
bic miles ever chained by surveyors. Such
road, macadamized with lava obtained along its
route, may be built by contract for twenty-five
thousand dollars. and when completed would
throw open to Hilo the whole southern district
of the island and make Byrons Bay commercial
centre. 1t will attract scores OF tourists where
now solitary traveller spurs his jaded beast
through dismal swamp. What triumph OF
modern enterprise would be the coach starting
from the courthouse in Ho, filed with pleasure
seekers from Berlin, Rome and London! The
that plans and constructs such
Via Appia, will at least receive the blessings
Of the thousands who might traverse it to wit
ness the eighth wonder Of the world. {
The formidable guiches of Hamakua, so iascin.
lting to the tourist but so tedious to the laborer
present study requiring much thought in
determining how and where the road can best be
,uilt through them. Aud just here prize essay
night Oe calleu lot 10 demonstrate tue pest sys- ,
EN- of road making through our mountain dis
ricts The art Of civil engineering. which has
ed the iron horse in triumph over the once i'm
'assable sierras and the lofty Andes, win surely
pen way for the humble planters carts to cross
ur mountain rdvines Skillful engineering can
rs much here for our roads as it has
lsewhere. 8
This grand island of Hawaii-ftt0d by nature il
Dr. higher destiny than it now fills surrounded {
nth belt Of land two hundred miles in circuit,
nd varying from two to Eve in width, unsurpas
ed in fertility and productiveness, on which a 81
thousand plantations Of sugar, coffee and hemp a
bres might be pro6taby cultivated under other fl
now almost useless to any n
ut the woodman and the grazier With its wild b
wines rendered passabe, its harbors made safe n
" the rapid transfer Of produce it might as h
uch surpass Mauritius in the value of its pro- n
uet as it does 10 the extent Of its soil. II it
lstained population of two hundred thousands &
century ago, why may it not do the same Il
yain ? To transfer the redundant population of 7
sia and Enrone to its MAINTAIN sIonas 70 M