The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1875-08-07
POPULATION

Still remains our greatest, our paramount public
question. An improved market will give, as it is
said, all the people necessary to respond to a
more prosperous production, or, in other words
that a more profitable culture will not fail to
draw all the capital and labor required. This
might be so, if we had q government that could
devote its means and energies solely to promote
the interests of foreign production and
But with our divided views and interests we may
be so hampered that We cannot meet a remunera-
tive demand for our staple for the want of sufh-
cient economic producers.
We have of. course the inexhaustible reservoir of
the Chinese labor market. But under the present
conditions affecting the recruit of our labor
market, we could not venture upon any expansion
of production for the want of workers at n remu-
neratiye cost. And as Hawaiian laborers arc de-
clining, not only in numbers, but still more seri-
ously in the quality of their service, there is n
more urgent need, that some system for the sup
ply Of people consistent with the needs of this
Archipelago, should be devised, and energetically
carried out.
Our public men should hardly think of any
other question but that of population. The
labor supply should be n secondary question; and
increase of people should occupy the chief atten-
ton of the government of this kingdom. The
continuation of the government and of the life of
the nation simply depends upon the possibility of
a supply of people suited to the cline and condi-
tons of these isles, and who can be satisfactorily
incorporated into the state. An additional band
of one or two hundred working or trading males
is no healthy addition TO our community, but
only an aggravation of our unwholesome and de-
Ginning condition, caused by a great and fatal
disproportion of the sexes. Eight thousand more
men than women IN 4 population of about fifty
thousand is a state of things over which no
statesman or patriot, without speaking of the
Christian and the philanthropist, should rest
contented and if a statesman living in the midst
of such unhealthy proportions of people should
despair of the adequacy of means within his state
for the correction of such an evil, he should
appeal to higher powers abroad for succor and
rectifcation-
I We have not yet undertaken any scheme or
system for the increase Of our population, beyond
the engagement of few male laborers for imme-
date labor supply. We try to meet the want of
the present hour, and drift, and drift. The con-
ditien of the country gets worse 1t must get
worse, with our childless women living in a state
of polyandry. No reforms Gu remedy this state
of things. Our show of products, and ali the
interesting exposition of OH gcc!ca and botany
cannot cover it up. And not all our music, and
banners, and bravery of display can divert atten-
ton from our sad and weak condition. There
fore, if there is hope, and we feel that there is
hope for this poor little kingdom, We should de-
vote our best efforts to the solution of our ques-
ton of population.
To do so we must get more women into the
country; Chinese women, japanese women, and
Hiudoo women, who can be got, if our case is