The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1880-01-31

Unto the voice and guiding OF that BODY
Whereof he is the head"
Il THE early part Of the present month several
Of the San Francisco newspapers devoted con-
siderable space, in their annual reviews, to what
they term The Hawaiian Question" wherein
is given an account of the negotiation of the
Reciprocity Treaty in 1876 and of its working
since, in connection with the growth of sugar at
the Islands and the consequent commercial rela-
tions with California. The ArgOnaut and the
Commercial Herald have each devoted large
space to Hawaiian affairs, and while they are
both favorable to the Treaty as advantageous to
the two countries, they have alike fallen into
errors Of statement about the Islands. Some of
these are triHlng and absurd, but others again
are worth the trouble of correcting. We will
note a few. The Commercial Herald says - In
1877 the total population of the group of islands
was 6,9l2, and it is not probable that this will
largely increase" The last census was taken in
1873, by which it appeared that the total popula-
ton of the group amounted to 81 1885, including
1888 foreigners, Of whom about 5000 were
Chinese.
Again, in stating the area of the group, they
put US down some $40 square miles less than our
due-a trife perhaps to a big State like Califor-
mia, but important to small people like our
selves. As to the extent of our lands capable of
being put under cultivation for cane, we are told
that besides the Is 900 acres now planted, there
are not over 10000 acres more fit for sugar-cane
in the whole group. Now, from the best infor-
nation attainable, we are satisfied that on the
Island of Hawaii alone,-to say nothing of Maui,
Kauai and Oahu-there are to-day three times
twelve thousand acres of virgin land, fit for the
growth of sugar-cane. 1t is true, however, that
much of this land to be made available for that
purpose will require large OUTLAWS of money for
irrigation, road-making, ETC., but the returns
will be proportiOnally large.
In stating the whole of our lands suitable for
the growth of sugar to be only 25, 900 acres. it is
added, as a comment, that I" This is mainly on
the island Of Maui, and much Of it is daily sub
ject to volcanic overflow We need not, for
Island readers, enlarge on this singular blunder,
which we find in both the journals above men
toned, but we take the opportunity of informing
our readers abroad, that out Of the sixty-two
sugar plantations on the Islands, sixteen only are
situated on the Island Of Maui. But neither the
planters of that or of any other of the Islands we
imagine lose much sleep on account of their lands
being . daily subject to volcanic eruption" On
one only of the eight islands composing this group
is there an active volcano. that of Hawaii, where
the great crater of Kilauea about once a year
bOils and bubbles up to the full in its lakes of
lava, hundreds of feet below the edge of its
banks, but never overaows. And planters on
that island are less in fear of a volcanic eruption
than are those of Louisiana of a visit from a tor
nado or a " crevasse'' Of the Mississippi.
Here is another amusing little blunder of the
Commercial Herald. In speaking Of Mr.. Spreck-
els enterprise at East Maui, whereby the streams
of the windward or Koolau side have been
brought to irrigate the Waikiki and Waikapu
commons, it says:
Before Mr.. Spreckels took hold Of this work the
soil on the Hilo eide, though known to be rich, was
not considered worth anything, as it was too dry for
sugar growing. and there was no particular demand
for anything else. Like some portions Of our own
State, the crying need of the district WAS for water.
To get water needed bitches ; to get bitches needed
engineers and capital. When the work was fret
begun, more than one said il was wasted effort and a
foolish expenditure of money but through the en-
cheering Of II. Schussler, the constant rivers Of the
Lahaina eide were made TO master the dry Hilo
region. Samples Of the growing cane, which were
several weeks ago received in this city, show that the
cane has in a period Of six weeks acquired a height
Of nearly five feet. The perfect adaptability Of the
soil and climate are evident. The dry valley Of q
few years ago has become 8 mine of wealth, a bon
ANA, pouring out its ceaseless foods of treasure. and
yet it has brought no sadness or despair or loss to
any mortal. Capital went out into the wilderness,
and made the desert blossom into cultivated fields
and smiling gardens and happy homes"
The ArgOnaut, after giving full statistics of
imports and exports as connected with the Hs-
waiian trade, concludes its lengthy review of the
subject in the following words
by admitting Hawaiian sugar free Of duty, we
haye secured all the political and commercial advan-
tages we sought for-the latter alone far exceeding
in pecuniary value the sum Of duties remitted we
have released our citizens from the payment of these
duties, for it is they, and not the Hawaiisns, who
would have had to pay them we have lowered the
price Of sugar TO the inhabitants Of the Pacific Coast;
We have secured an increasing market, free ofduties,
for already over $4,000. 900 3 year worth of Amer
lean manufactures and have done all this without
disturbing = vested interest, without creating a
monopoly, without violating a political principle or
trAnsgressing a law. On the contrary, we have laid
the foundations of wider commercial policy on the
Pacific we have protected our guanO islands We
have extended the influence of American commercial
capital and increased the profits of American trade
we have lowered home taxation TO the extent OF a
million dollars = year, by RENTING a fraction of the
duties on sugar we have promoted the consump-
ton Of sugar, a healthy and necessary article of
diet we have secured employment for 500 working
men in and about sugar reineries, and for several
thousand others in the manufacture of the various
goods shipped to Hawaii and we have extended the
principle of Free Trade, by removing all the OBJ
Stacles that stood in the way Of unrestricted CONNER
cial intercourse with the most important islands of
the great ocean that laves our western shores"