The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1881-12-31

even II IL were only for the prominent 4
notice into which it has brought his
Island Kingdom, has been an event OF
the highest significance for Hawaii nei. |
Furthermore, the fact that His Majesty is
personally and pleasantly known to
the monarchs and statesmen of so many
Is a new guarantee of stability to
the independence of the kingdom, in whose
ruler those who have met him have all
recognized with pleasure q thoughtful INC
cultured Prince, as worthy by his personal
qualities, as by his rank, of their considera-
ton and respect.
During His Majesty's absence from the
Kingdom, its affairs were ably and success
fully administered under the Regency of
Her Royal Highness the Princess LILIUo-
KALANI. Her firm and benign rule achieved
for the Princess Regent a rapid popularity
which was manifested in many and very
pleasing way during Her Royal High
ness's tour through the Islands,. Men of all
nationalities, and of all shades of political
opinion, united in recognizing the ability
and Queenly courtesy which characterized
Her Royal Highness's career as Regent of
the Kingdom.
The practical results of His Majesty's
Jul my - y CT ~ NC NShOAORSAf oAAN w
will not here discuss what they ought to be
or what they are likely to be. These things
belong to the future and in regard to them
we can only hope for the best, but without
all the confidence that would be inspired by
a sense that the work was in competent
hands. 1t is in its relation to the %repopula-
ton of the country that this work is most
especially interesting to us and to other
countries. His Majesty was accompanied
on his tour by a COMMISSIONS of Immigra-
ton, the result of whose inquiries and OBJ
servations has been made known to us in a
Report, the sum and substance OF which
appears to be that the problem of repopu-
lating the Hawaiian Islands, and that of Sc
curing supplies of labor for our plantations,
are both a great deal more difficult, all
round, than the COMMISSIONS had thought
to find them. The only modicum of hope
for the future which he affords us is that if
we are quick about it we may get a thou
sand or so of eligible immigrants of Portu-
guese race. In this direction action has
therefore been taken, and a special Com
missioner has been despatched to represent
our interests at the Court of Portugal and
to negotiate n treaty with that country.
However little may be likely to flow from
the work of our immigration Commissioned
it has to be recorded that one of the notable
features in the history of the past year has
been the large accession to our population
which has taken place. The great bulk of
the new arrivals are laborers, and a great
majority of them came here under the con-
voy of private enterprise and not as govern
ment immigrants. Under the management
of the government we received an addition
of n few hundred Portuguese and a few
hundred South Sea Islanders. Meanwhile
private enterprise has brought here several
thousands of Chinese coolies and about
seven hundred Norwegians. The prompt
manner in which the whole of this large
accession to our laboring population was
absorbed, and the fact that labor for planta-
ton purposes is still scarce-that, in fact,
planters nave lately been bidding against
one another and giving extremely high
rates of a in order to secure the labor
absolutely needed to take off their crops
show that the immigration of the past year,
large as it was, has not kept pace with the
increase in agricultural enterprise. Nor
has the laborer been the only immigrant to
Hawaii. The steady and continual increase
in rents and in the value of freeholds in
Honolulu and other towns is a token of the
constant growth in number of other classes
| of the population, and of the steady impor-
tatiOn of capital into the country.
The large increase in the exports of the
country which the year 1881 has TO show is
also an index of the fact that profitable
| employment has been found for all the
| thousands which have been added to our
| population. This increase is confined al
most entirely to the articles and rice.
these being the most profitable products of
our soil suitable for export. The high
prices however which now rule in the home
market for every description of ~Onsumab
article, a natural result of the rapid increase
! of population, cannot but rende all industry
bestowed on the soil highly profitable,
whilst the enhanced value of his stock to
the grazier must represent both ample
| profits and a notable addition to the national
wealth. The income derived from the soil
of these Islands during 1881 must thus nave
largely exceeded any former return from
hat source. Exact figures On this point
are of course not available, for though it is
possible to arrive at an approximate valua-
| ton of our exports to other countries, there
is no means here, such as exist in some
older countries, of ascertaining the quantity
AIT aNcIdSC vi dil VI BLOuuSlS "IASA pass
into consumption on the spot. Neverthe-
less, We do not hesitate, in consideration of
the known increased production of our
chief staples, and the enhanced market
value of the necessaries OF life throughout
the Kingdom, to say that the returns from
the various forms of agriculture and from
live stock during 1881 have exceeded by
fifty per cent. those of any former year.
This is an immense gain to be achieved SO
suddenly. We may be told that, especially
in regard to the yield of sugar, preparatory
work done during the previous year now
shows its results. This is true, but it is
also true that n still larger amount of plant
ing, the produce from which will figure in
future returns, has been done during 1881.
The great fact which the year now dying
represents for Hawaii is a widespread and
solid prosperity for her producing classes,
and through them for the whole popu-