The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-04-15
Mr.. Gibson at MoanaIua.


In accordance also with previous invita-
tion and appointment. Mr.. Gib-on deliver
ed an address ia ;he Church of Moanalua
on Thursday last, at l p. NJ. Moanalua is n
pleasant picturesque suburb If Honolulu, II
little more than three miles from town, Oh
the road To- Eva. The residents are taro and
rice cultivatorS, and there is an appearance
of much thrift and industry at this point.
There is a well attended school. a neat new
church building, and many evidences of a
we'll ordered state of things.
Mr.. Gibson's remarks on this occasion
were entirely im%promptu. He presented
some of the views which he had before dis
cussed with the people of Padoa aud Manoa,
and which we have published and also
brought forward additional points.
The electors of Moanalua through IA Com
mittee had desired To have the Honorable
members views upon certain konohiki and
tenant rights and privileges; upon a ten
million loan ; and a bridge and improved
highway for Moanalua.
Mr.. Gibson repIyi ny to these queries,
spoke substantially as follows: 1t will seem
surprising that you should be FESTIVE in re-
gard to certain Konohiki, or Landlord
claims certain privileges of forestry and
fishery, when your fathers had not the
slightest right or interest in land or sea.
But that was an ~unrighteons and t~yrannous
monopoly of the supremest aristocracy that
probably ever existed, and makes all the
more remarkable, the surrender OF feudal
absOlutism made by the good Chief Kauike-
aOuli (kamehameha lid and his mobiles.
But whilst there were remarkable surrend-
erS, there We're reservations. These reSer-
: VationS are sustained by the sanction of
/ law ami you Hawaiians who have acquir-
ed such an excellent name as law abiders,
should not seek to unsettle vested rights,
that may become your rights for n tenant
of to-day might become "a landlord to-mOr-
row. | wish for my part that your fishing
grounds, along your beautiful shores, were
entirely free to every toiler of the deep. |
have never sought to make a dollar out of
the very large konOhiki fishing rights of
Lanai; but l must not try to enforce my
views upon others who have inherited, or
purchased rights, whose value they appre-
ciate.
In regard to the loan, Mr.. Gibson spoke
in rather II bantering tone, and did not treat
the question Gu serieuT. He said that mon
ey was an exceedingly nice thing to have,
and plenty of it. The interest felt in the
loan question by you good people of Moana-
lua, is no doubt prompted by the hope,
that a good share of it would be devoted to
MOanalua enterprise. Yes" said n wor-
thy e%lector, eve would like to have placed
here at least about fifty thousand dollars of
the loan" "Just So" continued the speak
er land | would like to have fifty, or a
hundred thousand dollars placed on Lanai,
at 3 or 4 per cent. interest, as you have been
assured it can be obtained at that low rate.
But let me say that the money of capital
lists is always associated with a great deal
of hardness and narrOwness of view, and an
ungent rous demand for security, without
trust in the honor and spirit of enterprise
of eager borrowers. My friends of MOana-
lua, if your fields and patches are well
worth one hundred thousand dollars, L
would not doubt your ability to borrow half
that amount, but not at such low rates of
interest, as have been mentioned. Every
body wants money and so bids are now
high for its use. Some people are aging
from II to Is per cent. per annum for the
use of money, which is too heavy n toll on
any kind of enterprise, and we are not quite
prosperous enough, when persons having a
good security to offer have to pay such rates.
We must rednce this rate of interest but
we can do it far better by producing than
by borrowing. Our government can, no
doubt well eXpend more money than the
revenue produces, on a great enterprise like
that of repopulatiOn of the deserted lands of
Hawaii nei, and there are other great and
beneficent enterprises to be especially adj
Vanced but we must not borrow money as
a nation, unless for objects that promise a
very sure return of the capital invested.
And then we must feel sure of the men who
Will have the opportunity to handle and in
vest the money.
Now in regard to your desire for a new
bridge and improved highway, / am cordi-
ally with you. | felt somewhat indignant,
when annoyed by the joltings caused by
/ y OAA dAAP1 ACNbY do d NAONS " 1OuI CdS
ant little hamlet, as | thought of the very
liberal sums of money voted by the Legis-
lature of 1880, for this island, as well as for
the other islands. A sum amounting to
over a quarter of a million of dollars, has
been largely jobbed away without any
great and notable road work being done in
any part of the Kingdom. There should be
a thorough inspection of roadways required
to be made or improved. by a competent
civil engineer, and work shown to be need
ed, should be let out by contract, and not
paid for, till approved. The trouble is, we
have had Ministers of the King who
have wanted to be not only the infuen-
tial Minister of the Interior, but Chief
Health administrator, jobber, and pur-
Veyor; also immigration contractor and
manager government lawyer and
besides road maker, bridge builder, and
privy cleaner all of which work has been
more or less neglected, because a responsible
minister who should have cared only for
the highe interests of the country, has
been occupied with Jobs to subserve some
supposed little political interest or emolu-
ment.
You complain of your road being so mar
row., upon which cattle are frequently driv-
Ell to the slaughter-hOuses of the city, and
that you and your families are often in dan
ger of injury. and have been injured by
driven and iTritated beasts attacking YOU,
out of whose way you cannot escape, ex-
cept by jumping over fences, or hy beating
a retreat in some other incO Venient and
unpleasant way. L remember that the
streets of Honolulu were once liable to great
danger by driving cattle through them, but
it happened that Il Minister of King Ka-
mehameha V (Dr. Hutchison) was tossed
by a bullock and forthwith IA law was de-
Vised fOrbidding the driving of cattle
through the atreets of Honolulu. Now /
would advise you my friends, to
invite a Minister of His Majesty to visit you
at MOanalua, and try to time his visit, SO
that in coming along your narrow highway
h he shall encounter counter one Of tire 2=ual droves
or OIL tr = tate or oa'locls and happily ior~ you
f : ' q sneadH . Sotte, and then you may hope
bmIiocRR e edriyv formation in the matter of
lous h~ighvZzIng along Hong a narrow and Kp66Pu,
andienc' pttktd was highly relished by the
WI oiibson spoke for one hour and a
- and his words were received with
Iunn ly interest by the electors of Moana-