The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-11-13
II H Il
SOME POINTS OF PUBLIC POLICY.


be informed that they will soon be called
upon to exercise great trust. This has
been told them time and again, and
they are fully conscious of the fact them
selves. We refrain therefore from fol-
lowing the example of our Opposition
friends and questioning the intelligence OF
the voters by impressing upon them
their duty in the coming election. We
take It for granted that every man will
do his duty, and that the choice made by
them viii be for the public good.
There are some points, however, upon
which it might be well to make sug-
gestions, not by way of advice or instruc-
ton. but to lead to thought and ref1ec-
ton. And first of all comes the question
OF labor and immigration. This country
il practically unoccupied industrially. 1t
is quite true that sugar planting has at
tanned to large proportions, but the area
of land In sugar, or which can possibly
he applied to the cultivation OF sugar
cane, is limited in proportion to the
whole body of territory in these Islands
al means, and we would recommend
nothing that could tend, even in remote
degree, to iniure that interest
But there are interests outside and l n
a measure indepenaant of sugar, that
shollCS ,Sereonsfdered in this connection,
and that may be promoted materially by
legislation. The uplands of this country,
where neither sugar nor rice can be
proftably raised, may be made to pro-
duee an infinite variety of products.
Cattle are now raised upon the pasturage
of the country, but without an accession
of population to create local cOnsump-
ton the limit of meat production must
soon be reached. Cattle ranges will
become overstocked, the quality of beef
will deteriorate, and stock be killed
for their hides and horns, the most
wasteful of all industrial conditions. But
at this time there is nothing else to fall
back upon We have sugar and rice
in the lowlands where abundant water
is available, and cattle on thousand
hills, roaming at pleasure, and yielding
no adequate return to the owners OF the
land.
Encouragement should be given to
men of limited capital TO come to this
country and engage in agricultural pur-
suits. Every reasonable inducement
should be offered to immigrants coming
here with sufficient money to take up
land and make homes. They will soon
find out what the land is fit to produce,
..f4I,o,,~L tI,;s 10 n no;nf Y1Do =, which tbav
should be guided by the experience of
others in the country. At all events, it
is one of those points upon which the
Legislature might very proftably take
action, by appropriating sufficient sum
for an experimental farm. Failing this,
however, an effort should be made to
collect reliable information regarding the
and diyersities of soil for the
of intending settlers.
A great deal, OF course, would DEEPEN
upon the character OF the Legislature
when this broad question of colonization ]
came to be considered; but We think the
electorate is to be trusted with the {
selection of men capable to deal with it.
The present set of population Is to switch 1
of from the old grooves into new and
unfamiliar tracks, and we think every
one who has been identified with the {
growth and development OF the country {
or number of years would regret any S
radical change in this direction. This c
IS inevitable, however, unless other in d
Iustrial, moral and economic forces are y
brought into play. /
In addition to the question of popula- C
ion and labor, there is the important one c
If harbor Improvements and a free port Ii
Recent developments in the commercial h
outlook point to this as a necessity if
honolulu is to keep pace with the chang
ne conditions of trade and travel. y
This port has practically become the u
ernainus of the Australian mail line, as
7ell as that OF the Oceanic line. 1t will - :,
aturally attract shipping from other b
oints: and as the Panama canal is GER ir
lin to be built, now that French prestige c