Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1885-02-14


Japan has made terms for our benefit
tha, it has shown little disposition to
make with other governments. We
hope that the government will receive
the cordial cooperation Of all its citi-
fens in this good work--not in a spirit
of palliation OF former sins, or OF blind
ness to existing evils, but in that give.
the devil his due spirit which accepts
any portion OF half loaf rather than
90 without any bread.
SMALL HOLDINGS FOR IMMIGRANTS.
| The heading of this paragraph applies
quite as much to Portuguese or Ger.
man immigration rs to japanese; but
it is timely and pertinent to the general
theme. The future of these islands
seems to us to depend upon some
wisely planned and wclldeveloped
scheme for settling them with home
loving and industrious people. We
think that the press and citizens gene.
rally are agreed upon this subject The
Planters Labor and Supply Company
or at least, many members OF that
organization expressed them
selves to that effect. Nearly all the
papers, by correspondence and cdito-
rial writing, have either committed
themselves to the policy indicated,
or have shown themselves in cordial
sympathy with it. But, as yet, no
steps have been taken to put lands
upon the market in such quantities, of
such qualities, and upon such terms
that immigrants might acquire them,
settle down and develop them, and,
while improving their own conditions,
increase the wealth of the nation by
adding to its production and increas-
ing its productive population.
There are at present several causes
which would undoubtedly operate
against the success of the proposed
plan, if it should be undertaken One
cause is the difficulty legally Of dis
posing of crown lands. Another
reason is the poorness and comparative
small extent OF government roads in
districts where large holdings might
otherwise be broken up and made easy
of settlement 1t has always been a
disputed question whether expensive
public roads ought to precede or fol-
low settlement But the experience Of
the Pacific Coast, at least, seems to
demonstrate the fact that where immi-
grafton does not push itself good roads
are necessary to induce Immigrants to
develop fertile sections beyond the
ready reach of markets. This question
of providing Germans, Portuguese,
Japanese or other desirable immigrants
with small holdings on favorable terms
is question on which planters, capi-
talists and the government may profita
bly, "come together" The sooner, the
better
CROPS FOR HoME.CoNsUMPTIoN.
1t is automatic that the country
which supplies the most of its own
needs is economically the most sue
cessful; and, other things being equal,
that country ought to develop more
satisfactorily than its less favored neigh
bors, 1t often happens that countries
produce certain things at such profit
that they can afford to purchase abroad
many articles Of necessity or luxury
which they could not produce at home.
So long as sugar was at top prices and
other staples could not be produced at
equal profit on sugar land, Hawaiian
planters were justified from one point
ofview) in planting cane to the exclusion
of crops before profitable. The fatal
weakness Of the system has been that
we have carried all our eggs in one
basket" Although we could raise
sugar to better advantage than any
other crop, and though capital seemed
more surely invested in developing
sugar lands than in developing other
island lands, yet if We had now large
acreage in wheat, oats, potatoes, Indian
corn and such staples as we must now
import at heavy expense from the
Pacific Coast, the depreciation in sugar
values would be far less severely felt,
because, though not getting rich so fast
as before, we would be earning eur
o'n Hping-at least to far greater
extent than now.
We think that system Of small
holdings, held in fee simple, or on life
leases or long leases, subject to wise
conditions whereby improvement would
be necessary to continued possession,
would develop the precise sort of pro
duction Of staples which we so much
need. Coffee, choice fruits, hay, oats
and other cereals, potatoes, and an
inhnitude Of staple and other merchan-
able products could be raised on small
farms and in small gardens, to supply
home markets and to supplement our
staple exports and rice.
| JAPAN AND IT'S PEOPLE