Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1885-03-07


EDITOR SATURDAY PREss--Sir. have
always been very fond Of studies connected
with statistics and am still corresponding
member Of several statistical societies in Eu.
rope end th, much say as m Introduction
10 the present communication, not through any
feeling Of self complacency, but because this is
my only title or excuse for busying myself with
the figures Of the recent Hawaiian Census and
for examining with critical eye what little
has yet been published Of them. But il the
observations I will present can lead to any
useful discussion, to any good suggestions for
the future welfare and development of this, my
adopted country shall feel justified and will
deem that my handling Of statistics is no idle
ard useless pastimc.
A-.DtscUssfoN OF CENSUS.
The FIRST question that presents Itself on un.
dertakine the study Of the census, is the correct
ness or otherwise of the figures from which all
deductions arc to be drawn, in other words
about the reliability Of the official document,
specially as much has been said-and, think
often through mere partsanship, about the
census operations having been badly conducted
and as to its results being utterly unreliable
Wy FIRST care was consequently to ana'yze, or
as is technically Termed to discus its figures
the more so because mrst confess that the
general outline Of the official document rather
disappointed my expectations, my own ph.
vate estimates being, in round numbers
Whole population, nearly......,. ,..........sto'o
Against officially so,s7
Natives, little over................,..3o $1,000
Against 1904
Cinnamon about. ..........,....,,.t9oo
Against I7,737
But, as felt confident that the painstaking
superintendent Of the census had made it a
" boiH of honor" TO get the best possible work
out Of the elements which had been gathtr,d ID
for him, I determined to ignore my own esti.
mates moreover considered that, in country
like this, where statistical methods, up to re.
cent times, we still in their infancy, where
statistical data have been collected so loosely,
and where in spite Of the customary courtesy
and Kindness Of the oicialsi is far from easy for
the public land perhaps iJr the government
then,selves) to get at what documents arc col.
lected, in this country, | say, private est.
mates canno, have the same degree Of accuracy
as they may obtain in countries where every
branch of statistics has been for years con.
Quoted with scientific precision, according 10
the most modern and exhaustive systems, and
where every item is at all times readily aces.
sible to public inspection.
The only official documents by the me ms
Of which the census operations can he discussed
and submitted to some comparative test, with
any hopes Of usefulness, in this kingdom, are
hc"Rcports" OF the custom house, Gr arrivals
and departures, and of the board Of education
Tor the births and deaths. Unfortunately these
last-which, by the by, ought to be in the
hands Of the board OF health-are not yet full
and complete, owing to the defective system
used for their collection, and further it is only
since the last four years that ar attempt has
been begun to make the tables present some
very necessary items Of information, which
before 1850 were absolutely missing such as
the real numbers, IN separate hgures, %
iIa vaiian and Chinese deaths and births Il
is therefore impossible to get here, as is readily
done in all other civilized countries, the exac
amount OF native deaths which have occurred
since the las, census (IS7S) and this conse
qucntly leaves the door open to much uncer
tainty. However, by working what figure,
can b. pro:ured from these two sources with
those Of the last census these being supposed
to be approximately exact), following are III,
rasu,s