The Hawaiian gazette., 1893-04-04

The Hawaiian Islands were dis
covered by Captain James Cook IN
IT'S. There are eight principal in
habited islands in the group, with
about twenty islets, including the
chain extending north-westerly to
Ocean Island, 1850 miles from Homo
lulu.
The area of the eight larger and in
habited islands is 6640 square miles,
or 1160 less than that of Massachu-
sets, and about $50 more than Con-
necticut and Rhode Island combined.
Hawaii was first recognized as an
independent nation in 1913 fifty years
ago-and has continued such till now.
The group has several safe harbOrs,
the principal one being Honolulu, the
| entrance to which has so feet on the
bar, and the harbor 10 feet depth
capable of receiving and docking the
largest vessels cruising in this ocean.
Honolulu is 2100 miles from San
| Francisco, and $40 miles from YokO-
hama, Japan.
Honolulu is.the capital city, with 2
population of about $1,000, two-fifths
of whom are native Hawaiians. The
port of Hilo, on Hawaii, is the second
in size, with a population of about
| $500. Both Honolulu and Hilo possess
good hotels, and travellers can gener-
ally find every comfort obtainable in
other countries.
The temperature of the islands va
ries from an annual average of "a deg.
near the seashore and 81 deg. on the
| highlands, to 81 deg. on the SUBMITS
of the highest mountains, which are
| often snow-capped.
The annual rainfall varies very
largely in different localities-from %
inches each year near the sea, on the
lee side, to 80 inches in the windward
or rainy sections.
The population, according to the
census of 1890, was $3.50. It is now
1889 estimated at $4,000, Of which
81, 900 are pure Hawaiians, $500 half
castles, 1900 Chinese, $1,000 japanese,
5000 Portuguese, and the remainder
IA, 500 comprises other foreigners and
their descendants.
The number of voters is about 1900,
of whom 1854 are Hawaiians and half
eastes.
GOVERNMENT STATISTICS.
The Government is fully organized
with executive and judiciary branches,
the latter comprising supreme, circuit
and district courts and judges, with
an efficient cOnstabulary on each
island.
The public and private schools num-
Der l6S, with 260 teachers and 10,7l2
pupils. Education is compulsory, and
very few Of the Hawaiian population
are unable to read and write.
The annual revenue of the Govern
ment from taxes, duties and all other
sources except loans, is S1,625, 900.
The number of Taxpayers is about
$1,000.
The public debt, according to the
last official statement, was 50, 217, ISL,
which sum includes the Postal Savings |
Bank deposits, S903, SIS. OF the entire |
debt, less than one million dollars is
held in England, the balance chiefly in |
Hawaii and America. Legal interest is
nine per cent per annum, Govern
ment bonds are six per cent.
The currency consists of one million |
dollars in silver-dollars, halves, quar- |
tiers and dimes, coined at the United |
States Mint for Hawaii. The gold |
currency consists wholly of United |
States coins, no other gold coins being |
current. The only paper currency are
Government Treasury notes, OF ten,
twenty, fifty, one hundred and five |
hundred dollars, payable in silver.
NATIONAL AND LAND STATISTICS.
The national property-that belong
ing to the Governments valued in |
the last official census returns at |
s., 1856. This is believed to be
very low valuation, especially Of its
real estate.
The Crown lands, comprising about
one million acres of the best soil in
the group, which is really Govern
ment property, are probably worth
between three and five millions, with
a prospective income Of between one
and two hundred thousand dollars.
Its present income is about $4,000.
The real and personal taxable prop
erty is assessed for taxation purposes
at over thirty-siX millions.
Most Of the real estate being held in
large tracts, by the Government, the
Crown lands, the Kamehameha and
other estates much of it under long
not readily acquired either
by purchase or lease. 1t is conse-
quently difficult to purchase large
tracts of land here, except at forced
sales, which occasionally occur.
The census of 1880 reported only
1895 real estate owners. Land titles
in Hawaii are among the best, being
based on awards made by q Land
Commission, whose decision was
final Aliens hold land the same as
natives.
INDUSTRIAL STATISTICS.
The sugar plantations have been
at S33, 100000 in value,
three ourths of which are owned by
Americans residing in Hawaii and
the United States.
The sugar crop has averaged, for
The past few years, about 100, 900 short
tons, all of which is exported TO the
United States. One hundred and
fifty thousand tons are probably the
highest limit of the capability Of
these islands in sugar production.