The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1894-05-04
HONOLULU CITY.
Some Of It's Oddities Described By
sn Observer.

Probably Honolulu is the only
city in the world where an omnibus
line can compete successfully with
= street ear line. Ii is the only
street car line where tobacco smok-
ing is tolerated on all parts Of the
car. Ii is the only horse car line
where the track is not wide enough
for both horSeS-one or the other
must run on the iron. Although
the track is we'll laid. il economy
should demand change to electric
/ power, IL would involve throwing
away the entire road bed and rails,
leaving the company nothing but
the naked franchise, The dummy
conductor, that is, the box where
the fare is deposited, works vel,
here. The native seems to take
pride in being trusted, and walks
up and deposits his fare man
fully.
The apparent free and easy car
riage of the Chinese on the Homo
lulu street cSr attracts the sttten-
ton Of the Californian. In thst
stSte the Chiuaman has hunted
expression, aud when he rides on
i car fears that he will meet with a
miShap at the hands of some hood
lum before the journey ends. Here
he swings on and rolls and lights
his cigarette as lone 20 the manor
born"
The stranger notices the great
variety of the gsRpS homo in Homo
lulu. From the butterhy-dressed
Chinese baby TO the bsrefooted
white man. the refuse Of oiviliEa-
ton :" from the long haired Cey-
lonese to the ssndpapered headed
American school boy all classes
are to be found.
Chinatown of Honolulu is not as
we'll defined as we usually observe
1t in California cities. The Chinese
are steadily encroachiug on the
domain of the white man. Fort
street itself is getting bespriukled
with Chinese shops. 1t is said
that they do the msjority of the
retail trade of the Islands, whereas
in California their mercantile
business is mainly to cater to the
wants OF their countrymen. The
Chinese on the Islands seem supe-
rior to the Chinaman as met with
in California. Here there is no
trade or profession they do not
invade even to manufacturing
poi, the staff of life of the
aborigine. Notwithstanding the
miserable manner in which many
Of them live, i. e., in great numbers
in ill-smelling apartments, those of
them who are wealthy like to have
fine homes and spacious grounds.
I, Is said the japanese are su-
periOr 10 the Chinese in industry,
economy and frugality. This seems
incredible. That they are prefera-
bic for domestic servants Seems TO
Dc the decision OF the AnglO-Saxon
housewife. The industrious Portu-
guese Is not much behind the Chi |
naman or Japanese in the sterling
qualities which enable men to live |
in over-populated countries, and yet |
he is no match for the Monaghan. |
He has a love of home and an am
bition to be a householder, whereas
it seems immaterial to the other |
two nationslities where or how they |
live. To the stranger the food |
stuffs Of the inhabitants of Hawaii |
nei present fields of research which |
will repay the investigator. The
fish market, with its store of won
drous denizens of the deep, for it |
from what is offered for |
sale that rare kinds of fish and sea.
weed are eaten, offers a study. The |
manner in which the meats are Of
fered, and the useful ii leaves, in |
which buyers carry home their
purchases, elicit remarks from |
The poi factories. with
the resounding pestle and gush of |
respirated wind from the lungs Of /
the taro-bruiser, the washhouses |
Of the Chinese (who by law do all |
their washing at the Government /
building on the Nuuanu stream), |
where only the ironing is done, the
crowded harbor with busy masses
loading and unloading vessels, the
green background to
the city, the easy falling rain and
quickly drying streets, the beauu-
ful suburban drives, to say moth
ing Of the attractions on the other
lend a charm to Honolulu
by the tired, world
travelled tourist, who will 90 home
10 send more armies of globe-trot-