The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-04-02

cities of America are already suffer
ing intolerably from excessive sum-
mer heats, which incr, ases as the
country becomes more mpleteiy de-
forested. It can hardly be doubted
that artificial cooling Will soon be felt
"a great a necessity in city summer
life as artificial heating now is in
winter.
A second direction which electrical
invention has been pursuing with
much success is that of storage batter
les, by means of which the force gen.
Grated may be stored up to be used
when and where required. At present
such batteries are still somewhat
costly, and of great weight. The
problem is TO make them more cheap
~, and especially TO have them light
and portable. When this is accom-
plished cars can profitably be driven
by them on ordinary railways. Ocean
greyhounds may exchange their
bunkers for great ranges of many hum
dred tons of such batteries to be
charged while in port. It can hardly
be doubted that very great progress
will rapidly be made in the art OF
storing electric force in portable forms.
1t seems quite plain that we are
already we'll entered upon an age OF
progress In applied art and in
dustrial development which will
wholly eclipse the already expe-
rienced marvels of the age
of steam power. It is impossible to
plainly forecast the developments of
the future. Certain possibilities indi-
Gated above seem very clear. The
world is making strange progress along
many lines. Tie manufacture of
IL,
Chemical discoveries are constantly
multiplying. The rapeutics are being
largely changed by discoveries in bac-
teriology and incubation. The twen-
tieth century not unlikely has in store
for mankind other discoveries and in
ventions as marvellous as any already
arrived at.
Tt is evident that in a not distant
future the capacity of mankind for the
production of wealth is to be enor-
mously increased. Most of the arti-
cles of necessity and comfort now re-
quired will be produced with half the
expenditure of time and labor that
they now are. It follows that with a
natural and just distribution of the
products of labor and machinery, all
classes of men may both have their
hours of labor much reduced, and may
enjoy much larger compensation in
their choice of the commodities
produced. It is conceivable
that this might be prevented
by the greed and selfishness of the
ADLER classes, who should seek to mo-
.nopolize for themselves the immense
advantages gained by improved me-
chauical appliances. Such directors
of industry might so manipulate af-
fairs as to keep down wages to the
lowest point at which their employees
could live, and so keep for themselves
the chief share of the wealth produced.
Practically, this would in any case
become impossible. The operatives,
being straitened for means, would
have small ability to purchase pro-
ducts. If there are few consumers,
production must decline. Then again,
production becoming limited by the
small demand, there would be labor
for only a moiety of the operatives,
and immense masses of the pOpula-
ton would be left unemployed and
destitute. 1t is obvious that the dis
tress thus produced would create de-
mand for remedial measures " hich
would be irresistible. This condition of
affairs, of restitution increasing in
the midst of an enormously devel-
oped power of producing wealth,
would be so clearly unnatural
and an abuse, that it would soon work
out it's own cure.
At the present time the call for So
cial reform is growing louder every
day. 1t is becoming obvious that
some means must be found for prop
erly readjusting the relations of labor
and capital, SO that both may have
reasonable recompense, and prOduc-
ton may not become congeSted by the
inability of the multitude of corsuua-
ers to purchase what they have helped
capital and machinery to produce.
The considerations above presented to
show that productive power is to be
immensely increased by the coming
inventions of the next half century,
would seem to make 1t clear that the
needed reform cannot long be delayed.
1t is absolutely inconceivable that
the laboring masses will submit very
long to minimum of wages. They
are growing in education and lntelll-
gence. They will clearly discern any
artificial and oppressive conditions
sought to be enforced upon them, and
will inevitably rise against such con-
ditiOns in r, sistless opposition.
It is also to be expec Ell that the
growing sentiment of Altruism so
characteristic of the age will rule in
this matter. There will be majority
amoug the ADLER aud directing classes
of men who will be governed by ben
evoIent sentiments, and will work
uDitedly to make the improved pro
ductive facilities inure to the good OF
all the members of the community,
instead of to the few. It is to be
hoped and expected that it will soon
become the honor and the pride of the
leaders of thought and action to sun
press mere selfish greed an4s '.M1ow'
ness men. and to seak--.sration1dng Gus
liba-,' die. szE.@~o>f,d Max after a wide al
--enn os Pr .I,fffIbution of the benefits
science and invention to the masses
men. AS Christian civilization a.
vances it can hardly be doubted tn
an increasing contempt will be #
toward those selfish amassers
wealth and their heirs, who was
that wealth in OstentatiOus display
vicious indulgence.
THIS essay does not undertal
to indicate the lines whit
the needed reform and
ouiustmont nust take IT