The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-12-30
FROM SOUTH AFRICA.
Some Words OF Advice From
Former Honolulu Resident.

IN partnership with Z. y. Ripley, HEi
architect. on Fort street. Some tfffF
ago Mr.. Reynolds left here for South
Africa with a view to settling in Jo-
hannesburg and practicing his profess
sion. The following extracts are from
a letter received from him by Mr.. Rip
ley a few days ago, and will be of in
terest to the people here, from the
fact that in it he speaks of how little
the Islands are known to the people of
South Africa. and his remarks may be
used with pretty good force in the ar
gument for better advertising the ISL
ands
Room II, Golreich Building,
Next Post Office,
JOHANNESBURG,N Nov. 3, 1896.
Dear Friend Ripley:
arrived in this city on October Both.
As 1 left Honolulu August 2Sth, you see
il has taken me two full months TO get
here. The journey cost as follows:
First Third
Glass. Glass.
To Sidney Is days. $3.50 SIS
To Cape Town go days.. IT'S 55
To Johannesburg g days.. 40 20
What with hotel expenses and in
cidentals. you see that the first class
fare amounts to $500, practically, while
the steerage would be about half.
l am writing these particulars for
the benefit of those in Honolulu who
may be thinking of coming here, part
ly in order TO meet their inquiries.
The better way to come, should say,
would be by way of the United States
l -
1t would probably save one or two
weeks time and would cost about the
same.
Men are f1ocking here from Australia
/ and Europe at a great rate ESTIMATED
at 900 per week., and how they are
all going to find occupation is indeed
a problem Numbers land with all
their means paid out for the expensive
Journey They find living dear, and il
takes some time for them TO save
enough to pay for their return passage.
In case of sickness or other misfortune
they are dependent on charity. The
numbers that have come here have
taxed the capacity of the city to the
utmost, forcing up rents and the cost
of all necessities.
On arriving, [ took a room tempOrar-
| lily next to the General Post Office, as
headquarters and for sleeping. Build
ingS are going up on all streets, and
the city presents very busy appear
ance. Though many of the buildings
are what would be called handsome
ones. from my point of view most of
them betray inferior ability of the ar
chitects. Some are atrociOus. AS lum-
Der has to be shipped here from other
countries, there are no frame buildings.
The cheap or temporary ones are Of
corrugated iron. Scarcely any stone
work is done as yet, and l have failed
to discover any pressed or nodded
brick jobs yet. Most of the work is Of
common brick painted and lined,
trimmed with cement work, or entire
Iy -veneered with the latter material.
At present the city has a very ragged
appearance Some buildings are high,
others low Some are new structures
of three and four stories, next to which
may be old ones single story in
height. Many are only partially COM
pleted and pedestrians have to leave
the sidewalk for the street to pass
around them. So naturally the city is
not nearly so attractive as it will be a
few years hence. The residence pOr-
tons are also marred by the gOld-min-
ing operations being carried on in all
directions, each location being sur
rounded by the mounds of upturned
reddish soil, from which has been eX-
tracted the precious metal that so
many have left their homes in all
parts of the world to obtain.
This is not the place for men to come
to who are without trades, as the mines
are worked entirely by Kaffirs, only
employing a few white men as super
intendents. But carpenters and brick
layers are in good demand still, though
many are coming by every train. l
could not advise a married man to
move out here. and even man without
home should carefully consider be-
fore starting now difficult it would be
to get back anywhere, should he for
any reason be disappointed after get
ting here.
Few people know that the Hawaiian
Islands and the Sandwich Islands are
the same, and fewer still know any
thing about them. A little architect
from that small flyspeck in the middle
of the ocean, cuts a sorry figure, and
when l say that | was one of the de-
signers at the Chicago Exposition that
statement does not seem to carry much
weight.