The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-09-15
FIGURES OF VALUE.


The statement has been made
that the Census is misleading when
it gives the number of real estate
owners and does not give the value
of the real estate. In the first place
the law does not provide for asking
such a question. In the second
place it is the hardest thing in the
world to get at true values of real
estate, and leaving the valuation to
be made by the owner would have
supplied a set of figures which
would indeed have been misleading.
But the real estate increase among
the Hawaiians, Part Hawaiians and
Portuguese is distinctly put down
to its true cause, viz: the increase of
homesteads among the thrifty yet
poorer classes of the community.
Increase in this direction is
thoroughly healthy. A community
whose people are acquiring home
steads is a community which is
thriving. 1t is not the large estates
that we have to consider so much
as the small holdings, and if we
find the small holdings increasing,
we are showing a distinct advance.
Thus, finding that six years ago
there were 327I Hawaiians who
owned real estate, while in 1896,
1895 claimed to hold real estate, it
is evident that the Hawaiian, in
stead of being robbed of his lands,
of being bounded from the soil, .
is having an opportunity of acquir-
ing land under the Republic and
that he is availing himself of that
opportunity. And the fact that the
land is not valued has no influence
upon the argument. 1t is a full
and complete answer to many Of
our detractors. They say you are
robbing the Hawaiians. The Cen
sus replies, here is tue statement o
the Hawaiian to show not only tina
he is not being robbed, but that the
laws of the Republic have been
framed to allow him to obtain lane
in fee simple, and that he is avail
ing himself of those laws. There
is nothing misleading in this, il
shows healthy condition of affairs
So we can judge that another
class OF the community is prosper
ing, viz; the Portuguese. Fifteer
years ago, and at intervals since
these people landed on these shore:
with practically nothing but thei
clothes. Six years ago there were
234 Portuguese owners of rea
estate, lin 1896 there were 43S, ar
increase of 2o4, and in addition 60.
of them own the houses that they
live in, though not necessarily the
land upon which they are built
Here we see distinct advance il
thrift among these people, and we
also see that the laws allow them tC
acquire land, if they are thrifty
enough to save money for the pur
pose of acquiring it.
Again the value of another class
of property has very little to do with
the question of domestic thrift. The
fact that the Hawalians possess
IL, 900 horses shows that they are
well supplied with domestic animals
which are of use to them in carry
ing goods to market. Mr.. Billions
horses may be worth IS. 600 a piece
and Jack Opunui's plug be worth
SIS, but the latter is probably more
useful to Jack. than Billions are to
him, since the plug carries his taro,
fowls or coffee to market, and
Billions only roll himself to the
bank and back. Here is a case
where value would be misleading
and number is not. For practical
purposes the plug is more valuable
than than the IS, 900 horses
1t is to hoped that information on
these points may be fuller when the
next Census is taken, but even
what has been obtained by the
Census of 1896 is far from mis-
leading, and, if properly used, can
be made to explode many absurd
statements which are to the detri-
ment of those who are striving
their utmost to improve and ad-
vance all classes in the community.