Evening star., 1898-08-06
What the Hawaiian Islands Offer to
Wide-Awake Americans.
BUSINESS LIFE In HONOLULU
Opportunities ferWeaIth and Pleas
ure in Our New Domain.
| LAND OF PROMISE
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star
People are beginning to ask practical
questions about the nations new domain
in the Hawaiian Islands. There is a wide
spread inquiry as to opportunities presented
in the islands for fortune getting. Many OF
these inquiries betrsy the supposition that
hawaii is nearly an untrod wilderness.
given over to haif-naked savases in an
aboriginal state Of simplicity and heathen-
ISM There is much picturesque material
in the native life and customs which in
vites the descriptive writer to turn aside
and dwell upon 1t. II Is thus given rather
/ unGue prominence in much that is written
of the islands As a matter of fact, the
native element is a constantly dwindling
| influence, not only by reason of the de-
crease in numbers of the race, but also of
/ the increasing ratio of the foreign popula-
ton and commercial and Industrial i'm
| proFements. With a total population in all
| the Islands of much less than 10000 ii is
Easily seen that small change in the alb
| soiule numbers may work vast changes in
| proportions. Thus the Introduction in the
| last Few years of only a few Japanese
| iaborers has awakened grave fears of a
| new predominating influence in the affairs
OF the Islands. But the little brown men
| have thus far proved themselves as quiet
| ccntented and law-abdins as had the
| Chlnese, who numbered the largest part of
! the male population after the growth Of
| the sugar industry had invited the use of
| their labor.
| The AngiO-SaxOn Character Prevails.
But it is surprising how little effect all
| these alien elements have in changing the
| prevailing Anglo-Saxon character of the
| little countrys institutions. All matters,
/ industrial, commercial, social and political,
! center in Honolulu And Honolulu is a
New England town, transplanted into the
! tropics and embowered in palms instead of
eims' The selection of the site of Honolulu
| was not merely fortuitous. The deep bay,
| WITH the entrance locked by coral reef
| opening away from the prevailing trade
| winds makes ii the one secure harbor in
| the group, as 1t did when the New England
| whaiers first made il their rendezvous for
their annual expeditions. Even Pearl River
! harbor itself, which is counted valuable as
| a naval coaling station for the United
| States, offers its promise TO the skilled eye
| OF the engineer rather than to the heart of
| mariner seeking refuge from immediate
| storm Honolulu alone boasts of finished
| "harves to which seagoing craft can come
| ana unload their cargoes. Landings at
| other points in the islands are made from
| the open roadstead in boats or exposed To
| the sweep of the trade winds without the
| protection of reef or headiand.
| Commerce of the Islands.
| For this reason, also. practically all the
] produce of the islands finds its way first to
Honolulu by the little interisland steamships
| Tor transshipment to the outside world.
| The so-called 'esplanade' in Honolulu pre-
sents scene of hustle and activity at any
| time, with a fair showing of sailing vessels
| tied Up to its wharyes. Upon the arrival
| OF one of the regular line steamships this
4 oust!e increases to very paroxysm of sys-
| temauc hurry and rush. that gives the
| newcomer a somewhat exaggerated idea of
l lnS business activity of the LITTLE
! city. Very substantial sheds on the wharves,
| abundantly filled coal yards roomy ware
] houses and the stone structures of the
| shipping and commission houses which
| face the harbor give an effect of solidity
| thrift and prosperity. These shipping and
| commission houses are the most powerful
element In the business of the islands
| The majority of them are American but
/ tnere are some strong British and German
houses well. They have branches or
| correspondents in San Francisco Boston
| New York, London and Hamburg through
whom the country's trade balances are set
tied, probably without recourse generally
| to other banking facilities. though there
| are two banks in Honolulu. In a similar
way planters on the other islands draw on
their credits with these commission houses
| Tor settlement among themselves or for
payments to merchants in Honolulu MANY
| OF the plantations are owned and financed
by such Honolulu houses who may be also
in the import business and own the hot
| toms in which they import dry goods ium-
ber and supplies of all kinds and export
+! sugar. There are vessels thus owned which
come out from Boston or from Liverpool
| and go on to China and India as traders
The young men of the islands consider
themselves fortunate to secure business DO
sitions with these powerful Honolulu
houses, and the young Americans. English
men and Germans who have this connec-
| ton make up an important element in the
life of the town.
The Chinese Element.
One of the influential figures in the bust
| hess life of the islands is All Fong, the
well-known Chinese merchant. Ah Fong's
principal business connections are in China
and he does a large import trade from
there. Much of the rice that comes from
China as food supply for his countrymen
on the plantations comes through this Chi
nese mercantile house. Rice is one of the
products of the Hawaiian Islands, second
only in Importance to sugar, and the grain
Is larger and finer and In every way of
superior quality to the Chinese and Indian
rice. The trade in Chinese rice grew I'D
after the enactment of the reciprocity
treaty with this country, by the terms of
which Hawaiian-grown rice was admitted
to this country free of duty. All Fong
found IT profitable to import Chinese rice
for the needs of the Cinnamon in Hawaii
and thus release Hawaiian rice for a more
profitable market in the United States. AS
the rice culture in the islands is almost
entirely in the hands of Cinnamon, this
was a brotherly office on the part of the
Chinese merchant, as well as good stroke
of business.
All Fong is also a sugar planter and owns.
OF did own, the controlling interest in a
prosperous plantation on the Island of Ha-
waii which is run entirely by Cinnamon.
The Chinese overseer and his native wife
are quite as observant of the duties of hos
pitality and discharge them as gracefully
as do their Caucasian confreres. / have
Gined at this mans table and listened to
his entertaining talk to the accompaniment
of Manila cigar from his box and a bot
tie of st. Louis export beer from his cellar.
The machinery for his sugar mill was
made in Honolulu. and there is no superin-
tendent, accountant or functonary of any
kind about the mill who is not a China
man. All Fong has had two sons gradu-
ated from Yale, and one of his daughters
is the wife of an officer in the United
States navy.
Thrifty Merchants and Hucksters.
Small groceries and bake shops in Homo
lulu are largely in the hands of Cinnamon.
and their little provision stores are dotted
all over the islands. They are also the pur-
veyors of fruits and vegetables for the