The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-10-20
HELD TOO HIGH
So Says a Wealthy Visi.
tor Of Honolulu Realty.
Leasehold System Commented Up
on-Characteristics of Town
and Country-HoteI.

ness man. Is visiting the ISiduu5 with
Mrs Tyler for an indefinite period.
He writes as follows TO Coast friend
who gave the letter to the San Diego
Union:
This is a lovely Honolulu Sabbath
morning ThM being one OF the most
moral cities iA1he mid-Pacifc, We, too,
feel the influences that lead one on to
seek for further knowledge as to that
future that awaits us all. There are
no better churches anywhere than are
10 be seen here in Honolulu. The
school buildings are not so fine, yet
schools are everywhere TO be seen.
Schooling is compulsory. You never
meet an ignorant child; you never see
a beggar or dirty loafer on the street.
The streets are not paved, yet they
are always clean. The roads leading
to the country are simply beautiful
level wide, clean, and lined with tropi-
cal trees for miles and miles around the
mountains.
The streets are narrow and crooked.
The older homes are of the ancient
style-low, fiat one-story houses, with
large lawns, and world of tropical
trees and shrubs surrounding them,
completely hiding the houses from
view. The lots are deep, and the
houses set far back from the streets.
But more modern houses are now be-
ginning to appear. You occasionally
see in the neWly-opened residence dis
tricts modern twO-Story dwellings of
beautiful designs. A year hence will
doubtless work wonders in this direc-
ton.
But property is held too high. The
owners will run off many good people,
who would doubtless locate here were il
not for the present inflated prices of
real estate. The fact is, they now hold
their lots at what they will be worth
two years hence. The city is growing
rapidly, Notwithstanding the high
prices. You seldom see a store or
dwelling for sale or rent.
1 find that greater part Of the
realty is owned by the rich few,
and that these properties are not for
sale at any price, but are let out on
long leases. Hence the progress Of the
business districts, as now defined, will
of necessity be slow, leaseholds being
about all that is offered for sale in
some of the older settled parts Of the
city. One gentleman, G. S. Desky, has
made great fortune here within the
last three or four years. He went out
side the central business districts and
built beautiful stone blocks of stores.
They are being occupied as fast as
completed, and are paying handsome
~. This same gentleman also owns
great tracts at Hilo, on Hawaii, that
promise him great returns.
In this country all enterprises seem
to stand upon their own bottom. That
is, the people here do not freely join in
with new corners in new enterprises.
There is, in my judgment, a great open
ing here for a strictly nice American
hotel, on the European plan, and at
popular prices. Nice rooms are great
1y in demand, and are sorely needed.
Help is fairly good, all of the Chinese
or Japanese persuasion, and at reason
able prices. Good food is scarce and
expensive, all coming from the coast.
The Royal Hawaiian hotel is as
clean and as nice as any hotel that has
ever come within our inspection.
The business man should see the
country before he dissolves all of his
business relations at home. And the
man without money should remain in
his native land, where he ought to have
friends, as this is not the place for
him yet. The Chinese and the Japan
csc are now doing all of the 1aboring
part Of the growing and harvesting of
sugar rice and coffee at less than half
of prices paid for similar labor in the
States. Doctors and lawyers are great
ly in evidence, there being enough here
now to successfully handle population
of 200, 900 people.
Regarding the inhabitants OF Homo
lulu, must say that I have never
seen a more faithful or more moral
class of people in my life. Yesterday
was the great regatta day. Many
thousands of people were gathered up
on the docks to witness the sports. All
business was suspended for the entire
day, yet not man did we see or hear
of being under the influence of liquor,
nor was disturbance of any kind seen
or noted in the daily papers. The p0-
lice courts really seem TO be in a
starving condition. The natives from
child TO parent, are in all cases well
dressed, clean and respectful to one an
other, and especially to ali strangers.
The city, like all tropical cities. lies
beneath a dense, tropical growth OF
trees and shrubs The POnciapa an i'm