New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-17

house. owning large sugar factories as well "a
maintaining q shipping trade. are In King ST.
and Hackfeid & Co are . prominent German
firm in Fort-st. These are three Of the chief
commercial houses Of the city, and the three
| streets in which they are situated are the prln-
cipal centres Of the shipping busness Nearly
all the prominent merchants and commercial
people OF the city are either Americans Eng
lish or Germans, with the Americans in the lead.
Many OF the Chinese and Japanese are in BUSH
ness for themselves. and the Japanese are very
enterprising 1t is wonderful how they get
along. But the native Hawaiians don't amount
to anything in that way. They are too lazy and
too irresponsible. often think they are very
much like children. They are willing to work
just for little while until they get a few doll
lars ahead. Then they must lie around and
enjoy themselves till the money Is gone. Two
or three hours day is usually work enough for
them. Those out in the country employed
on the plantations, and those In the city do q
large part of the unskilled labor A number.
however, hold place. clerks In the mercantile
houses, and il they are superintended and kept
at their work they are very satisfactory In that
capacity All the Hawaiians are educated In
English In the public schools of the city. you
know. 40 that they not at all illiterate. They
seem 10 have a natural talent for penmanship:
some of their writing that I have seen Is beau
tiful.
Business hours in Honolulu about tho
same as they here. People usually get to
their Offices at D o'clock in the morning and
leave at > in the afternoon. The weather is so
nearly the same throughout the year that there
is no regular vacation tune such as we have in
summer The Hawaiian business man takes his
venient or desirable for him. He spends It on
Of the other islands OF the group. perhaps
going north to Kauai or south to the island OF
Hawaii where the great volcanoes. Mauna Loa
and Kilauea are situated. The climate, al
though of.en called tropical is seldom very hot
in the islands. and people dress only little
more thny there than hey do here. 1t Is a de-
lightful climate I think. though there Is no
doubt that it Is somewhat enervating. II lacks
the bracing qualities Of the weather in our
Northern States and people from here often
complain of the lack Of energy which they feel
in Hawaii. | have heard the complaint that
there was no life in the air. But grows
accustomed 10 IT, Of course, and some persons
mind il more than others.
The Office buildings in Honolulu are fitted up
In the same style those in this country. Tho
furniture in them is all American brought from
san Francisco. Every business house and most
q the residences have telephones: there are
public and private electric-lght systems.
street horsecar railway. paid fire department
which has modern engines and apparatus and.
in short all those things known modern inn
proyemeuts' When first went to Honolulu. in
1874. there were only two hundred or three hum
drcd houses in the place. and knew every ono
there The town had only three carriages then.
None Of the present Improvements had been
begun and it was like the simplest country VII
lage Now Il has between 10000 and 10000 in
habitants. | have seen the islands under five
different governments in my time. and have
known President Dole since he was boy, the
son 81 ore Of the early American missionaries
to Hawaii