The times., 1899-01-09
Resources of the Natives in
the Way of Beverages.
INTRODUCING LAGER BEER
Double Intoxication Caused by AVA
and swipcs-DcIirious GIorics of
the Few Modern snIoons-How the
Drinking lis Done in the Clubs.

tion party and of prohibition In the Unit
ed States are deluging Honolulu with in
quiries about the liquor traffic in the Ha
waiian Islands. The understanding of
those to whom the inquiries are addressed
is that the Prohibitionists intend to ask
Congress 10 prohibit the traffic in the Ter
ritory Of Hawaii.
There never has been any active total
abstinence movement in Hawaii, and there
is very little OF the sentiment that starts
such movements. The liquor traffic, so
far as il has been the subject of legisla
tion, has been treated in its political and
economic aspects. The moral aspect has
not received much consideration, except
indirectly, as when il intruded itself in
the shape of a proposition for the benefit
or welfare or protection of the native Ha-
waiian.
Aloha, or love Tor the native Hawaiian,
has been made to do duty in behalf of all
sorts Of propositions in legislation and in
public, social and religious affairs. If
man has wanted anything done, which
he could not expect to accomplish on the
merits of his proposal, the attempt has
always been made to put it on the basis
OF beqefiting the native Hawaiian.
The assumption of Aloha for the native
meaning love or responsibility for his
welfare and OF the duty of protecting him
as a ward from his own weaknesses, has
often been a more potent argument Aloha
for the native. though il has become
somewhat discredited of late. because of
the manifestly hypCcritical use 10 which
it has sometimes been put. has always
been powerful lever TO move things and
has not lest all its virtue yet
About the only effect il has had on liquor
legislation has been 10 restrict the number
of saloons and keep the price Of drinks
above what ii was supposed the ordinary
native Hawaiian could afford TO pay.
With beer at twenty-five cents a drink and
other liquors in proportion. it was figured
out that the ''haole" whether a ''mala-
hini, spending the money he brought
with him, or "kamaaina," spending ne
profits of lucrative sugar stock could
quench a reasonable thirst, while no temp
tation would be offered TO the native Who
had only suit of cotton clothes, d lei
around his hat and two or three fish tied
up in ii leaves 10 show for the labor of the
day and his ancestral taro patches now
turned into rice fields by the Chinese or
sugar plantations by the missionaries.
And practical results justified the theory.
Liuuor Legislation.
In consequence the liquor traffic Iegls-
lation of Hawaii stands al present as fcl-
lows: Licenses to engage in the manufac-
ture of distilled or fermented liquors may
be issued at the discretion Of the minis
ter OF the interior or the payment of
license fees and internal revenue taxes
about equal TO those required in the United
States. As a matter of fact there have
been neither breweries nor distiiieries in
Hawaii for years. simply because the mar
rowness of the available market and the
cost Of coal and other raw materials would
pany has just been organized with large
capital and expects to begin business very
soon.
Licenses to sell liquors of all kinds, sa-
loon licenses. in short. are issued on the
payment of LOCO a year in advance. Sa-
looms must close at lI.i0 p. m. and must
not open before a. m, and. like all other
business houses except restaurants, must
keep closed all day on Sunday. These re-
quirements are observed. There are COM
paratiyely few communities in the island
large-eBOugh TO make saloon under these
conditions profitable There are fourteen
In Honolulu. Island OF Oahu: one each in
Lahaina. Wailuku and Kanuiui. Island of
Maui; three in Hilo, one in Hamakua aud
one in Kohala. Island Of Hawaii; twenty
two in all. The last Legislature passed
what is known as the light wine and beer
act, which authorizes the issues OF not 10
e
in each judicial circuit, 10 sell light wines
beers and ales only six days in the week,
between the hours of Z a. M and S p. m.
There are twenty-five judicial districts
in the islands, and an exception was made
Of the district which includes Honolulu ana
which is entitled 10 nine such licenses.
These licenses have all been issued, there
= being about three applicants for each All
the places licensed have not yet been
in the islands not to exceed I03 places
where intoxicating drinks can be sold. The
population of the islands is about 1l0. 600
including native Hawaiians, japanese. Chi
nese, Portuguese, other Europeans and
their descendants, Americans and their de-
scendantS.
Before the advent Of the light wine and
beer saloon the twenty-five full-licensed
saloons were not the only places where
liquor could be obtained. Every bathing
resort along the Waikiki beach sold liquid
refreshments in a semi-clandestine man
ner. In every plantation village and a-
every seaeoast landing some place coud
be found, and that without much trouble
where beer, usually warm. or a drink o
square face. as g.n is coiloquially called
could be obtained In addition to all thi,
the japanese, OF whom there are betweeI
10000 and 10000 in the islands, o0taine,
their national beverage. saki. through Ger
tain licensed Japsnest importers. who dis
tributed IL 10 their customers in origina
packages. This branch of the traffic wa
a concession partly by way of complimen
10 the nation that was supplying so larg
proportion of the sugar plantation labo
of the islands and partly because whel
Hawaii was an independent but defense
less sovereignty Japan kept n man of wa
in Honolulu harbor.
Peculiar Native Drinks.
Still the native Hawaiian does not al
ways go thirsty. Even in this Alice-in
Wonderland country. where beer co I
two bits glass and the best cigars cent
apiece. he has always managed TO &c
some share of the exhilaration OF intoxi
cation. With ava pronounced ah-yahl
swipes and okolehao (oh- koh-ly- no ~
the 30. 600 that Captain Cook found her
when he discovered the islands a hundre
years ago manage to furnish their quot
of the drunks who find their way to IN
courts.
OF these three kinds OF drinks only one
ava, has any legal standing In the coun
Try. Ava was in use for centuries befor
the missionaries came. II is the fer
mented product OF the ava root. Til
original method OF manufacture was for
family or company OF friends 10 81
around a calabash, each chewing
piece Of root When masficated suf
iiciently it was thrown into a Gala
bush and another piece OF the roo
taken up. When a sufficient quantity ha
thus been prepared, water was added an
u was set aside 10 fernent. II is said tina