The evening times., 1899-09-22
! THE CENSUS OF HAWAII.

posed American Enum GRAFTON.
'The new Hawaiian possessions of the
United States will form most important
chapter in the forthcoming census" said
Hon. Alatau T. Atkinson to Times re-
Hawaiian department of instruction and
superihtended the census of the islands
completed in 1897, and is now in this city
comforting with Director Merriam on the
taking of the first census Of Hawaii by the
United States Government.
"The data to be gathered in the islands
will form new and novel feature of your
census, and will prove most interesting
reading to all who have not studied Hawaii,
its people, and their habits. The popula-
ton, native and foreign, almost hetero-
geneous class, is not separated from the
general population, as in most countries,
and the questions asked by the census
enumerators must be somewhat different
In character. Blanks will have to be print
| ed in the Hawaiian language as well as in
| English and other tongues. This will be
| necessary in order to obtain the best infor-
nation concerning the social and economic
condition of the people. 1t required twenty
two district superintendents to take the
last census of Hawaii the army Of enum-
orators taking the names and seeing that
| the blanks were properly filled out.
"The female population Of Hawaii is en-
| titled to notice. There has been decid-
ed increase among the female wage-earn-
ers. In 1890 there were in all 2,143 females
| who reported themselves as workers. In
1886 there were 1853 female workers re-
| ported. OF these the Japanese women take
the lead with 2,426, Of whom 2.164 are en-
| tered as laberers. AS the total number OF
| female laborers is 2,411, the Japanese fur
nished S93 per cent Of this class. while all
other nationalities furnished 107 per cent.
"As to professional life, the American
| females easily stand first OF total OF
2S2 professionally employed 141 are Ameri-
| cans, or exactly so per cent. The main
| part of these are school teachers. The
British females rank next with so profess
| sionals, or H. per cent. number OF wo-
| men put themselves down under the head
| of other occupations and among these
are some who should be classed as clerks,
! for, from an intimate knowledge OF the
country / am thoroughly satisfied that
there are more than Is women engaged in
such occupation. Then again, some women
object to entering their occupation, as some
| object to entering their correct age.
According to the last census OF Hawaii.
| the excess of married females was 1850.
The excess of Japanese married males over
| japanese married females was S63 and OF
Chinese l sic. There was also similar ex-
/ cess of Hawaiian and part Hawaiian mar
I ried women. amounting in all to sos. The
~ eb laac 1hQr of m r
females-757 per cent. At present there are
2062 per cent of the Japaneze marriageable
| females unmarried
| Nearly all the women availab e for mar
! riage are married. This calculation is
made from the age of fifteen. With large
number however. marriage does not take
| place until the age OF eighteen or twenty.
The deduction from the census OF two years
ago is that the women of the country are
| married as soon as possible. The rate OF
unmarried women is 1910 per cent-a very
small rate indeed. But when We have 6133
per cent of the male population unmarried,
and also remember that considerable
number OF Chinese and Japanese, Though
entered as married, have left their wives
in their respe- tive countries, The percen age
of Gnmarrid women looks very small In
deed and social conditions must exist
which are anything but satisfactory from
a moral standpoint.
The low rate Of marriage among the
| Hawaians born of foreign parents is un-
doubtediy due to the fact that SO many
| OF these are below the age OF twenty and
that marriages before that age are not
common. There were only in point ci
fact. $50 Hawaiians born of foreign pa
! rents available for matTimony out of to-
tai OF 1878, which means that Of this
class of the population PISA are under
the age of fifteen. During the next four
| years there will be much marrying and
giving in marriage among these.
You will be surprised to know that 26.2l
per cent of the Hawaiians and 69.21 pei
cent Of the part Hawaiians are able to
read and write English. This percentage
will rise with every year. IN this the Ha-
waiian keeps UP his reputation for litera-
cy. Few people can show as high a per-
centage as this. The iiIiteracy lies chiefly
among the Portuguese, japanese. Chinese
and South Sea Islanders. The Portuguese
| will improve very much in the next feul
years, for there is great number of then
born On the islands. and they will be able
to read and write. The last census showed
that there were 1926 children between the
ages of six and fifteen, or the legal schoo
age and that the number attending schoo
was 1874. This would give 196.20 pei
|
school. But this, of course, does not allow
for pupils below and above the school age
THE system for enforcing the law fol
bringing children into school is peculiarly
efficient in these islands. Very few chill
dren of school age escape school attend
| ance. The reason that the Ameri
can, English, and German do not stand
among the 80 per cent is that in many case:
their children are educated at home by
governesses until they are seven or eigh
years of age and others are educated en-
tirely at home. There are very few coun-
tries, however, where education is so uni.
versal, and in a few decades, if things gG
on as they are doing, there will be very
! few Hawaiians indeed who cannot read ant
write English. Those who are illiterats
come to US from abroad. The Hawaiian
school system is by no means perfect, bu
it enables those who have its advantages
to read and write English. There are now
over 10, 600 pupils in schools who are al
taught English.
THE increase in the number OF Hawaiian
real estate and home owners since 1885,
shows that under the republican govern.
ment those of Hawaiian blood have hat
| a full chance of obtaining homes for them.
selves and that they are not ng hound
ed from the soil,' as has been frequently
represented, but that every effort is be
ing made to induce them to become own.
ers and that success has in a great meas
ure crowned the effort. Many Portuguese
Z Chinese, and others own houses whict
they have erected upon leased land
There are in all 1856 houses owned by tn;
persons inhabiting them. Out of 1872.
residences on the islands 1916 per CEN
are dweIt in by their owners. This is {
/ ,,rlya hlo chn