New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-01-01
SUNDAY,
JANUARY !, 1899.
TOPICS IN CALIFORNIA.
LACK OF RAIN A SERIOUS DRAWBACK
ENORMOUS FRUIT CROP OF THE
YEAR-INSUFFICIENT NAIL SER
VICE BOTH IN CALIFORNIA
AND THE KLONDIKE
CHTNAMEN NAY COME
IN BY WAY OF
HAWAII
$e%e>es4sasseS%s<s ses4. ,%1s%~s~~'


IN BY WAY OF
HAWAII
San Francisco. Dec. 81 (SpeciaD.-The year
which is just ending has been a good one
for California. though the loss from lack OF
rain and poor crops has been neutralized In
measure by the high prices obtained for fruits.
San Francisco. and thus. indirectly. the entire
State. has been helped by the large sums spent
here for the equipment and maintenance OF thou
sands Of soldiers who went TO the Philippines
remained for months in camp And this
good influence will continue long a large
armed force is kept in Manila and other parts
OF the Philippines. The genera trade with
Manila and the Orient has not been appreciably
increased yet. but dealers in many lines Of
supplies and In machinery OF all kinds expect TO
get developments In business soon there
is any assurance Of safety for Investments II
was hoped that the rainfall would be sufficient
by this time good wheat crop the
coming year but, unfortunately. dry north
wind followed the rain OF last week and pre-
vented the full advantage OF the moisture.
Throughout the southern counties the rainfall
slight. and there is consequently great SUI
ferng and a prospect OF serious loss from lack
OF water. For the first time in its history the
Big Bear Valley dam is dry. and Redlands and
other orange growing colonies which depended
1t forced to buy water at high rates IN
order TO keep fruit trees alive. In Central Cali
fornia and the Great San joaquin Valley the
suffering has not been severe. but the lack OF
proper rain is having n serious effect on general
business. All investors waiting till they
hear that good grain crop is assured. Saw
ings and commercial banks are full Of money.
but no one will risk dollar in investments with
no ~ dry Deeu ha dry
year this season California produced an enor-
nous crop OF fruit. which brought high prices.
II the state were dependent one two sta
pies the lack OF rain would have been iisas-
trous but when a score OF different kinds Of fruit
are raised and some OF these fruits grown
here almost exclusively. the result Is greatly
q help producers. Some figures VIII show the
lai yield Of orchards and fields. Thus, CalifOr-
mia shipped in the year lust ending fJiOno
boxes II oranges the largest crop e.er marketed,
100000 pounds Of dried prunes. llo.WDWc
pounds Of fresh fruit. 100000 gallons Of wine.
100000 cases OF canned fruits. 26OvvO
pounds Of fresh fruit. 100000 gallons Of wine.
100000 pounds OF hops and 5,s00Wo centals
| of wheat.
The police reported more arrests on Christ
mas Day than ever before on that holiday No
less than 2l4 persons were taken into custody for
drunkenness on Saturday night and Sunday
and the melancholy feature Of 1t was that three
quarters Of these men and women were young
and apparently respectable.
The theatres did big holiday business. bat
they presented nothing worthy OF note. AT the
| Orpheum Variety Theatre Rose Eytinge is ap-
bearing with Nine PilarMorin and Clement
! cambridge, in one OF Augustus Thomas's COM
edy sketches. The sale OF seats for RosenthaIs
! piano rectals next week Is large, though good
! seats are 80 each
The Pacific Mail steamship China this week
brought the largest consignment of opium and
I the biggest quantity Of mail that ever came
/ into this port on one vessel. The opium nlled
ego cases and was worth round half million
of dollars. The mail filed 36s bags, and was
mainly official and soldiers letters from Ma
Mia. There great delay here In distribute
| ing the mall when worked serious hardship
! 10 customs brokers. In fact the mail service In
! San Francisco has been bad for months. be-
cause Of an insufficient force and the incon-
| venient location of offices. When the big ORR
, entail mails arrived, In addition TO the holiday
| rush the office was simply paralyzed There
should be thorough overhauling or the post
office. as. under present arrangements letters
are so constantly delayed that no one cares
reckon on the prompt delivery Of letter mail IN
country or city even when there is no rush OK
| foreign mails.
The Postmaster General should also give at
tenton TO the scandalous lack OF mail service
TO Alaska Dawson City has become great
mining camp. with thousands OF Americans.
who under the best arrangements, can only
hear from relatives and business associates once
a month. Under the present wretched system
mail is stranded all along the land route ana
without paying large sums 10 carriers no one
in Dawson may send out or receive single let
ter before next June. The Canadian Govern
ment has utilized the mounted police with good
results and II the Postoiice Department can't
effect the reform needed In the klondike mall
service the work should be turned over to the
Regular Army.
Much trouble is expected from the recent de-
cison OF Chief Justice Judd. Of Hawaii. that
the Chinese who left the Islands with permits
TO return issued prior TO July ] are entitled 70
land even though they can't qualify under the
United States statutes. Under this decision IL
is feared many Chinese VIII use permits 10 gam
entrance TO California by way OF Hawaii ana
II is also feared that there will be large num-
Der Struggled into the islands by tramp steamers
and sailing vessels which can land them IN iso-
| lated places.
Renorts from Honolulu show that there is
grave danger Of fire from huge piles OF coal
which the Government has been banking up on
the waterfront Of the Hawaiian capital for
six months When the Spanish war broke out
there was an immediate demand for large sup
ply OF coal at Honolulu for warships. which II
was then thought would be needed to patrol the
Pacific Ocean. and for transports going 10 Ma
Mia The demand for coal was far less than
was anticipated. and the supply mas been rushed
In from all parts Of the world, until now there
are fully a hundred thousand tons, most OF II
niled up without shelter from the elements As
a large part Of this coal comes from New South
Wales and is liable to spontaneous combus-
ton the danger OF loss Is real
All investment stocks and bonds have been
kept up by bulls this week, though II Is ad-
mitted by many that they are AT top notcn.
one thing that holds them firm Is the dsin-
clination OF people with money to invest IN any
| development schemes. because OF lack OF rain
Hawaiian Commercial closed at oI3s. change
OF only fraction from the opening OF the week.
Similar slight changes noted in other
stocks Hutchinson Plantation closed at 0i'b.
and Giant Powder at oSA
PETITION or BROCWER MGOWN FILED.
George H. Brouwer and George w McGown. who
composed the firm OF Brouwer & McGown stock
brokers formerly at No. Wall-st, filed a petition