The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-08-07

! Honolulu and is now spending his vaca-
ton with his father, Rev Albert Erd-
man, ID. D., gives of the beauties and re-
sources of the Islands, and of Honolulu
| in particular, one can we'll understand
| Mr.. Erdman's enthusiasm on the subject
and his pride in the city and his work
| there.
From the moment Honolulu is sighted
one is Impressed with It's wonderful
beauty From the deck of the incoming
steamer, it stretches out as an artistic
picture before the observer, and no more
beautiful port is known in the world.
Rounding Diamond Point Head, the whole
city lies spread out before the view. Back
of the city rise mountains 5000 feet in
height making most impressive back
ground.
The population of the City of Honolulu
IS $4,000, of which about 5000 are of white
people, including Americans, English and
Germans, while the remainder consists
of Chinese, Japanese, Hawaiians and
Portuguese. Honolulu is the seaport for
the whole group and with the exception
of Hilo, is the only city of any import
ance on the Islands.
Speaking of the business of the town,
Mr.. Erdman said that it is like a strict
ly up-to-date American city Its stores
were of stone or brick and several stories
high, while it boosted one department
store Daily newspapers We're plentiful
| including two morning publications. the
| Pacific Commercial Advertiser and the
Republican; two evening papers, the
Evening Bulletin and Star, and the indie
pendent, beside, Royalist paper, pub
! lished by native; two native papers
published tri-weekly and a weekly Chi
nese and Japanese paper
| In reply to a question as to the moral
| ty of the city, Mr.. Erdman said that he
could not see that it differed greatly from
those in the States. He did not think
| that there were as many saloons as. in
our cities, but that there were plenty of
! them and that they all seemed to make
a living. The saloons are licensed under
the government, practically under high
| license. In the recent Legislature a dis
pensary bill was introduced but failed
to be put through. The principal drink
is beer while the natives drink con-
coction Of their own called ''swipse.' 1t
is made of the root of the pineapple,
ground, grated, dried in the sun and
then stepped, after which a bit of am
monia is added.
The principal industry is sugar cane,
and probably eighty-five or ninety per
cent of the capital is invested in the cane
itself or something in connection with its
manufacture. Most of the capital is put
in by Americans, who at present reside
there or have previously made Honolulu
their home.
Among the islands which compose the
group are Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, kapat,
and Molokai, which is noted as the home
of the leper settlement. Mr.. Erdman ,
described this as A natural prison lying
between the ocean and a steep cliff 1,50d |
to 1000 feet high, with but one trail by
which it can be entered, but said that it |
was place of great beauty. On this !
island as well on others, taro is raised |
extensively, and this taro with fifty or
sixty varieties of fish, found IN abund-
ance, constitute the food Of the natives.
For the lower classes the cost of Iiv- |
ing is not high, but in the higher classes
it is one-third higher than in the States. !
Wages, too, are higher. A good plumber
can earn from SIS to 81 a day, while a car |
penter easily earns IS and $50 day and
can board for $50 to S35 month.
The foods of the better classes are much |
the same as those In OUT country. Veg
etables, which widely grown by the |
Chinese, who are efficient gardeners, are
those which are familiar TO the Amssri- I
cans at home. In fruits, besides those of /
the States, the figs, papaya. grapes, man
goes and pneapples are found in abunst-
ance. The meats vary little from ours
but poultry seems hard to raise and is
scarce, except ducks which are fine
Plover, ducks and wild goats can be shot
on most of the islands, while Molotai is
noted for its deer.
Honolulu has had a horse. trarnway,
and the 4th of this month a new
rapid transit trolley system was put In |
operation. In one particular, the Hawa-
ifans are ahead of the Americans, for
they are successfully operating the Mar
conf system of wireless telegraphy, and |
find it most practical and successful for
commercial use. Messages can be sent
thirty TO fifty miles, with a minirium cost
IF 81 a message and 20 cents for each adj
iitionaI word
OF the climate, Mr.. Erdman speaks
with pleasure. The thermometer is never
tbove 30 degrees and on their cold morn
ngs does not go below "a. 1t usually av-
,rages 65 in the morning, So during the
middle of the day and 70 in the evening.
Nine months of the year a trade wind
,lows from the northeast. making the
atmosphere cool and delightful but never {
blowing uncomfortably hard. Owing to-
he fact that there are severe win
ers living is simpler and easier and /
here are no destitute classes. The poor
st are natives, but they can always |
make a living One popularity is that I
Whole families of several branches will r
i've in one house. or rather, as Mr.. Brd-
nan found during his inspection at the
ime of the plague in the Easements IN
b
me of family of twenty-three- were
the basement while the upper
Ioor was practically vacant.
OF the educational advantages of the
ity, Mr. Erdman spoke very highly. he S
aid there were very few illiterates, prob
IDLY less than in any State in the Union
f the children do not know English, they
NOW the Hawaiian language, and conse-
luently are taught in one of the TWO.
rhe school system, controlled by the t
government through the Board of tdu- G
,ation, is ma gnfficent. The buildings are
IF brick and stone and thoroughly FUR
lished and equipped. Among the coheges
On the Islands are Oahu college, founded
by the missionaries FOR their
own children but now open 20 all at
ow tuition. Then, too, there are the
K arnehameha schools, one for Hawaiian
boys and one for the girls. endowed ana
continued by money left by Mrs. {. X
Bishop, a member of the royal family.
The St Louis school is under the
Catholic brotherhood In all of these
the sports are very similar TO those of
our institutions Baseball, cricket, ten
-I,;I -,