The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-02-19
PER CAPITA COST AND SPARSE
POPULATION.

government in Hawaii is large but that
is mainly because OF the small .popula-
ton says the defender of fhe CEN
tralized system of government Let
us see how II is in the Territories Of
New Mexico and Arizona New Mex
leo has population of 1s5.sve and the
per capita cost of government il that
Territory is si.s0 per year. The area
of New Mexico is 1872 $50 square miles
so that the population is but 1.e people
TO the square mile In Hawaii the
population is p 10 the square mile or
fifteen times as dense as the popula-
ton Of the Territory of New Mexico.
In the Territory OF Arizona the per
capita cosl of the Territorial govern
meut Is less than sl.o0 as compared to
1890. per capita IN Hawaii Arizona
contains an area of $4,000 square
miles so that with a total population
OF 1913 600 that Territory contains but
LOG persons TO the square mile. As
compared 10 Arizona this Territory
is % times as denseiy populated as
the Territory of Arizona According
TO the reasoning of the Morning Iwilei
Defender the cost of government IN
New Mexico and Arizona with their
sparse population should be many
times sreater per capita than is the
cost of government In Hawaii and yet
the cost of government in those two
Territories. with much more sparse
population than Hawaii, is but s1.S0
and $3.50 per capita respectively as
compared to $3.50 per capita in Ha-
wall.
And by the way let us compare the
density of population of Hawaii with
that of California and see what about
the expensive government here being
due to the sparse population. Califor-
mia has population of 1.4S5, 600 which
with her area of 15S.36O square miles
gives fraction less than ga persons TO
the square mile. Hawaii with $4,000
population and 6.449 square miles has
"a persons to the square mile, so
that Hawaii is nearly three times as
densely populated as the great State
of California. 1t cost s6.06 per capita to
run the State of California for the last
1ocf
while it cost the people of the more
densely populated Territory of Ha-
wall $3.50 per capita to run their gov
eminent. If cost were based on sparse
population California should have
spent much more per capita to conduct
her State government than Hawaii
spent to conduct her government. But
instead of that California spent less
than one-thira as much per capita 20
run her State government as Hawaii
spent to run her government and Calf
ornia has but ga inhabitants to the
square mile as against "a Inhabitants
TO the square mile in Hawaii.
Even the State of Michigan which
with its 2.240,000 inhabitants spent
but s5,16S.000 to maintain its State
government for the fiscal year ending
June 30th. last, only las a population
of Al to the square mile. 1t cost the
people of the State of Michigan with
population of Al to the square mile
s2.13h per capita rer annum to run
their State government while it cost
the people of Hawaii with "a inhabi-
tants to the square mile $3.50 per
capita per annum to run their little
centralized government
OF course the cost per capita of gov
eminent here is due to the sparse
population; but if it is. what ought 70
be the cost of government. IN State
so very sparsely settled as California?