The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-11-15

ascertainment and payment OF al claims
which may be made by persons whose
property was destroyed by fire in the
wears A D. 1889 and 1900, under orders
| II the Board If Health, which was APP
D owed April 30. 1901. The commissioners
we're Immediately apo nted, and the re-
ception OF claims soon followed. Up to
the writing Of this report, Aug st IS 1901.
! iOS2 claims, amounting to S2.4i2. 451-SS.
nave been filed. The c mmiss,on has the
confidence of the community, and has
been in almost constant sess on since it
| appointment with the expectation that
he conclusion viii be reaC he'd by the
| md OF the present year. These Gains
| AIRY greatly in amount, some bsing for
| few dollars f,r the loss Of personal eff
sects, while others are for many thou
| sands of dollars for the destruction O.,
stocks of goods. and buildings. The leg
stature apprC priated $,5Oo,0.O for the
| payment of adjudicated ella ms. sal
amount to be distributed over a period of
| IN ee years at rate not 20 exceed $780,
| 100 per year.
In Grad eating the plague expenses
| were incurred amounting to $729, 4SS.U.
| While the determination of the fire
claims will add another large amount To
be met out OF the revenues OF the Terri
| tory. if no assistance is forthcoming, 1t
s suggested that congress be asked to
| authorize contribution toward the pay
ment of these heavy financial engage
ments. The retention by the Territory
of the income derived from the eceipts
/ Of the custom house in the district ap-
peals to one as a proper and just method
Of granting such relief Customs duties
are an indirect tax upon the people. Why
not, then. permit them to be used in this
instance for the benefit of the people
who have already paid large sums in the
suppression of the dread disease for the
common good?
Scarcely any business OF Importance
Is carried on except by organized part
nerships and corporations. The financial
standing of the corporations is excellent.
There has been no important failure nor
| liquidation during the past ten years.
The list of corporations gives a total of
80; foreign II, railroads 6, educational s.
secret lodges S. cemeteries 5. churches
and benevolent purposes 50.
LABOR.
Upon the successful and economical
production OF sugar depends the prosper
| ity of the Islands, 1t may be unfortu-
nate that there is not greater diversity
| Of resources. but climate, soils and gen.
eraI conditions seem to have paced this
| limit upon US. The ra sing of cotton and
tobacco has never gone beyond the ex-
perimental stage, while the cultivation
of rice seems to have reached the maxi
mum point, and the crop is about all
{ consumed mere. 1t Is DuC natural, then,
+ that our best efforts should be devoted
/ to fostering and protecting our principal
industry. Too great stress cannot be
laid upon the fact that the mainland
shares to a great extent in our prosper
ity, for OF the SIS, 00O, 600 that has been
paid for our products during the past
period. over $4,000, 600 has been spent in
the purchase of materials and supplies
from different points the mainland.
which were the product of American cap
ital and labor
Much has been said about the en-
ployment of large numbers of Chinese
and Japanese by the planters. In answer
to such criticism, 1t may safety be said
that such action never has, does not
now, and never will interfere with either
American skilled or unskilled labor, but
If ample supply of desirable labor can
be obtained for the plantations it means
millions of dollars spent for machinery.
building materials, tools, steel and iron,
and other supplies of American manu-
facture.
''Since the annexation of the Hawaiian |
Islands as a Territory of the United |
States. the immigration of unskiIled la |
borers has practically ceased. while !
many of the Japanese and Chinese have |
returned to their native countries. Be
tween June Ii. 1900, the date when the |
organic act went into effect, and the 31st |
day of August 1901, 4,079 Japanese have !
left the Territory, while only $50 have |
arrived. This condition of affairs pre- |
sents a most serious question as affecting |
our principal industry. All sugar planta-
ton stocks have fallen far below their
former value, owing TO the uncertainty
of the labor supply. This has had the
effect Of producing stringency in the !
money market from which many have
suffered loss. If no relief is forthcoming |
the most disastrous results will surely /
follow.
|.
doubt that the unskilled labor upon the 1
plantations must be furnished by other Il
than Americans. This would be true If II
even the large estates were divided into
small holdings. 1t is simply a physical
for the Anglo-Saxon salts
factorily to perform the severe labor re-
quired in the sugar fields. This being
true. Hawaii is entitled to legislation
favorable to its greatest prosperity. The l
presence of a large number of Chinese I
and Japanese has not proved detrimental I
either to skilled or unskiled American S
labor While there is slight competition s
IN the mechanical trades from Chinese I
and Japanese, the scale of wages shows '
that the earnings of our own people have L
not materially been interfered with. d
SMALL HOLDINGS.
What can the man of small means do I
n the way OF agriculture? is a ques- u
ion often asked, and Is most difficult T
me to answer. No one seems to care n
o take the responsibility of saying that g
lie VIII be successful. Experiments along V
hese lines are being made, but no defin- t
tie results have been reached. In for r
ner years most of the cereals were rats z
d on the mountain lands of moderate
Elevations, but this industry was aban- a
Toned many years ago. with the excep- .
ion of corn and potatoes. These are
till grown on the highlandh of the KuIa
district, the Island of Maui, and to q |
cry limited extent in Hilo and Hama
-ua districts, on the Island OF Hawaii
by the homesteaCiers