The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-08-20
SOME NUMBERS.

tive to census figures has been pub
lished which must be taken with con-
siderable grain of salt. OF course the
telegram must have been misunder-
stood and misquoted or mis-sent over
the wires. The total population is Civ
en- correctly. 1t was 154 DOL on June 30
of last year. OF this 639 were males,
and 47,632 were females. In 1896, our
population was 10000, of which 72,517
was male and 36,503 was female. This
gives an increase, in rouoh numbers
of over fifty per cent among the males
during the four years, and ever thirty
per cent among the females. In 1896
the proportion of women to men was
about one to two, at the census of 1900
it was somewhat larger. In these fig
ures the telegram seems to be correct.
But when it comes to dividing off the
races the telegram is at fault. II gives
the japanese population at Gill, and
the Chinese at 25,767, a total of S6,S7S
in population of 154,001. This would
leave a remainder for all other races
on the Islands of 67,123. The statement
in the telegram is that there are sc, $50
whites upon the Islands. This of course
must be interpreted to mean Americans
and Europeans. This would leave just
1888 for the Hawaiians and part-Hawai-
ians, which is manifestly absurd.
AS far as the Asiatic figures are con-
cerned they are fairly. correct, though
the United States plan of ignoring part
bloods and giving their nationality ac-
cording to the father, runs counter to
anything taken here previously. In
1896 the number of Hawaiians was
31,O19 and the number of part Hawai-
ians was S,4S5, total of S9,5O4 Ger
tainly these people have not dwindled
down to 1888 persons in four or five
years. The total white population in
1896 was 22,43S, of which 1871 was
composed of Portuguese The total
between Hawaiians and whites in 1896
was 61942. There has been an increase
of whites, there may have been a de-
crease of Hawaiians during the four
years But these figures show that
there is not and cannot be a popula-
ton of $3.50 whites on the Islands.
to say there are anywhere from twenty
to thirty thousand whites leaving the
Hawaiian population about stationary,
which is all that can be expected.
In another particular there is apt to
be some misconception in the reckon
ing, if comparisons are made with what
has been before the usage here. Under
the Federal census school age runs
from five years to twenty, regardless
of what the law of any particular state
or territory may be. The total number
of school age" according to the United
states census must be very much
larger than the total number of similar
age under the. Hawaiian census. Ac-
cording to Hawaiian Territorial law
school age is defined as from six to
fifteen. The Federal census age limit
would take in a considerable number
of the Asiatic laborers and would swell |
the list enormously. According to our
own reckoning we have between 10000 !
and 1900 children of school age. Ac-
cording to the Federal limit there were
3S,774 between the ages of five and
twenty
Photographed figures are always more
or less unreliable and unsatisfactory.
With the best of intentions mistakes
will creep in. The actual bulletins will
soon reach us, and then more thor
ough analysis can be made The main
features however are before us. The
enormous number of Japanese, would
be alarming under other circumstances
1t is not nearly so alarming now.
Had we remained a monarchy or an
independent republic the presence of s
such mass of people of an aggressive
nationality. would have been a very '
serious menace to our institutions. I'm /
doubtedly there would have been am
bilious Japanese who would have weld I
ed this mass into a strong political I
party, and equally undoubtedly there {
would have been renegade whites ready ,
to help them, to be thrown aside like
sucked orange when they were no
longer needed, which is the proper and q
Just fate of the renegade. The effort r
made in the early nineties, to acquire +
the franchise for the Japanese would !
have been renewed, and would in all /
have been forced from us, G
and the japanese vote would have car :
ried every election. ;
Annexation put stop, a most effec- f
tual stop, to this. The presence of so =
many Japanese is no unmixed blessing, T
but 1t is no actual menace now as it ,
might have been under other circum- I
stances. .
THIIE TADnD nTrnCnrANy