The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-06-21
POST OFFICE INTRODUCES THE
COPPER COINAGE.
Honolulu May Yet See Bargains Mark
ed Down to S1.99-No Present Danger
However.

The insidious penny has made land
ing on these shores. At present its ac-
tions are pretty well confined to the
post office and it's circulation limited to
the different departments of that edi-
flee, but pocketbooks that year ago
were never shamed by carrying any
meaner metal than gold and silver, Of
ten contain nowadays a stray penny,
the copper cent of commerce." little
known and less valued this side of the
Rockies, but dear to the heart of every
New England house wife.
Penny wise and pound foolish" has
never been an Hawaiian motto. 1t has
been look out for the nickels" not the
cents. Copper coinage is not unknown.
There have been several editions of
pennies of various sizes used for trade
and advertising purposes and sailors
have brought the bulkier copper coin
age of Europe into port. They have all
been regarded as more or less of a GU
riOsity however and never seriously en-
| tertained as money. When the Kala-
kaua coinage was adopted, the 'nimbe
dime" the collection box coin as some
wit has dubbed it, was the lowest value
| considered AS in the days of Leadville
and DeadwoOd when nothing less than
a quarter was passed in currency or so
recognized nickels were introduced
! here from the outside world. In the
western half of the United States the
nickel has been usually recognized by
the traveller as the equivalent in pur-
chasing power of the English penny or
the French ten centime piece. Street
toys cheap drinks and slot machines
were operated or purchased with the
nickel in one country, the penny in the
others. The thrifty English split his
penny into four farthings and marked
his goods at one shilling and eleven
pence three farthings a yard, or pound
| as the case might be, knowing well that
/ it sounded and looked far less than two
| shillings, and soon the equally thrifty
merchant and citizen of the Eastern
states took up the some procedure. $2J9
I attracted two customers to one at SO.
| Marked Down" to $11.49 seemed much
| cheaper than $11.50.
The supertuous pennies We're first
given to the children for their banks
| then saved for the family purse. Cheap
! car fares helped along the circulation
/ with three cent fares.
The west stOlidly refused to lose its
reputation for openhanded liberality
and general breadth and the only COM
promise effected was to sell certain mi
nor articles at two or three for a nickel
Even today San Francisco is but little
affected by the penny except in the
/ pOstoffice.
In earlier days, before Uncle Sam
| played letter carrier for the Hawaiian
! Islands, two two cent stamps accom-
/ panied by nickel would bring back a
one cent stamp from the window in
change Now the law demands that
/ monetary change be given and the
scantness of the local supply caused
a requisitiOn to be issued to Washing
ton. This has gradually scattered and
another requisitiOn is now on the way
in the shape of a sack of pennies
These are issued principally from the
window of the money order and regis
try department and after a short cir
cult come back to the stamp window
again. Occasionally a few pennies are
passed over the counters of local stores
by customers and are placed in the
stamp drawer to be later taken to the
post office again. Some of them get
lost and others relieve the strain or
the parent, uncle and sisters beau wac
can respond to the appeal of give me
a nickel" with greater alacrity if a low
er coinage is deftly introduced. Still
others rattle with the assurance OF
silver into the collection boxes and are
only shamed by an open plate.
None of the stores have at present
commenced introducing pennies. Where
there is a fraction the customer or the
store gets the advantage, according to
the percentage, or the usual package oi
needles and pins fills the deficiency. The
still prevalent custom of manuahi for
bids any suspicion of stinginess on the
part of. the dealers.
On the other islands there are suffi
cient of the coins to meet the postal de-
mands, but despite the acquisitions o
the department, there is little fear o
the marked down to $1.99" becoming
a prevalent local practice for some tim,
to come.