The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-01-31

of Eva plantation and put a quietus
on the drinking of the liquor.
Z Mr.. Richards said that the example
of Eva plantation was a step in the
right direction.
THE CHINESE SIDE.
DR.. Khai Fai Lii gave the Chinese
side of the subject. his remarks being
; interpreted by Ching Yit Lam. He
said there were four large wholesale
liquor houses among the Chinese, but
these were losing money every year, as
1.-The Chinese were not naturally drink
ers. The losses which these firms were
sustaining were not to be wondered at,
considering that the Chinese did not
/. dr. TX to any extent except on the days
they celebrated some national event.
Samshu was the principal drink. and
this was not so strong as the foreign
distilled liquors. There was one Chinese
drink which contained about sixty per
cent of alcohol. The Importation from
Northern China was Sam Ching, which
contains about so per cent of alcohol.
The strongest drink comes from North
ern China, especially Chi Ii and Honan
provinces. DR.. Khai Fai Ii pointed to
the fact that there were very few ar
rests made here for drunkenness among
the Chinese. Their worst habit. he said.
was opium smoking. He dwelt on this
phase of the evils which beset his race
and considered it more serious than
drink.
ABOUT THE PORTUGUESE.
Rev. A. V. Soares, of the Portuguese
Mission church made the remarkable
statement that 95 per cent of the Por-
tuguese residing in Honolulu were ad-
dicted to the liquor habit. and that not
only adults, but little children of six
years of age, are often intoxicated. The
latter feature, he said, resulted from
the ignorance of the parents, who
thought that if the older ones drank
in a house all the rest of the family
should follow their example. He said
in opening his address that he did not
know how many saloons there were in
the Portuguese colony. This was al
most impossible to ascertain There
were places in the Portuguese section
where liquor had been sold for many
years, although they did not have Ii
censes. These were located in the gro
Gerry stores and conducted so skiIlfully
that the police were seldom able to
make any arrests. 1t was from these
places that had come much of the trou-
pie. The Portuguese drank mostly |
wines, whisky and gin. There were
numbers of young men being ruined |
by this unlicensed traffic. 1t was pit |
iful sight to see so much intemper |
ance. Small boys are taught by their |
parents to drink and the adults consid- |
err it a shame to drink liquor in their |
homes and not give it to their children |
also. Children six years of age were
taught to drink and it was a frequent |
sight to see many of them thoroughly |
The people in the colony /
had these liquor-selling places almost |
at their doors; they caroused and |
fought and disturbed decent people and |
often the police knew nothing of what |
was going on. He said the Portuguese
were a frugal and industrious people, |
but liquor was bringing about their de-
Theodore Richards. in commenting |
upon Rev. Mr.. Soares' statements, said |
that the evil among the Portuguese
was an example of the oft-heralded cry |
that to increase the beer saloons would /
decrease Illicit distilling and Illicit sell
ing. The theory was old. and he did |
not think had any weight TO it what |
ever. He did not think an evil could |
be decreased by increasing it.
REV. MR.. EMERSON SPEAKS.
Rev. o. P. Emerson spoke for the Ha-
waiians, and he was ready TO sound the |
slogan for the Anti-Saloon movement |
that it was time for the voters Of the
Territory TO say what they wanted
or no saloons. Mr.. Emerson
said, in part:
There is one proposition to which I
wish to speak-it is the economic argu-
nent. There are no economic reasons for