St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-10-04
PENNIES IN HONOLULU.
ADVENT NJ the Conner Coin in Hawaii
Circulation Promoted by Post
Office Authorities.

it's actions are pretty wellcontincd to
the post office and its circulation linn
tied to the different departments OF
that edifice, but pocketbookss that a
year ago were never shamed by car
rying any meaner metal than gold and
silver, says the Honolulu Star, often
contain nowadays a stray penny, the
"copper" cent OF commerce" httle
known and less valued this side OF the
Rockies but dear to the heart OF every
New England housewife.
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 I'M
known. There have been several edl-
tions of pennies of various sizes USED
for trade and advertising purposes
and sailors have brought the bulkler
copper coinage of Europe into port.
They have all been regarded as more
or less of a curiosity, however, and
never seriously entertained as money.
When the Kalakaua coinage was
adopted the "nimble dime" the collec-
ton box CON-" as some wit has dubbed
it, was the lowest value considered.
As in the days of Leadville and Dead
wood, when nothing less than quar-
ter was passed in currency or so rec
cgnized, nickels we're introduced here
from the outside world. In the west
ern half of the United States the nickel
has been usually recognized by the
traveller as the equivalent in purchas-
ing 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 9TH
ers.
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
1t sounded and looked far less' than
two shillings, and soon) the equally
thrifty merchant and citizen of the
eastern states took up the same pro-
cedure. Two dollars and ninety-one
CSuCS IWO w OAC
at three dollars. Marked down" to
$11.49 seemed much cheaper than
$11.50.
The isuperfluous pennies were first
given to the children for their banks,
then saved for the family purse.
Cheap car fares helped along the cir
culation with three-cent fares. The
west stolidly refused to lose its repu-
tation for openhanded liberality and
general breadth and the only COM
promise effected was to sell certain
minor articles at two or three for
nickel. Even to-day San Francisco is
but little affected by the penny except
in the post office.
In the earlier days, before Uncle
Sam played letter carrier for the Ha-
waiian islands, two two-cent stamps
by a nickel would bring
back one-cent stamp from the win
dow in change. Now the law demands
that monetary change be given and
the scantiness of the local supply
caused a requisition to be issued to
Washington. This has gradually scat
tered and another requisition is now
on the way in the shape of a sack of
pennies.
These are issued principally from
the windows of the money order and
department., and after short
circuit come back to the stamp win
dow again. Occasionally few pen
MES 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 on the parent, uncle and sisters
beau who can respond to the appeal OF
''give me nickel" with greater alac-
rity if a lower coinage. is deftly in
troduced. Still others rattle with the
of silver into the6ee zion
boxes and are only shamed a. : pen
plate. NJ
None of the stores has atores-snt |
introducing pennies.
Where there is fraction the customer
Or the store gets the advantage, ac-
cording to the percentage or the usual
package Of needles and pins fills the
deficiency. The still prevalent custom
and manuahi forbids any suspicion of
stinginess on the part of the dealers.
On the other islands there are sufi-
lent of the coins to meet the postal
but despite the acquisitions
If the department, there is little fear
Of the marked down to $1.99" becom-
ing prevalent local practice for some
time to come.
The Lions Of England.
Although at the time of the union