The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-07-22
NORTH AND SOUTH KONA.

When the Mauna Loa left Kailua for
| Honolulu last Monday, after the crowd
that had assembled on account Of the
departure of the steamer had dispers-
| ed. there remained in that sleepy place
! an American citizen of Canadian ex-
traction, manager for Hackfeld & Co.,
| Ltd, citizen born on the mainland,
| who fills three responsible positions,
| and the wife of the latter, a charming
/ and accomplished lady from California.
| These three represented the entire con-
tributions from the mainland TO the cit
! lzenship of Kailua. The remainder of
| the population consisted of gentle and
unsophisticated natives, far more pri-
| mitive and undeveloped than their con-
| temporaries in Oahu, OF few Jap
! anese. and of corresponding number
Of Chinese.
| Dickens commenced his Tale OF Two
| cities" with the sentence: "Marseilles
| lay broiling in the sun one day" The
| broiling process is hardly known in
| Kailua, but the village basks in what
sunshine there is, and might as well be
brollcd for any signs Of life that appear.
except on steamer days, when few
| carriages, horsemen and wagons impart
momentary activity to the scene.
The lone street is frequented by jack
asses, which are so vociferous, especial
y at the sight of strangers, that re-
Gently, a visitor, not wishing to be out
done in politeness, took off his hat in
response to numerous salutations of
this sort, courteously suggesting, how
ever, that 1t was a case of mistaken
Identity. The noise breaks the stiffness
of the air and sounds like a protest
against unnatural conditions, but 1t
does not In any degree affect the pre-
vailing lethargy. 1t may be readily I'M
derstood that the intelligent and aspir-
ing business Americans, to whom ref
erence has been made, only hold their
ambition in check, under the firm belief
that local revolution and prosperity are
not far ahead.
Four miles inland on the slopes of
the mountain, the irregular road is
lined with proofs of the possibilities of
North and South Kona. The numerous
small farms and orchards that streak
the fertile soil in each direction have
been already mentioned in the Adver-
tiser There are also a few large cat
tie ranches, with permanent and sight
ly improvements, in which determined
and capable men, filled with energy and
enriched by experience, have wrought
their way to afIluence. Gentlemen who
attended the late Fourth of July cele-
bration on what is termed the upper
road on which the existing industries
of Kona are represented, have express
ed their qualification, not only at the
number but at the quality of the as
Iichr
Germans. natives, pure and rived, We're
there with their families, and presented
an array, more than average in any
country, of fine looking women and
men, possessed of intelligence, educa-
ton, breeding, and worldly knowledge
and experience, far beyond the appear
ance of the isolated locality in which
they reside.
These suggestive facts demonstrate
what the Kona District, North and
South, ought to be and will yet be-
come. The vast spaces of fertile land
in every direction, even up to the higher
attitudes, should be clearly and def
nitely advertised on the mainland of
the United States and among the right
| classes of thrifty farmers and horticul-
! turists in Europe, who desire to better
their circumstances. a policy should be
adopted by the Territory and by the
private owners of large tracts in kona,
which would insure the establishment
and the development of plantations,
vineyards, orchards and farms, of mod
crate size and diversified in their pro-
ductions. 1t is doubtful whether in any
part of the United States there are
more solid attractions for those immi-
grants who build up communities, raise
the standard of citizenship, and per-
manently contribute to the wealth of
| the nation.
Facilities for transportation and for
access to markets ultimately correspond
to the demand. There is no reason,
arising from natural conditions, why
the shrek of the locomotive whistle
should not be heard in Kailua, why
! there should not be wharf facilities
: there for steamers and sailing vessels,
why there should not be telegraph COM
municaton with the throbbng and adj
vancing world, why in short industry
should not supplant Incidence and in
| ertness and a center of business energy
/ and prosperity be added to and indis-
solubly connected with the numerous
entrepots, insular and continental,
through which progress and civilization
are forcing their upward way.
And what is true of North and South
Kona is true of many other localities
on Hawaii, on Maui, on Molokai on
Kauai and on Oahu. Promotion on
practical lines is needed all over the
islands.