The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-12-16

sires. and assuring them of his friend
ship and of his cooperation as far as
possible and consistent with the public
good. Against the advice of a large
majority of his friends he called the
legislature together in special session
to pass financial bills vitality concern
ing the expenditure of the revenue. His
action was completely justified. For
the first time the bills We're debated.
and passed, with not a whisper of graft,
and the session was shorter than
planned. Governor Carter is now pre-
pairing for a new legislature to be elect
ed next month, with good prospects of
continuing to hold the great influence
he has acquired over the people.
Business of late has passed through
a period of some depression, owing
partly to the low price of sugar IN the
markets of the world, but chiefly to
the labor question. The latter is the
more serious of the two, for unless
cheap labor can be obtained, the Gull
ture of sugar cane cannot profitably
be carried on. What is absolutely
needed is a modification of the Chi
nese exclusion law, made to apply on
ly to Hawaii The Chinese seem bet
ter qualified for field labor than any
of the other nationalities which have
been tried, and they prove very ca
pable, and are easily managed.
Though the islands lie just on the
line between the temperate and the
tropic zones, the climate is too warm
for white men to work successfully as
field hands. Small farmers can Gull
tivate on certain locations, but not in
the cane fields. The Japanese who
have been introduced in large numbers,
and are now in the majority, have not
proved tractable as laborers, nor very
desirable as inhabitants. The low
grade imported Porto Ricans and
Southern Negroes have proved to be
great failures, their natural vicious
ness, ignorance, and Incidence making
it almost impossible that they should
become desirable elements in the popu-
lation
The future population of Hawaii is a
matter for thoughtful consideration
With $4,000 japanese, So, 900 Hawaiians,
10000 Chinese, $4,000 Portuguese, and
but 10000 of Anglo-Saxon blood, it is
easy to conceive that with that mild
climate there will be large and rapid
increase. Under present laws, chill
dren born of foreign parents in the
United States are citizens eligible to
all privileges. What will the future
voting population be? Should there not
grafton of small American farmers. who
could take up unoccupied land, and
who would maintain an American SEN
timent for real and traditional Amer
lean institutions and principles?
The principal productions of the is
lands are coffee. rice, and sugar Cof-
fee is easily cultivated, and the quality
is superior, the greatest drawback be-
ing the lack of cheap labor. Rice grows
freely and yields large returns.
The production of sugar is far great
er than that of all others combined,
and will, in time make Hawaii one
of the greatest sugar raising countries
of the world. This interest dominates
all others. and on the rise or fall of
the price of sugar depends largely the
success or failure of investments. In
the period Immediately succeeding an
nexation, there was a great boom in
sugar plantation stock, with the usual
result of a collapse. With decreasing
prices came period of depression from
which the islands are slowly but APP
surely recovering. There is
no other country in the world
where the production of sugar is more
carried on with less cost
and better profit. If only the labor
question could be favorably settled by
Congress, no country would afford bet
er opportunity for investment of cap
tai for with prosperity in sugar as
'ured, all other material developments
would follow
Notwithstanding all the drawbacks
# the hard times and difficult problems
IF the last few years. Hawaii has
developed wonderfully in the past dec
tide. The increased amount of and
lnder cultivation, the extensive pur-
'hases of machinery and of material
Mostly from the United States. the
'utlay of capital in telegraph, tele-
,hone. and other electrical appliances. I
n steam and electric railroads the en- |