The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-03-22

.'I am very seriously alarmed at the
condition that has arisen under the
operations of the new liquor law, the
increase of drinking and drunkenness
among the native Hawaiians, espe-
cially, and the ncapacitating Of the
native from working" said Acting Cow
ernor Atkinson yesterday. THE evil is
to be noted particularly among the
gangs of dock laborers. Why, one Of my
friends who is in charge of lot of
these at the docks tells me that he is
fearful, if he can not devise some way
to keep his men sober, he will have
TO let them go and get Japanese to
do the work. Those who understand
the situation here will appreciate what
q hardship this will work. He went
aboard a ship being unloaded in the
harbor the other day, and found his
stevedores in the hold with a big
siemijohn of very bad liquor.
And it is not only the increase in
the consumption of liquor that has
law, but the liquor that is being sold
in the deadfalls about town is of the
viIest character. 1t is the/adulterated
stuff that makes men devils, and kills
them in short order. What is to be
zone about it? I do not know. But
there must be some steps taken, and
soon, to protect the Hawaiians."
CAUSE FOR ALARM.
How much cause there is for the
alarm of the Governor, over the con-
,Clition that exists can be readily
realized by one who will take walk
through the lower quarter of the
town, and note the large number of
japanese saloons, deadfalls every one
of them, that have been opened there
since the new liquor law Went INTO er-
feet Ribald noises of song and inde-
cent jest float out of these places from
the lips of men who have become
drunken in them, and crowds of ma
tiyes may be seen reeling in and out
of them at all hours in the evening.
OF course, there are more of these
drunken men on Saturday night, when
the dock laborers are paid off, but
there are drunken men, most of them
natives, although an occasional Chi
nese or Japanese is seen among them,
every night American soldiers and
sailors. too, get into these places, and
rarely get out of them with any
money.
PETTY CRIME INCREASING.
AS to petty crime. It is we'll known
that it is a1arrnfngly on the increase,
and this is particularly true of small
burglaries and thieving. Perhaps,
however, the worst feature of the new
saloons is that boys and very young
men frequent them so much. This
condition exists, not only in Homo
lulu but throughout the Territory as
WELL a statement that is borne out by
the increased number of liquor Ii
.censes that have been taken out under
the new law.
Figures given by Treasurer Camp
bell yesterday show that there have
been one hundred and five fifth-class
liquor licenses issued since the new
law went into effect, and of these |
ninety-six have been issued for the |
sale of liquor at places that did not |
handle it before. Most of these places |
are country stores, outside of Homo |
Lulu It was complained, when the |
liquor law was under discussion in the |
Legislature that there was need for a |
class of licenses for country stores, |
where travellers could get beer and |
liquor in bottles as they drove along |
the roads, and it was for this class of |
place that the fifth-class license was
designed But it was never designed I
that every store should become a gin
mill.
INCREASE IN SALOONS.
OF the regular saloon licenses. the
Urea surer's figures show that there
were issued one hundred and forty
three under the new law. OF these,
forty are for new saloons. And in
cIuded in the one hundred and three
are the old beer stores, |
each one of which has taken out
full saloon license under the new law.
This viii account for at least half of
the number. so that there are forty |
new saloons, places where liquor was
never sold before, in the Territory
under the rev law. and about fifty
beer places that have f1owered into
full dged saloons.
The Antf-Saloon League has taken
up the fight against this condition
actively. and included in its
data which it's agents collect there are
some records of what are believed to
be fraudulent licenses The League, of
curse, viii move against every such |
case
LICENSES BY FRAUD. Is
Treasurer Campbell has received |.