The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-12-08
Spreckelsville, Cuba, Nov. s, 1906.
Camp ST. Augustus.)


Editor Advertiser: Through the
kindness of a friend in Honolulu, re
ceiyed a copy of the Jubilee number
of your paper. Before proceeding fur
Their, let me congratulate you on this
number 1t IS a history in itself, ano
the many faces that adorn it's pages
were familiar to me when I was on
Merchant street. 1t is to me good
reminder of Hawaii. 1 am much
pleased to see Mine Host Major VOL
tiers still on deck. for this is the rainy
season here and pups are confined IN
doors the greatest part of the time.
have read and re-read the paper.
I will now give you my ideas on TINS
country. When 1 arrived in Havana,
last January, it reminded me very
much of Honolulu in 1900, when every
real estate man was in clover and
every third or fourth man you met go
ing towards the judiciary Building
was bound for the Recorders office,
the hackmen all busy, the streets
crowded with people bearing smiling
faces, everyone making more or less
money and every person working who
cared to work. The same sights met
my eyes when arrived in Manzanillo,
and it is the same today as it was
last January, and 1 believe it will con-
tinue so, for the prospects in this
country are bright and the Americans
are not behind in comprehending it.
I live thirty miles by sea from Man
Zanillo. The property of LA Federal
is a grand one, containing 10000 acres.
1t is on the south side of the island,
and. therefore. we do not get the full
benefit of the trade winds. I often long
for the breeze which comes down Nu-
uanu Valley. There is enough timber
on the property to nearly pay the pur-
-nase price-mahogany, pencil cedar,
huckro and several other varieties of
hard woods. There are thirty families
living on the place, some of the Oldest
having been born here. consisting or
from five to fifteen persons each. The
young men work on the surrounding
during planting and cutting
time, and in this way get their ready
cash. The old men and children stay
at home and till the astencia, as it is
called here-a homestead it would be
called in Hawaii. Each homestead con-
tains over sixteen acres. The company
gives these people lease from year
to year at an annual rental of one
dollar, and looks upon them as a good
nucleus for labor. How does this COM
pare with the policy of the Hawaiian
planters?
Some of my friends in Hawaii have
asked me if the Cuban is anything
like the Porto Rican. 1t is true that
not all the Cubans I have come across |
will work but none of them will WORK |
for less than one dollar a day and |
board money Americana. Tney are a |
sport-loving people. Every boy from
fifteen years up carries a machete. |
owns horse and game cock, and on
holidays here they have horse races.
chicken fights all day. dance all night, !
IND then go to work the next morn,
ng.
Each homesteader raises his own cof-
ZEE, tobacco, potatoes, corn-in fact, he
BUYS nothing but the clothes he wears.
All of them keep several pigs, a COW
IT two and lots of chickens. I wish
,ou could see them getting the juice
tut of the sugar cane, for their use.
\ post is driven in the ground, with
spout or lip cut on top of it. Then
hey have a handle, resembling a pump
andle or lever, the cane is put under
his, it is pressed down and the juice
uns down the lip or spout into a con-
amer, which is put on the fire and