The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1906-09-21
DEVELOPING
THE TROPICS

tiovernor Carter has received the let
ter printed below from Mr.. Austin
chief OF the Bureau of Statistics. DE
partnent Of Commerce and Labor.
u Is n most interesting communica
tion, In the first place. from It's revela
tion Of the Increasing attention to tn
tropics. together with demand for thei
products. now existent In countries II
| tho temperate zone In the next place
! IL is fattering to Hawaiian enter
prise that such a trained observer a,
Statlstlcian Austin should Indicate. foi
means OF developing the tropical ant
| snbtropical belt OF the earth. ths
utilization OF modern discovery and in
vention In the very manner that hai
marked the latest progressive steps f
| the chief industry of this Territory
also to some extent in public utilities
conducted by the Government and by
corporations under public franchises
When, for instance. he talks about the
ability OF man now to carry the power
OF the waterfalls In the form OF cleo
tricity to the material or to the plan
tation or the mine and utilize 1t for
that as well as transportation, while
he can also now readily supply power
in another form, viz, that produced by
the use OF petroleum. Mr.. Austin is
stating a general principle that has
concrete illustrations in the lately
started Wain!ha electric plant, in the
lighting OF Honolulu's streets for many
years past and In the recent adoption
of petroleum for fuel. both in the Ho-
nolulu pumping stations and the Rapid
Transit Co.'S power house.
Following is Mr.. Austins letter:
Department of Commerce and Labor.
Bureau of Statistics.
Washington. Sept L. 1906.
His EXcellency, the Governor of Ha-
wall. Honolulu, Hawaii.
My Dear Sir. / acknowledge receipt
of your letter of August 16, and the
two papers on Tropical Medicine"
which you kindly sent me, and thank
you for them. / am. as you say. great
ly interested in subjects of this char
acter. and especially in those which re-
late to the tropics and their products.
believe that the next great duty Of
man is the development OF the tropics.
That section Of the world lying be-
tWttIl tHt QUIZ pdl III ih'itduV'
which runs through New Orleans in the
United States. and Cairo, Egypt and
Hongkong, China, and the 30th parallel
of south latitude, we may. 1 think,
class as tropical or subtropical; and,
while 1t contains practically half the
area and half the population OF the
world. 1t at present supplies but about
one-fifth OF the merchandise entering
international commerce. although 1t is
naturally the most productive section
of the world.
The temperate zones, now pretty well
developed, have learned the value of
the products of the tropics and are
increasing their demands for them day
by day, as Is shown by the fact that
the United States, for example, has In
creased its importation of tropical and
subtropical products from 140 millions
In 1870 to about $40 MILLIONS at the
present time. The slow development
OF the tropics up to this time has been,
/ think, due to the fact that climatic
power OF man and beast was INSULT
cient for the development OF agricul-
ture, mining, manufacturing and trans
portation. But now that man has
X X X n \ X X X X X X X X X X X 4
The situation is in a number of re-
spects a grievous one, because an i'm
mediate remedy does not suggest
itself The people have oversupplied
themselves with facilities for the use
of which there is no present or imme-
diate future demand. In default OF a
great industrial growth they would
like to make their islands an interna-
tional sanatorium.
SUMMER PERPETUAL.
The islands are exceedingly attract
i've to the eye, though not as much
so as they would be IL their. bare
peaks were densely wood
ed; but the nearly uniform tempera-
ture from years end to years end, the
almost eXhilaratins trade winds which
are Consistently blowing. the wonderful
bathing beaches with the exquisite
of the water, the abundance
Of extraordinary flowers and the
entire absence OF earthquakes. lorna ,
does, poisonous vines, dangerous rep
tiles and other similar tropical con-
1itions combine to make this group
" islands attractive to either sum
ner or winter visitors. If~Hawaii We're
1--WE days sail off the Atlantic coast of
the United States, there can be no
doubt that the wishes OF its people
to have multitude OF visitors come
to their shores would be speedily real
lied, but instead 1t is 200C miles from.
the coast Of California, a state which
has many OF the same advantages as
a health resort and vacation ground
that Hawaii possesses. The Pacific
slope is sparsely populated when COM
pared with the Atlantic. There is no
cold and bleak winter In California
to drive its people to the perpetual
of Hawaii; while those from
the eastern states who seek the warm
winter of California will rarely think
II necessary TO add these five or six
days travel to their trip. can not,
see in what way Hawaii is
to become much frequented pleas
ure and health resort in consequence
OF its scenic and climatic attractions.
NOT AN INDUSTRIAL FAILURE.
would not have 1t understood from.
what | have said that Hawaii is an in
dustrial failure. on the contrary, its
plantations are each year turning out
large quantities of sugar. and some of
them are paying highly satisfactory
dividends; but / am assured that such
payments are the exception, rather than