Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1907-02-12
HAWA|rS FUTURE
SENS VERY BRIGHT
Department of Commerce and Labor.
Bureau of Statistics,
Washington.

Washington.
January 30, 1907.
Dear Sir:-I beg to express to you
my thanks for the map which you
send me, entitled Crossroads of the
Pacific" II is very interesting and
striking presentation OF the impor-
lance of Hawaii to the commerce Of
the Pacific. and of the commerce Of
the Pacific to Hawaii; and whether
We consider It In the first mentioned
light. of the importance of Hawaii to
Pacific commerce. or In the seconf.
Df the Importance of Pacific COM
merce to Hawaii, we can but see In
II bright future for the Hawaiian
Islands and their people. That the
commerce of the Pacific is sure to
grow in the immediate future more
rapidly than that of any other ocean
section of the world is generally con-
reded and indeed can not he doubted
when we take into consideration the
prospect that we shall within a few
years open new door to that great
est OF oceans, the door of the Panama
canal. Not only is It the greatest of
! oceans. but II furnishes the highway
for interchange between great sec
lions of the world which are mutual
~ interdependent, and In those In
tcrchanges Hawaii can but profit as
The great central station. the cross
roads, as your map very APPLY puts It.,
pf the various highways connecting
Asia and Oceania on the one hand
with America on the other, and when
the Panama Canal shall be opened,
with Europe also.
But there is another thought
which | want to take this occasion
! TO express, and that Is that the true
prosperity of Hawaii lies, In my
J opinion, In the development Of high
ways In the interior of the Islands
iather than highways on the ocean.
Wy this mean that the greatest
prosperity which could come to your
islands Is through an opening up Of
! the interior and such diversifcation
of industries and producing power
us would he possible under such
conditions. A section able tn pro-
duce such n variety of tropical ar
i,clcs as may be produced in the Ha-
waiian Islands, and having free ac-
'rcss to u market demanding such
enormous quantities of those various
articles AS does the market of the
United States, ought to become not
merely prosperous, as II already Is,
but one OF the most prosperous and
perhaps the most prosperous Of all
the tropical communities of the
sugar. of which the United States
imports more than one hundred mil
lion dollars worth year; with the
power To produce coffee, of which w
import from scycnty-fivc to one hun
dred million dollars worth annual
lily: with the power 70 grow rubber
lof which we import fifty million dol
lars worth annually; with the pow
ltT 10 prouutc . tTOplCdl IIuitS' vi
which we import thirty-five million
dollars worth annually; with the
power to produce sisa!. of which WI
import fifteen million dollars worth
annually, and with the power to pro
ducc cocoa, of which we import near
ly ten million dollars worth annual!
| y, the possibilities of increased pros
pcrity In Hawaii seem to me yer,
great, and II YOU can bring about {
development Of crossroads" In thu
interior of your islands. as commerce
has already made those Islands thu
crossroads of the ocean, you will SCI
. still further Improvement In tina
wonderful prosperity of which w
are, all of us, so proud.
: Very truly yours,
r o. p. AUSTIN,
Chief of Bureau.
Mr.. II. =, Wood, Secretary, The Iia