The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-04-29

tains the following interview with
Delegate Kuhio, by Arthur Wallace
Dunn:
WASHINGTON, April 9.-Prior to
the annexation of Hawaii to the United
States a postal savings bank system
was for years successfully operated IN
the Islands. This fact is not known
to the general public. 1t is brought
to the attention of the country IN a
bill introduced by Jonah K. Kalanla-
naole, Delegate in Congress from Ha-
wall, for the purpose of providing
means for the disbursement of certain
unpaid postal desposits. When seen to-
day and asked about his bill, which
has passed the House and is now IN
the Senate Committee on Postoffiees
and Postroads, FPrince Cupid, as the
Hawaiian Delegate is called by those
who have difficulty in pronouncing his
name, said:
s'No, we have no postal savings
bank in the Islands at this time. That
is one of the things that ceased with
our annexation to the United States.
1t was established bye. the Hawaiian
monarchy, and was good thing for
the people, who would deposit their
small savings and know they were per-
feetly safe. This bill may at first blush
convey the impression that postal
savings bank is still in operation In
Hawaii. The sole purpose of the bill,
however, is to provide way through
which the funds of depositors who died
intestate may be paid out to persons
who can prove to the satisfaction of
the Governor that. they are entitled
thereto. Claims to any such funds must
be filed within two years after the
passage of the bill or be forever barred.
If, after paying all properly certified
claims, the Secretary of the Interior
shall find that some money deposited
in the postal savings bank still re-
mains, he is given authority to draw
his warrant for the balance upon the
Treasurer of the United States, pay
able to the Treasurer Of Hawaii, who
shall apply it toward the payment of
the public debt of the Islands,
The question naturally arises: If
postal savings bank worked all right
under the Hawaiian monarchy, why
will it not work quite as satisfactorily
under the present conditions, especially
in view of the fact that the Philippine
postal savings bank system, which is
very recent creation, seems to be boom
ing along with every promise Of sue
cess?
Prince Kalanianaole talked in an in
teresting way about Hawaiian affairs
in general and mentioned several of
the more pressing problems which con-
front the people of the Sandwich
group. In response to my question re-
garding the general outlook for his
people, ne said:
1.-The people of Hawaii are happy and
contented. They are not disgruntled
now over the loss of their national en-
tity For time after annexation, of
course, they naturally were not kindly
disposed toward this country, feeling
that they had lost their independence.
But they soon discovered that they
were as independent and, in some re-
spects, more so than under a monarch
iaI form of government, though they
nexation. In speaking of Independence,
l really believe that they have too
much of it in some respects, since it
was far easier under a monarchy to
control evil practises than it is under
present conditions.
take the matter of liquor traffic, for
example-and I know it is a burning
issue here in the United States, too.
Before annexation there were just four
saloons in Honolulu. Now there is one
on every corner, more or less. This
is an Illustration of how in some re-
spects the tighter reins of a monarchy
can be made to work to better advan-
tage for the people than the absolute
freedom of a republic. Under the mon
archy no liquor was sold out in the
districts or in the small towns.
Now it is sold everywhere! Just now
the local option issue is before the
people. You see, the trouble with our
people is that they are inclined to drink
to excess. Among the working classes
it is very common to see a
man draw his pay at l o'clock Satur-
day when he quits work, first visit the
market and buy perhaps 25 cents
worth of fish and then hire a carriage
and go from one saloon to another I'M
til every penny of his wages has been
spent. Then he will wind up at home
with nothing but q little fish to show
for his work. 1 have seen this go on
week in and week out without any
bitterness some Of our educated people
ask if this sort of thing is 'civiliza
ion!