The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-01-04
AN ORIENTAL SECTION.


In one hundred yards of .Waipahu's
main street counted forty-three Jap
anese flags displayed. Even some of
the Chinese shops were decorated with
the Rising Sun in honor of New Years,
which appears to be a Japanese cele-
bration. 1 saw one British flag lone-
somely flying among the collection and
a couple. of Chinese dragons, but there
was no sign of the Stars and Stripes.
In the evening there were two Japa-
nese shows in progress. They told me
in Waipahu that the New Year cele-
bration was quiet, everyone having
spent all their money on the Emper-
or's birthday.
There is branch Office of the Ha-
wall Shinpo there, where was located
the only telephone in the town that
was working. I wandered into two
japanese billiard parlors, which flank
the Waipahu saloon, run by a Port
uguese. Both were doing a rushing
business. In one / stayed few min
utes to listen to dispute between two
Chinese, three Japs and Hawaiian
as to who had pocketed number three
ball There were seven in the game,
the odd player taking advantage OF
the diversion to move the cue ball out
from behind some others so that he
would not scratch" when the DISPUTE
was settled and he came to play. The
game was Boston pool and all the
players talked English. / learned here
that the pool tables had been made
by japanese cabinet makers in Homo
lulu, who, since the fad has taken hold
of the Orientals have gone into the
of pool and billiard tables
on a big scale. The table I examined
showed Signs of home manufacture
but answered every purpose required
of it.
The car that runs over the O. r.
&. L. Wahiawa branch is a whole train
in itself In the front is a second
class compartment with seats for
twenty passengers; in the rear is a
frst-class section where sixteen can
sit down, and between the two is a
baggage express and mail section. The !
car is a new one, only lately built for |
the special service and quite comfort |
able The difference between the two
sections-besides the difference in fare |
lis that in the second class one may
smoke at any time and in the first
class one may smoke if there are no
women passengers.
Conductor Brevet has charge of this |
train and when he was not collecting
the fares of the twenty passengers
aboard he discussed pineapples and
the troubles he has with his japanese
riders. 1 had a chance to see a sample
of them. A Japanese wahine boarded
the car at Waipahu with two children,
each around ten years old. She grave
ly handed a single fare for herself to
Brevet. Then the dispute over fare
for the boys. With an alluring smile
the wahine mo savveyed" all he said,
but the big conductor refused to treat
the matter as a joke and the forced
smile faded from the woman's face.
Sadly she dipped into her kimono and
hauled forth voluminous kerchief. |
This she unwound and poured the
change in it into the conductors hand.
1t was a nickel short, but it went
More better you get paper next time
said Brevet and tackled the next Jap
This time the conductor was nickel
short himself in change. by and by,
all right" he said, moving on. but the
Jap refused to take chances and
tagged the trainman down the aisle
until someone else. paid a fare and the |
necessary nickel was handed him.
The building of the Wahiawa branch
has opened up a number of pieces of
land in the gulch for the Waialua
plantation and these are being cleared |
of glue and lantana for cane. Already
over a hundred acres is ready to
plough and plant