The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-08-24
HONOLULAN
IN MANILA
Living Cheaper---CIimate Not
So Good---FiIipinos Playing
at Government.
BY Z. COOK.

| have half dozen names. This il
rather confusing to strangers, and ever
residents of the city seldom beeom,
very familiar with street nomenclature
While the name Manila is very
generally applied to the whole city, i
really belongs to the .walled city
or g Intramuros The other section,
are named much like the different parts
of Honolulu, sTondo,' - .sSt. Nicolas, ;
Binondo," Sta Cruz "Iuiopo,'
tTanduay," HErmita, "Malate, )
etc. In times of high water most of tn,
city is inundated, and in the ordinary
rainy season all vacant lots are covered
with water
The streets have been raised under
American rule and are now very pass
able; in fact, they are better than the
streets of Honolulu as / remember
them.
The city is scattered over a large
area with many vacant lots, and before
the street car was inaugurated a car
rlage of some sort was indispensable
to every household Now the street
cars are very efficient and one can get
to any part of the city readily. These
ears are operated bv natives, and they
are fairly satisfactory. They lack the
domlneering manner of the class in
America, but / presume it will come in
due time and then we will "feel at
home -
The city is now engaged in sewer
construction on large scale, and finds
it necessary to extend the pipes long
distance into the bay for an outlet.
When this work is completed, no city
IN the East will compare with Manila
in this respect.
The new wharfs are nearing compile
ton, and soon any ship can land pas
sengers and freight without the aid of
lighters. This will save much time and
expense to shippers. The new water
works are well under way and soon the
city will have plenty of good water
Health conditions here are steadily i'm
but even the educated natives
fight everv step in advancement and
lament the good old tines of chol-
era and smallpox, just as many Ha-
waiians long for the "goed old days.
when a chief could lon off the head of
a subject with impunity.
The climate of these islands is much
mahgned, for the reason that most
Americans here do not know how to
live in the tropics Those who have
lived in @bnoIulu do not complain
much, although the habit is catching.
The nights are cooler here than in Ho-
nolulu, but we have heavy winds and
nplr in fc1a de
The rains are violent and arise more
suddenly than there also On the whole,
/ think the climate of Hawaii the best
by far.
The houses here are better adapted
in Honolulu. Rents here have fallen
two years. The cause of this is that
many Americans are building homes of
their own in the American, quarter of
the city-viz., Ermita, Malate and
Pace, on the south side of the river,
and the demand for the older houses
is less. The Americans build after the
American plan of cottages; one story
and near the ground, hence they are
tainly good patrons of the hospitals,
appear to be healthy enough.
A better class of meat than can be
had in Honolulu costs about half as
much as it does there; good butter is
10 cents per pound, chickens can be
bought for from Is cents up to 80 cents, |
but milk is practically unknown ex-
sept in cans.
Common white clothing costs about |
The same as with you.
"Ohoha' coffee costs 35 cents per |
pound. and it is much better than the
native product; Chinaman in FKona
sends it here, and his agent grinds it /
md puts it on the market. A stable |
1curromato' costs 90 cents an hour,
While a street ftrig' costs 20 cents for |
he first hour and Is cents for any ad
litional hour. Some of the street |
Door indeed, the ponies being lame and
he eurromatos' old and shabby.
The city has been governed by
council and ''alcade,' all being APP
pointed by the commissions; but the re-
ent legislature determined to have two
members elected by the city. How it
will work is the question. There are
many rumors of graft, - but as the
ouHcIi WIS NOT Responsible TO the pe0-
lie, You can see how little chance there
vas to correct irregularities if any ex-
sted. There has also existed an adj
-isory board, which could advise, but
lad no actual power. Of course, they
ound fault with everything done and
made themselves ridiculous generally.
To illustrate: At a recent fire the
hief of the fre% department accepted
he aid of the military This was made
sc of by the . advisory board - to inn
each the chief because he had not first
pplied ia the city council for author
~! The fact that the houses might
ave burned while the council was act
ng on the application does not seem to
ave occurred TO them. And this board
: from among the most intelligent
On the street you can buy more
andy for ten copper centavos' than
or ten-cent piece. It looks like more
lonev, YOU seel A native was saving
IF the limb of a tree recently. He was
tting on the limb while so doing, and
hen he fell to the ground with the