The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-08-14
SNAKES AND
MILLIONAIRES
The First Non Stunt in Hawaii
and the Latter Are
BanefiCent.

ZEN 1T 1t pllbi1c3H Il Inc tHo C40
ments in the Hawaiian Islands which
are most likely TO obtain the ultimate
control of things there, according to
T. F. Fyler of Buford, s. c., who, for
the past seven years, has lived in Ho-
nolulu. as bookkeeper and cashier of
he 5. N Castle estates, are the Japa-
nese laborers and the American mil
lionaires. Mr.. FyleT stopped in Den
yer last night on his way to the is
lands from a four months vacation in
his home. The japanese, says Mr..
Fyler, bid fair to absorb all of the
market for agricultural labor, where
as the capital, the brains, the educa-
ton and pretty nearly everything else
in the islands are furnished by a
solid group of millionaires.
Recently" said Mr.. Fyler, "the
japanese have met with slight re-
buff. They have been demanding
higher wages, but so far unsuccessful
ly. The regular wage for workers in
the sugar fields is from $22 to $25 a
month. The Japs wanted 81 a day.
The cane growers refused their de-
mands and the Japs for once were
obliged to give in. 1t has been a good
thing for them. Many of them had
fought in the japanese army against the
Russians and had begun to think that
L h rr-l 81 ~
The millionaires, according to Mr..
Fyler, have practically built up the is
land. They have developed the in
dustries, made the cities, founded
schools, churches-in short, they have
made Honolulu look like a thorough
going American city.
81 do not think that there is any
immediate danger of the japanese en-
tirely driving out the white laborers, -
said Mr.. Fyler, "but it can not be
denied that they form very consid
cradle part of the life in the islands. -
The japanese have three newspa
rers, printed in their own language,
and it is these organs that are largely
responsible for the agitation for higher
wages. -
The japanese are not segregated
from the Americans in the public
schools as they are in California. In
fact, there is no segregation of any
race. Americans, Japs, Portuguese,
Germans and natives are all educated
together in the common schools, which
are plentiful and which, by the way,
are excellent. The Japs are the pre-
dominating element, though. I should
say that there are about $4,000 of them
in Honolulu alone, and about 10000 in
the islands.
ga strange thing about the place, ,"
said Mr.. Fyler, "and one that is not
generally known, and that is conse
quently a great surprise to the tour
lists who 60 there, is that there is not
a snake in the entire territory, not a
one of any kind whatsoever. These are
the only tropical islands in the world
that can boast of such a thing, [
think
Like Denver, Honolulu is very par
ticular in the matter of circuses. Shows
with animals are encouraged to stay
away as much as possible. This is
done to prevent the introduction of
snakes.
Recently said Mr.. Fyler, ga
circus did come to Honolulu and was
obliged to sell its entire collection of
snakes to the government.
Sugar, of course, still continues to be
the leading industry, Mr.. Fyler says,
but it is being given a close race by
the pineapple industry, which, intro
duced on small scale some ten years
ago, has now grown to enormous pro-
portions and bids fair to absorb the
elder industry, The Americans are
putting more and more of their money
into pineapples rather than into sugar.
The great craze among the million
airs, says Mr.. Fyler, is passion for
automobiles. Every business man of
any consequence at all thinks it alb
solutely necessary to have at least two
or three machines, one in which to
run about the city, one in which to
visit the plantations and another to
use for excursions and parties, etc.
There are 400 automobiles registered
in Honolulu alone. On each of these
the owners are obliged to pay a tax
to the city government.
The old queen, Liliuokalani, so the
visitor stated, makes an annual trip
to Washington to present a claim for
possession of the former crown islands
of which she claims she has been I'M
justly deprived.
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