The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-11-28
IGNORANCE ABOUT
HAWAII PREVAILS
ConkIing Finds No Literature
About Islands at Any Place
on the Mainland.

"The general public back East, aside
from a few bankers and business men,
know nothing whatever about Ha-
wall said D. L. Conkling who re-
turned on the Alameda yesterday. "In
the library of congress in Washington
l found the Hawaiian newspapers in
dexed under miscellaneous foreign TO
which [ took exception at once.
found a general impression existing
that a person could not come down here
unless he spoke Spanish. Z"
Conkling's tales of the ignorance OF
Hawaii are rather startling. Continu-
ing he said Many people wanted TO
know whether or not they had to pay
five cents postage here; if we used
American money, and such.
"The last congressional party down
here kicked about the bad roads here.
| paid particular attention both going
and coming and with the exception OF
the larger cities, | didn t see anything
like the roads we have in Hawaii. On
a rainy day they must be nothing but
bogs from one end to the other.
son the way across the continent,
outside of the big cities, l saw only
four automobiles although | was riding
on the observation platform all the way
over. I counted twenty4six graveyards
from the train. One thing [ noticed
was that every station, even if it was
only water tank and signal station,
was lighted by electricity.
HThe business men whom you meet
travelling know about Hawaii very
well. While on the car I was the cen
ter of an interested group every time
] commenced to talk about the Islands
They asked all sorts of questions and
l did not know whether to be mirthful
or wrathful. / wish | could remember
some of them but l cant
81 did not see a Hawaiian folder or
any literature at all about the Islands
in any railroad station or hotel at all
except on the steamer Alameda COM
ing home. / found the best advertise
ment that Hawaii had was the canned
pineapples and the exhibit at the Seat
tie fair. Canned pineapples and eolored
fishes People all over the United
States spoke to me about the eolored
fishes.
"Haekett, the clerk of the United
States senate didn t know that Hawaii
was a Territory. He thought that it
was a possession. While in Washing
ton | had two or three nice talks with
Secretary Ballinger. He thinks that a
large trade ought to be worked up
between Hawaii and the north-that
is, Seattle, Portland and those cities. -
During his trip on the Coast Conk-
ling has INDUCED in a little theatrical
management and at the same time help
ed dispel another fallacy existing about
Hawaii, fallacy more humorous than
it is complimentary.
While in New York he met John
Ellis. the local boy, with his quintet,
and in talking with him found out that
the mulattoes-the half-negro, half
white-were getting the habit of shaw
ing their hair and getting contracts as
Hawaiian troubadors Ellis was just
about to close a contract with big
booking circuit in New York, and the
day he went to the manager S Office to
sign it somebody said, ''Why, that S a
niger Ellis lost his contract
Conkling went around to the office
with him and managed to convince the
manager that Ellis and his quartet were
Hawaiians, and the next day Ellis
showed him a contract for fortytwo |
weeks at 5000 a week.
With Ellis is his wife. Emilia Maka |
pauhi, Joseph Kekuku, Kealoha and Joe !
Paaluhi. Conkling says that if the Ha- |
waiians are good at their instruments, |
let them go to the mainland by all |
means, for they will get lots of work; |
but if they are not, keep them at home !
While on the train, Conkling met /
porter of peculiar hue.
"What nationality are you?' asked |
Conkiing.
"Why, All m a Hawaiyan, sab, 3" said |
the porter.
9Th, - said Conkling, and immediate |
ly started in on a stream of Hawaiian. |
eco on, what yo' dom ~ asked the |
porter.
81 m talking Hawaiian said Conk-
ling
Jaw, shucks,' y said the pseudo |
Hawaiian, .'Ah was only foolin yo ;, |
yo' knows dat. -
One of the peculiar ideas which East |
erners hold is that one has only to come |
over here and take up land and it will
Immediately go up in price and can be
sold at a large profit. Conkiing re
ceived many queries as to the land
questions. and he also states that he
received at least 800 promises from
people to come here.
His trip to the mainland was the first
in nine years, and he took time enough
to enjoy it. His mother and little
nephew accompanied him home and are
now all snugly ensconced in his home
on kahhi road.
W. C. Peacock s Co.. Ltd, whose
place of business is on Merchant
Nnlnr.hnr., 4 ar-nr-;..., n, q