The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-01-17
COL. SAM PARKER
Tells EN- A FEW
New York Sun Gets Pointers by
Way of WeIl-KnoWn
Kamaaina.

travellers from Hawaii are always
welcomed in New York by the reporters
of the Sun, who publish interviews with
Honolulu folk at every opportunity.
Col. Sam Parker was in that city on
New Years day and the Sun had this
to say to him:
A big man, whose white mustache
showed strikingly against his sun
Drowned face, and who wore a wide
brimmed black hat, strobe into the Hol-
land House yesterday morning and ask
ed to see F. E. Thompson of Honolulu.
"Your name, pleasef" suggested the
clerk.
"Just say man from Honolulu. He
will understand. The name doesn' It
matter. He is one of the fellows that
have the brains. furnish the money"
The stranger then walked into the bar
and demanded some of the finest cigars
the hotel had in stock and lamented
that he hadn't been able to buy really
good cigar in New York.
Mr.. Thompson is the president of two
irrigation companies in the Hawaiian
Islands and it developed when he came
downstairs that his caller was Col Sam
Parker of Honolulu, who also is presi-
dent of an irrigation company Colonel
Parker used to be minister of foreign
affairs when Hawaii was kingdom
and Liliuokalani was Queen and before
that under King Kalakaua he was a
member of the house of mobiles and got
his title by being on Kalakaus's per.
sonal staff.
Colonel Parker said yesterday he
! didn t want to reminisce. "Ex-Com-
missioner Blount when he was sent out
there by President Cleveland he said,
/ "got enough to fill library and what
l know has adj been told. Yes, it is
true that keeping up diplomatic corps
under the monarchy used to be a big
expense. But the prosperity of Hawaii
dates away back of the changes in gov
ernment, going back to the reciprocity
treaty of 1875 or 1876. Look here, IN
too old to talk about the past. I'm
for the present and the future.
"There is large party of us come
on to urge congress to modify the Or.
ganic Act, so that we can irrigate a
lot of land with surety that our title
will not be questioned. AS the law
stands now any twenty-five homestead
ers may petition the government to
withdraw any of its land from lease
which would be serious question if
we had gone ahead and constructed our
works.
"We have Just finished on the east
side of the island of Hawaii twenty.
eight miles of ditch, which includes nine
miles of tunnelling through mountains,
the tunnel being FIVE and a half feet
wide at the base and six feet high We
intend to have on the south and west
sides a canal ninety-four miles long,
with lateral bitches of an equal mileage,
and to cut another tunnel 1900 feet
long through n mountain. At present
the land in Hawaii which has enough
water for sugar growing is all under
cultivation. Our irrigation works will
add 1000 square miles to the tillable
area on the island of Hawaii and great
=, ly increase the sugar area. Last year Is
i sugar crop was the best we have ever
had in Hawaii, and 1t brought good
/ prices.
"There is no Japanese scare in Ha,
/ waii. - said the Colonel in answer to
a question. "It exists only among
people who have never visited the Ter.
ritory. The Japs are too, shrewd TO
think of Hawaii. There are few Jap
anese- Americans and few Chinese
Americans and even a few Korean
Americans in the Island, but as a rule
Asiaties leave Hawaii after they have
acquired a competence. You would
think the Koreans would feel they bad
no home TO 90 back 70, but back they
60
1--WE Hawaiians are the greatest
travellers Ia the world, observed Col
nnel Parker. elt would surprise yon
too 90 see how many automobiles ~
have ont there WHY, in the city oi
Honolulu alone we have over eight hun
dfed. aud mind Ynn, they ave 0f ihf
nneaf makea We haye two hundred
and hfiy miles of perfect roads, Nhiei
are Kept sell oiled, Hna We have 3 speed
regulation 9f dfleen miles an haur IA
she elil Rna nane 9uislas ! have iuai
bought q Big ear Whleh ! nm iatiaa
back nih ms, and mY plan i - lFaKel
j. 4 ffam here 81 NAaARalaH Rna sea
] ofleana RHa ihen shlp aefehs feHnifY
~ ihe feasl -