Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-03-14
TOURIST CROP
CULTIVATION
BY AN EXPERT

4
address envelopes containing these
souvenirs, and hand them in at the
desk, where stamps are put on by the
/ hotel. Each guest then becomes a
publicity agent for the place, and the
| literature reaches people who are also
! in a position to travel. / don't think
| in Honolulus case it would be fair to
expect the hotels to stand all the ex-
pense of high-priced literature, for the
| tourist is a source of income &c the
entire city The Promotion Commit
tee might well afford to foot the bill, /
should think.
Suppose now that your tourist has
| finally arrived here, what does he find?
The good God himself put the finish
| ing touches on his handiwork when
he made Oahu, so the people who live
here haven't any real reason to sit
back in their chairs and brag about
| it. 1t is up to them to supplement
nature with things of mans making,
and of these the first and foremost,
from the tourist standpoint, is good
roads The roads were bad when |
was here five years ago. With one or
two exceptions they are worse today.
Take your points of interest Dia-
mond Head-impossible Punchbowl-
as much as your life is worth to try
and navigate the road There is a
good road from Moanalua to Schofield
Barracks and beyond, but leading out
of the city itself is one of the poor
est apologies for a highway ! have
ever had the misfortune to be bumped
over. have been told that it is hard
to get your local politicians to see
the advantage of coed roads. If that
| is SO they must be very narrow minded
and unobseTying, for good roads is a
straight business proposition that a
child should be able 10 understand.
The sort of tourist that this island
wants is the man who brings a motor
car. or who hires one by the week
after he gets here, SO that he and his
coin can circulate freely. / fear that
the man who brings car or who
hires enc, doesn't get the proper in
tereSt on his investment Roads are
the season.
New then, let's jump from roads
to soldiers. I'm keen on first-hand
informaticn and have picked many
a soldier up and given him lift in
my car, for the pleasure of talking
with him. The enlisted man doesn't
like Oahu, wants to get away and
| when he does get away will knock
the place. This applies to the great
majority, | think The principal rea-
son for this dislike is the wearing
of the uniform at all times Civilian
clothes for men on pass would be a
good thing, but Of course that's some
thing that is~up to the war depart
ment, not Honolulans. However, the
army is an enormous source of in
come to the islands, and it's up to
the residents to give some return. /
have been told that the bottom would
| drop right out Of things If the troops
were withdrawn. and with 100000
month payroll, I can well believe
| it. This being the case. the people
here should do their best by the en-
listed man Make him feel welcome
in the town, and give him something
more in the way of amusements. The
soldiers are fond of dancing How
about big public dance hall. CEN
trally located?
As for amusing your wealthy tour
list. don't bother about that He will
! amuse himself. for the people who
come to Hawaii do not expect and do
not want the sort of social wbirl that
thew get in Florida. They want to
be left more or less TO their own de-
vices, and they want some degree of
quiet Which reminds me that every
nartv of JOY riders thinks the even
ing incomplete without at least one
trip by the Moana. with the muffler
cut out. the siren shrieking, and every
body aboard singing at the top Of his
or her voice. / like music and good
time as much as anyone, but there is
limit and | think that too much
hoodlnmism is permitted on the pub
lie streets at night
Your stores are excellent and the
merchants have to keep such large
stock on hand. being so far away from
the markets, that don't believe their
nrices are too high. The tourists don't
kick on this score, for they can get
what they want. r.
Some of this talk has been straight
from the shoulder. hut you asked for
my opinions, and | have given them,
freely, frankly, and with the best of
feeling for Hawaii. hope to come
back again. and when | do sincerely
hope that I'll see bigger. better Ho-
nolulu and a bumper tourist crop
PISu0p PECJAPInK tn