Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-01-19
MAUI IS ALIVE
With OPTIMISM
FOR THE FUTURE
tContinucd rom page one)

sugar prices. Also the fact that a
large amount Of construction work
such as railroad building, tunnel con-
struction on some big irrigation prof.
: ects, and road building out of loan
/ fund, which was under way a year
! ago but has for the most part been
completed. thus letting large num-
! Der of Iaborers cut Of employment,
has little or no connection with the
depression in the chief industry of the
territory. Nor again, are the uncer-
Etainties besettfng the immediate fu-
ture Of the pineapple industry to be
attributed directly, at leastl to the
placing of sugar on the free list. d
But OF course the general string
ency Of the money market which has
existed in greater or less degree on
the mainland for some months, and
which is being felt all over the terri
tory, is doubtless the main cause of
the general trouble. The banks of
Maui, like banks elsewhere, have been
holding a tight hand on their money.
And here's where the shoe begins to
pinch the little fellow-the small land
holder and the laborer. Not only are
they forced to dig up money to pay
present obligations, but in too many
instances they have no recourse to
which they can turn to get It.
And here is where the mischief of
a peculiar and very pernicious insti.
tuition comes TO light Among the
Japanese OF Maui, and also to con-
siderable extent among the Portu.
guese and other nationalities, in q
good many instances, has grown up
form of gambling, or speculation, as
many prefer to cali 1t, known as
"tanamoshi.p II seems to have origin.
ated with the japanese, from which
the game gets its name, and who are
by far the most Influenced by it, It
is q tontine, based upon the payment
OF a fixed sum at stated intervals by
the members, who in turn bid for
the purpose of securing the use of
the fund thus collected. AS it is usual
~ operated in this island, ten men
will get together and agree to pay
into common fund each month. say
SO each. The 800 thus immediate |
~ raised is thereupon auctioned off
to the members, and the one willing
to pay the highest takes the pot,
If money is scarce in the crowd, or II |
there is an element of suspicion as
TO the integrity of some of the mem.
bers, bidding is keen, and the man |
who takes the fund sometimes pays
from Is TO so per cent for the priv. |
lege. To all intents the money. thus
secured is loan, for the borrower
is bound to continue to pay his month, |
" dues of ten thereafter without hay-
ing further privilege Of borrowing, |
until he has paid In the sum of $780, |
Each month is bid for, and the last
man OF course, gets the entire 500. |
plus, Of course, all he. may have re- !
ceired during the progress of the |
game, through his share of the in /
terest payments-that is provided the |
tanamoshi survives so long. And here
is where the recent trouble has come /
When business generally was good,
many of these tananoshis are said to /
have been carried through without |
trouble, but when hard times began |
to pinch the various plantation camps, |
the tanamoshis devolyed into gen.
eral financial orgy. Men earning from |
$40 to $50 per month would be involy- |
ed in from half dozen to a dozen |
tanamoshfs, using their borrowings |
from one to pay their dues in the |
others. n number Of Instances are |
related in which common laborers at |
present time have tanamoshi debts
amounting to from $500 to $1,000. !
With the slackening OF business |
and the completion of construction
work, s considerable number Of labor
ers Involved in these games became
idle and unable to pay their assess |
ments. Others seeing storms ahead
grabbed what they could and struck |
out for pastures new And thus was
smaiisized money panic started. !
In the Paia district, which seems to |
have been one of the worst hot beds
for this form of gambling, it is diff !
cult to learn how many of these ton
tines have gone to smash in the past |
six months. And the Consequences !
have been good deal more far+reach- |
ing than might at first be imagined. !