Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 342, 10 December 1891 — Page 4

KA LEO O KA LAHUI.

"E Mau ke Ea o ka Aina i ka Pono."

 

John E. Bush.

Luna Hooponopono a me Puuku.

THURSDAY, DEC. 10 1891.

 

DOES SUGAR GROWING PAY?

            It does, and will, even at the present low price.  Every plantation on these islands would earn a @ if they could escape out of the hands of avaricious agents in Honolulu.  It is not the cost of labor that handicaps the planter and absorbs nearly all of his profits, but the excessive commissions freights, &c., that he has to pay.  @ careful estimates that have @ made, we learn that of the @ average cost of production only about one-third is for the cheap field labor, for the great percentage of the balance goes in a double commission on outlay and returns, freights, companies interest, &c.  In the latter lies the tax that needs revision, more than the cheap labor outlay.  The expense for salaries should also stand some shaving.

            In certain of the British Colonies, since the abolishment of the slavery, the rate of wages for common labor is equal to and in some places more than the amount paid here; yet sugar is raised with profit.  When these British planters were forced to free their slaves, and in consequence, obliged to nearly double their former outlays, they felt that the industry was doomed.  But they faced the situation with characteristic British pluck and energy, and with improved economical methods of production, and handling of the crops, and the long experience they have gained therewith, they are enabled to make a good profit from the industry.  To be sure the quick fortunes which they formerly made and which attracted them originally to sugar growing are not possible now, but they realize a liberal interest on the capital invested, good pay to the skilled labor and decent living wages to the common laborer.

            The main trouble in these islands has been that our planters have been in a most inordinate haste to get rich and get away, and while sugar was high and they had the benefit of the treaty, they hastened to till their pockets with gold by whatever methods the sugar craze rendered available.  They did not study to create an industrial business by economical methods or principles, but on the credulity and capital of the moneyed men sought to make rapid fortunes.  The most of them were and are adventures who have no patriotic interest in the country, but hope in five to ten years to make a fortune that will enable them and their families to live in America or Europe in ease.  Many of them have made fortunes which have been invested and spent abroad and has been no benefit to this country whose prolific soil produced the wealth.  What claim have they to special legislation for their benefit?  Now that sugar has come down to a comparatively low figure which will probably be a permanent basis, the planters realize that they must alter their economies, and their first cry is for cheap labor.  The adventure planters an disappointed and will probably close up and leave the country - god speed them.  The planters who have made their homes here and propose to remain will probably struggle with the economic question before them, and the majority will pull through alright, and continue to make money, though not so rapidly a formerly.

            The National Party propose to recommend and urge government assistance to railroads, particularly on Hawaii, in order that beside the opening up of new lands for other industries, all produce may be rapidly and cheaply conveyed to some central point for foreign shipment.  This would effect a great saving in the present cost of handling, and also enable each island to ship away its fruits and other products without extra expense in handling.  Hilo and Kawaihae on Hawaii, Kahului on Maui, Honolulu on Oahu, Waimea on Kauai, ought to be the central depots for a railway system on each island, and the port for foreign shipment.  The saving in inter-island freights, double handling, cartage, storage, &c., in Honolulu would be a very handsome percentage.  They would still be enough internal trafic to keep our present fleet of inter-island steamers in active service, especially with the settlement of the public lands with an industrial population as the National Party recommends.

            The present method and system of sugar agencies in Honolulu as we have before asserted, is also a severe tax upon the product of the planters that could and ought to be obviated.  What need for so many business houses each with a large staff of clerks that have to be supported by commission charges upon an annual crop of less than $10,000,000 that could be easily handled by one firm.  These various agents or "sugar factor" as they prefer to be called, have it is true, obtained and advanced to the planters the bulk of the capital that has been invested in sugar, but it is also true that they have realized a handsome profits on their venture: many fine houses have been built and many families are traveling abroad on the commissions charged against the sugar product.  If the planters were satisfied it were no ones business to complain.  But now the conditions are changed, the big dividends have disappeared and ECONOMY is absolutely necessary.  Let the planters combine and form a cooperative joint stock company with a certain necessary amount of capital and establish a central house in Honolulu with branch agencies in the central ports named above for the receipt and shipment of the sugar, and the importation and distribution of plantation supplies.  The capitalization should be such as to assist those who are in debt but in good condition, to get clear of their present agents.  Such a corporation could easily arrange their financial credits so as to obtain the funds necessary for advances on the crops.  Each plantation would be charged with its proportion of the exact cost of such a system, which would undoubtedly be an astonishing percentage less than the present cost to the planter of obtaining supplies and getting his crops to market.  There is power in organized forces and capital, and such an organization of the planters would, we feel sure, result in such a large saving of profits that now go to the middle man as to place every plantation on the island on a sound and paying basis.  The crop also being handled in bulk by a combined agency of all the plantation could probably be handled better in relation to the foreign market than at present, with so many different combinations.

 

New Fruit Fields

            The American agriculturist of a recent date has an interesting article on the Republic of Honduras giving an account of the movements of enterprising Americans developing the resources of that country.  The fruit products are the same as those that grow here, and already produced and traded in with profit, and further production is to be prosecuted with vigor.  The enterprise of Honduras is a sermon to the people of Hawaii, capitalists and states men worthy of deep consideration of our one staple industry.  It is part of the doctrine which the National Party is preaching.  The agriculturist says:

            "A schooner is now voyaging among the West India islands, collecting valuable plants and seeds for the botanic gardens, agricultural experiment stations and nurseries which are to be established, almost immediately on the Perry land purchase in the Republic of Honduras.  These establishments, having the encouragement of that country, are to be owned and managed by Wm. R. King, of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of other scientific bodies, and by Mr. R. D. Hoyt of the American Exotic nurseries, of Seven Oaks, Florida.

            These enterprises are to be established in the newly created department or state of Mosquitia, in the northeastern corner of the Republic of Honduras, and will be about 920 miles for New Orleans, Mobile, and Pensacola, and 1,800 miles from New York by sea.  Steamers make the voyage in three days from the Gulf points named to the Rio Patuca, which will be the port of entry of Mosquitia.  Several steamship lines run vessels of good class to the Honduras Coast, whence millions of cocoanuts, pineapples and bananas are brought to the United States each year.  These fruits form the most important sources of revenue Honduranians have.

            (To be Continued).

 

Wanted It.

            Clara-"You know that naughty novel with the red cover?  While I was talking to the superintendant of our sunday school about the new hymn books the other day.  It fell out of my arm and he saw the title."

            Maude"-What did you do?"

            Clara- "I had to let him have it."

 

Some Interesting Statistics.

            The investigations of an inquiring statistician have brought out the fact that getting born costs the people of the United States $250,000,000 annually that the total expenses of getting married are $300,000,000, and that getting buried costs $75,000,000.  The addition of the fact that getting drunk costs us $900,000,000 per year adds a new and sarcastive impressiveness to the admonition; "With all they get understanding."  Pittsburg Dispatch.

 

ON DIT.

            That Deputy Marshal Mehrtens, shed tears as deputy, because "Rob" lowerd the colors of No 1 We sympathise.

 

            That Mr. J. N. S. Williams' heart still beatsa for hold Hingland, thats when he was only half a man!  Now he has lost it in Hawaii nei.  Mr. Williams is in about the same situatoin as his illustrious countryman, who said to a young lady, "Maid of Athens ere we part, Give, O give me back my heart.

 

            That a missionary whale once swallowed a man-that's nothing to the Hawaiian being swallowed up by missionaries with his kuleana and all.

 

            That Johnny is going to get out all the old hacks and handrahans for election day.  d-n the cost, well get it on the budget somehow, I'll catch the votes.  You roll them in, We'll send for McQuinn, Who'll fill them with Gin.

 

Platform of Principle

OF THE

HAWAIIAN NATIONAL LIBERAL PARTY.

INDEPENDENCE OF THE COUNTRY

            3.  Our Judiciary system and Code of Procedure must be submitted to a thorough revision, so as to secure a cheap and prompt administration of justice, free of all sectarian or patisan spirit, and to render the Judges more directly responsible to the People; and we are in favor of a more liberal interpretation of Constitutional guarantees of the freedom of speech and the press.

 

TAXATION

            4.  A more just and perfect system of Taxation must be inaugurated, to abolish the present inequalities, by which the property of the poor is excessively taxed, while much of the rich man's goods are under-valued for assessment or entirely escape taxation; we shall therefore demand the passage of laws that will more effectually subject the property of corporations and rich citizens to their just proportion of the public burdens, while granting more liberal exemptions to the poor; and as a means of discouraging the locking up of large tracts of uncultivated lands, a differential tax should be levied in addition to the usual assessment on valuation, which should be in proportion to the fertility of the soil.  We shall also favor the establishment of a graduated income tax, and thus expect to obtain ample funds for conducting the government and attending to all the necessary public improvements without any further calls on the masses.

 

MONOPOLIES

            5.  We shall use our efforts to obtain laws by which all favoritism in the government and all monopolies, trusts and privileges to special classes shall be rendered impossible, by full, definite and mandatory statutes.

            6.  Better laws should regulate the Civil Service.  The principle of the election of officers of the government by the people should be established, and no man should be allowed to hold more than one office of profit, whilst salaries should be adequate compensation for the services rendered.  All excessive salaries should be reduced and all sinecures or superfluous offices abolished.

 

PROTECTION TO HOME INDUSTRIES

            7.  We are in favor of encouraging all home agriculture and industries, andall our native products, like rice, coffee, wool, tobacco, etc. should be protected and fostered by proper tariff regulation; and also it must be the duty of the Government, in its contracts and other operations, to give preference to national products over imported ones.

 

PUBLIC SERVANTS.

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT

            8.  We desire a more liberal policy towards the different Islands of the Kingdom, outside of Oahu; they should receive a fairer proportion of the public moneys for the development of their resources and the satisfactirn of their wants.  In fact, the principle of local Self-government should be extended, whereby giving localities may choose the most important of their local executive officers, and levy taxes for the purpose local improvements of a public nature.

 

PROTECTION TO THE LABOURING CLASSES

            9.  We shall endorse all measure tending to improve the condition of the working classes, and consequently, without injuring any vested rights, we will advocate laws to prevent all further importation or employment of contract-labor of any kind, upon conditions which will bring it into a ruinous and degrading competition with free Hawaiian or white labor.  We shall also, in the interest of the better protection oi the poor, ask for more liberal exemptions of their property from forced sale on execution, and from seizure in bankruptcy proceedings.

 

SMALL FARMING AND HOMESTEADS.

            10.  The wealthy fraction of our population have hitherto prevented the development of an independent class of citizens; the public lands have been acquired and have been tied up in a few hands or parcells to suit favorites, and small farmers and planters have been driven out by corporations or combinations of capitalists; but as small farming is conducive to the stability of the State, it should be encouraged by a new and more liberal Homestead act, by whch the ownership of small tracts of land and the settlement thereon of families of our present population, -and especialily of the native Hawaiians who have been left almost homeless in there country, -should be rendered possible.  To that end, the Government and Crown lands, (in so far as can be done without invading vested rights) should be devoted as soon as possible to homesteads and conferred upon bona-fide settlers free of taxes for a limited period.

            It should be the further aim of the government to, at once, so far improve the means of transportation,-local, national and international,-as to provide, in all the districts, cheap means of conveying the product of the soil to market.

 

ELECTORAL RIHGT.

            11.  We hold that upright and honest manhood, and not the possession of wealth, arbitrarily fixed, should consti- the right to vote for nobles as well as representatives, and no more power should be accorded to the ballot of the rich man than to the ballot of the poor man.  The discrimination in favor of wealth now made in our Constitution is contrary to all the enternal principles of right and justice, and must be abolished.  To this end, we will favor a leveling of the present distinction of wealth and classes which blemish our laws with respect of the right to vote for nobles, thereby restoring to the native Hawaiians privileges which pertain to them in their own country, and of which they have been unjustly deprived.

 

INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS

            12.  We favor the expenditure of sufficient sums to secure a number of needed public improvements on Oahu and other Islands: school, railroads and harbors and wharves, public light, and also a thorough system of reservoirs and water-works, not only for Honolulu, but through-out the other Islands.

 

NOTICE.

            LADIES wishing their feathers dyed or cleaned and curled can have it done by MRS. WERTHERN, 103 Beretania Street.

            LADIES wishing to purify their complexion and eradiate tan and freckles will be instructed by MRS. WERTHERN free of charge.  103 Beretania Street past the Armory.   317-@3m*

 

Public Notice.

Know all men by this notice that from and after this date, I have this day discharged Mr. H. C. Ulukou, from acting as an agent, for me in any sense whatever, in the charge and administration of all my property, and in the collection of all dues and rents upon any and all my estate in this kingdom.

            Any one who holds or is in possession of any property or who has any business or payments to make, will transact the same with me personally at my place at Honua@, at Honolulu, Oahu.

            KAPIOLANI.

            per Jon. Nawahi.

Honolulu Nov. 3, 1891.  d-3m.