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THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
THEIR RESOURCES AGRICULTURAL,
COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL.
[Illustration (Cover image).]
[Illustration: MAP of the HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.]
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I. 3
CHAPTER II. 12
CHAPTER III. 16
CHAPTER IV. 20
CHAPTER V. 37
CHAPTER VI. 43
CHAPTER VII. 52
CHAPTER VIII. 58
OFFICIAL DIRECTORY. 85
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
MAP OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
SANFORD B. DOLE, President of the Republic of Hawaii.
EXECUTIVE BUILDING. / JUDICIARY BUILDING.
EWA MILL. / VALLEY SCENE, HAWAII.
PAUOA VALLEY RICE FIELDS. / PINEAPPLE PLANTATION.
COFFEE PLANTATION, HAMAKUA. / COFFEE PLANTATION, PUNA.
OCEANIC STEAMSHIP AUSTRALIA. / VOLCANO HOUSE.
KOHALA RAILROAD. / RICE FIELD, PEARL CITY.
NUUANU AVENUE, HONOLULU. / WAIKIKI BEACH.
LUNALILO HOME, FOR AGED HAWAIIANS. / KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOL.
OAHU COLLEGE. / PAUAHI HALL, OAHU COLLEGE.
MASONIC TEMPLE. / KAMEHAMEHA MUSEUM.
KAWAIAHAO CHURCH (Hawaiian). / CENTRAL UNION CHURCH.
[Illustration: SANFORD B. DOLE. President of the Republic of Hawaii.]
THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
THEIR RESOURCES AGRICULTURAL, COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL.
Coffee,
_THE COMING STAPLE PRODUCT._
ISSUED UNDER THE AUSPICES
OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS,
1896.
HONOLULU:
PRINTED BY THE HAWAIIAN GAZETTE COMPANY.
The following pamphlet has been compiled for the purpose of giving
information to those intending to invest in the industries of the
Hawaiian Islands. The information can be vouched for as correct. The
portion dealing with agriculture is from the pen of Joseph Marsden,
Esq., Commissioner of Agriculture. The digest of the land law has been
prepared by J. F. Brown, Esq., Commissioner of Public Lands. The
historical portion has been written by Prof. Alexander, Chief of the
Government Survey and author of a "Short History of the Hawaiian People"
and other works. The pamphlet has been planned, edited and in part
written by Alatau T. Atkinson, Esq., ex-Inspector General of Schools,
and now General Superintendent of Census.
CHAPTER I.
GENERAL INFORMATION.
The Hawaiian Islands are situated in the North Pacific Ocean and lie
between longitudes 154 deg. 40' and 160 deg. 30' West, and latitudes 22 deg. 16' and
18 deg. 55' North. They are thus on the very edge of the tropics, but their
position in mid-ocean and the prevalence of the northeast trade wind
gives them a climate unequalled by any other portion of the globe--a
perpetual summer without an enervating heat. In the Hawaiian Islands
Americans and Europeans can and do work in the open air, at all seasons
of the year, as they cannot in countries lying in the same latitudes
elsewhere. To note an instance, Calcutta lies a little to the north of
the latitude of Kauai, our most northerly Island, and in Calcutta the
American and European can only work with his brain; hard physical labor
he cannot do and live. On the Hawaiian Islands he can work and thrive.
RAINFALL AND TEMPERATURE.
The rainfall varies, being greater on the windward side of the Islands,
and increasing up to a certain elevation. Thus, at Olaa, on the Island
of Hawaii, windward side and elevation of about 2,000 feet, the rainfall
from July 1st, 1894, to June 30, 1895, was 176.82 inches, while at
Kailua, on the leeward side, at a low level, it was only 51.21 inches
during the same period.
The temperature also varies according to elevation and position. On the
Island of Hawaii you can get any climate from the heat of summer to actual
winter at the summits of the two great mountains. A meteorological record,
kept carefully for a period of twelve years, gives 89 deg. as the highest and
54 deg. as the lowest temperature recorded, or a mean temperature of 71 deg. 30'
for the year. A case of sunstroke has never been known. People make no
special precautions against the sun, wearing straw and soft felt hats
similar to those worn in the States during the summer months.
WINDS.
The prevailing winds, as mentioned above, are the northeast trades.
These blow for about nine months of the year. The remainder of the
period the winds are variable and chiefly from the south. The Islands
are outside the cyclone belt, and severe storms accompanied by thunder
and lightning are of rare occurrence.
HEALTH.
The Islands possess a healthy climate. There are no virulent fevers such
as are encountered on the coast of Africa or in the West India Islands.
Epidemics seldom visit the Islands, and when they do they are generally
light. A careful system of quarantine guards the Islands now from
epidemics from abroad. Such grave diseases as pneumonia and diphtheria
are almost unknown. Children thrive wonderfully.
AREA.
For practical purposes--and these lines are written for practical
men--there are eight Islands in the Hawaiian group. The others are mere
rocks, of no value to mankind at present. These eight Islands, beginning
from the northwest, are named Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai,
Kahoolawe, Maui and Hawaii. The areas of these Islands are as follows:
=Square Miles.=
Niihau 97
Kauai 590
Oahu 600
Molokai 270
Maui 760
Lanai 150
Kahoolawe 63
Hawaii 4210
----
Total 6740
The Islands that interest an intending immigrant are Hawaii, Maui, Oahu
and Kauai. It is on these Islands that coffee, fruits, potatoes, corn
and vegetables can be raised by the small investor, and where land can
be obtained on reasonable terms.
HAWAII.
The Island of Hawaii is the largest in the group, and presents great
varieties of soil and climate. The windward side, which includes the
districts of North Kohala, Hamakua, Hilo and Puna, is copiously watered
by rains and, in the Hilo district, the streams rush impetuously down
every gulch or ravine. The leeward side of the Island, including South
Kohala, North and South Kona, and Kau, is not exposed to such strong
rains, but an ample supply of water falls in the rain belt. The Kona
district has given the coffee product a name in the markets of the world.
On this Island are now situated numerous sugar plantations. Coffee
employs the industry of several hundred owners, ranging from the man
with 200,000 trees to him who has only an acre or so. There are
thousands upon thousands of acres at present uncultivated and only
awaiting the sturdy arms and enterprising brains of the men of the
temperate zone to develop them.
MAUI.
Maui is also a very fine Island. Besides its sugar plantations, it has
numerous coffee lands, especially in the eastern part, which are just
now being opened up. The western slopes of Haleakala, the main mountain
of Maui, are covered with small farms where are raised potatoes, corn,
beans and pigs. Again, here, thousands of acres are lying fallow.
HONOLULU.
On Oahu is the capital, Honolulu. It is a city numbering thirty thousand
inhabitants and is pleasantly situated on the south side of the Island.
The city extends a considerable distance up Nuuanu Valley and has wings
extending northwest and southeast. It is a city of foliage. Except in
the business blocks, every house stands in its own garden, and some of
the houses are wonderfully beautiful.
The city is lighted with electric light; there is a very complete
telephone system, and tram cars run at short intervals along the
principal streets and continue out to a sea-bathing resort and public
park, four miles from the city. There are numerous stores where all
kinds of goods can be obtained. In this particular Honolulu occupies
a position ahead of any city of similar size. The public buildings
are handsome and commodious. There are numerous churches, schools, a
public library of over 10,000 volumes, Y. M. C. A. Hall, Masonic Temple,
Odd Fellows' Hall and Theater. There is frequent steam communication
with San Francisco, once a month with Victoria (British Columbia), and
twice a month with New Zealand and the Australian Colonies. Steamers
also connect Honolulu with China and Japan. There are three evening
daily papers published in English, one daily morning paper, and two
weeklies. Besides these there are papers published in the Hawaiian,
Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese languages, and also monthly magazines
in various tongues.
OAHU'S OPPORTUNITIES.
The Island of Oahu presents excellent opportunities for the investor.
Acres upon acres of land remain undeveloped among its teeming valleys,
the energies and wealth of the population having been devoted to the
development of the sugar lands on the larger Islands.
A line of railroad has been constructed which at present runs along the
coast to a distance of thirty miles from the city. It is proposed to
continue this line completely around the Island. This railroad opens up
rich coffee and farming lands and affords ready means of transport for
the produce, and an expeditious method for obtaining the necessary
supplies, etc., from the capital. The management of the railroad offers
special inducements for would-be investors to see the country, and
special rates should they conclude to settle.
KAUAI.
Kauai is called the "Garden Island," it is so well watered and so
luxuriant in vegetation. The Island is at present largely devoted to the
cultivation of sugar. Rice also cuts a considerable figure in the
agricultural production of Kauai. That it can produce coffee is
undoubted, but there is a timidity about embarking in the industry,
because some forty years ago the experiment of a coffee plantation was
tried, and owing to misjudgment of location and soil, failed. Since then
the cultivation of coffee has come to be more thoroughly understood, and
there is no doubt that quantities of land suitable for such cultivation
are now lying, like the sleeping beauty, waiting for the kiss of
enterprise to make them awake into usefulness and profit for mankind.
There is room on the Hawaiian Islands for at least ten times the present
population. The climate, soil and social conditions all tend to make
them a desirable home for those who are willing to work, and have a
moderate capital to begin with.
GOVERNMENT.
The Government of the Hawaiian Islands is a Republic. Up to the year
1893 it had been a limited monarchy, but at that date it was felt, by
the progressive party in the state, that monarchy had had its day, and
that the friends of such a form of government should give way to more
liberal institutions, assimilating to the institutions of the United
States, and to become a part of which Great Republic is the earnest
desire of all those who have the interests of the Islands at heart. The
monarchy, in a bloodless revolution, disappeared and the Republic took
its place.
The Republic is a republic of progress, and under the Government thus
established every facility has been given for developing and improving
the country. The President is elected for six years. The Legislature
consists of a Senate and House of Representatives, all members being
elected by popular vote. The Senators are elected for a term of six
years, and voters for Senators must have real property worth $1,500, or
personal property worth $3,000, or an income of not less than $600 per
annum. The vote for Representatives is based on manhood suffrage.
TAXATION.
All males between the ages of 20 and 60 pay a personal tax of $5, viz:
Poll tax, $1; road tax, $2; school tax, $2. Land pays a tax of one per
cent. on the cash value, and personal property a similar rate. Carts pay
$2, brakes $3, carriages $5, dogs $1, female dogs $3. From the above it
will be seen that the taxes are not heavy as compared with other
countries; moreover, there are no local taxes of any kind.
METHOD OF ACQUIRING LAND.
Land can be obtained from the Government by two methods, viz.; The cash
freehold system, and the right of purchase leases. Under the first
system the land is sold at auction. The purchaser pays one-quarter in
cash and the rest in equal installments of one, two and three years,
interest being charged at the rate of six per cent. upon the unpaid
balance. Under this system the purchaser is bound to maintain a home on
the land from the commencement of the second year to the end of the
third. The right of purchase leases are drawn for twenty-one years at a
rental of eight per cent. on the appraised value of the land. The lessee
has the privilege of purchasing the land, after the third year, _at the
original appraised value_, provided 25 per cent. of the land is reduced
to cultivation, and other conditions of the lease filled. In this case a
home must be maintained from the end of the first year to the end of the
fifth year. The limit of first-class agricultural land obtainable is 100
acres. This amount is increased on lands of inferior quality. Under the
above conditions the applicant must be 18 years of age and obtain
special letters of denization. Land can also be obtained from the
various land and investment companies, and from private parties. The
full land law will be treated of in Chapter VI. of this pamphlet.
[Illustration: EXECUTIVE BUILDING.]
[Illustration: JUDICIARY BUILDING.]
JUDICIARY, POLICE, ETC.
There is a thoroughly efficient judiciary consisting of a Supreme Court,
five Circuit Courts in which trials by jury are conducted, and District
Courts in every district. The higher courts are presided over by well
trained, educated men. There is an efficient police force in every part
of the group. The inhabitants are law-abiding and crimes of violence are
very rare. There is very little petty theft, and even in Honolulu, the
greatest center of population and a seaport town, many of the houses are
left with doors unlocked at night.
SCHOOLS.
There is an excellent system of free public schools taught in the
English language, the teachers in many cases being imported from the
United States. The main plan of the system is modelled upon the public
school system of the United States, modified to meet the wants of a
heterogeneous population. The children are instructed in writing,
reading, composition, arithmetic, geography, both local and general. The
books are uniform and obtainable at the same price as in the United
States. The schools are strictly non-sectarian. There is no district,
however remote, in which there is no school. The only people who cannot
read and write are those who come from abroad. Those born in the Islands
are compelled by law to take advantage of the education offered. Besides
the common school education, opportunities are given at various centers
for a higher education equivalent to the grammar grade of the United
States, and in Honolulu a high school and collegiate course can be
obtained at a small cost.
CHURCHES.
The various Christian denominations are represented and all forms are
tolerated. The country churches of the Protestant denominations are
chiefly conducted by Hawaiian pastors, the Roman Catholic by French and
German priests, who are mostly good linguists and speak Hawaiian,
English and Portuguese, besides their mother tongue. Wherever there is a
large collection of English speaking people a Protestant church is
usually supported by them. In Honolulu there is a large number of
churches, Congregational, Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, Methodist and
Mormon. There is a Sunday law, and all work which is not absolutely
necessary is prohibited on that day. Rational outdoor amusement is not
prohibited, such as riding, boating, shooting, etc., and the Government
Band plays at the public park at Waikiki every Sunday afternoon.
PHYSICIANS.
In every district of the Islands the Government supports a doctor, who
gives his services to indigent Hawaiians free of charge--others have to
pay. In many places there are physicians settled who carry on a private
practice.
TELEPHONES.
The Islands of Oahu, Kauai and Hawaii have telephones to every
accessible point. The rent of the instrument is moderate, and a small
charge is made for those who do not care or cannot afford to possess an
instrument of their own. On Maui the telephone is at present established
only in part.
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE ISLANDS.
Communication between the Islands is by steamer; of these some seventeen
are constantly plying from port to port, affording weekly communication
with the capital. The regular passenger steamers are well fitted with
cabins, have electric bells and electric lights and all modern
accommodations.
POSTAL MATTERS.
There is a regular postal system, and on the arrival of a steamer at
any main point, mail carriers at once start out to distribute the
mail through the district. The Hawaiian Islands belong to the Postal
Union, and money orders can be obtained to the United States, Canada,
Great Britain, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands,
Portugal, Hong Kong and Colony of Victoria, as well as local orders
between the Islands.