HAWAII

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 12, 15 January 1937, Page 4

HAWAII

PRODUCTIVE ISLES

MIXTURE OF RACES

PACIFIC GIBRALTAR

In June of this year Hawaii celebrated the 200 th anniversary of the birth of Kamehameha the Great most famous of rulers in the whole i» history of the islands; but what are ' two centuries in the life of any people? | Today, to the traveller passing leisurely * through the group, it seems as if Hawaii must have been for ever and t ever American. Even the native - population itself is scarcely enough ; to provide evidence to the contrary, -> for the number of Hawaiians (esti- . mated by racial antecedents) is miserably low compared with partI Hawaiian, Caucasian, Chinese, Japan- , ese, and Filipino who also look upon' the Territory as their home. The pro- . portion of Hawaiians, in fact, is apS proximately 7 per cent, of the entire : population, wrote Mary Corringham i in the "Sydney Morning Herald" recently. This strange anomaly is most noticeable in Oahu, the principal island of ! the group, and the seat of the capital of the Territory, Honolulu. The meaning of Oahu is "gathering place," and hardly could an apter name have been chosen. For its size. Honolulu surely takes second place only to Shanghai

in the matter of its mixture of races. As a Territory of the United States, Hawaii is 38 years old this year, and since its annexation it has established a notable record as a prosperous and progressive American market. Sugar and pineapples are its most valuable assets. In 1850 a Royal Hawaiian Agricultural Society was organised. Its members directed their efforts towards advancing agriculture, particularly sugar, through scientific experiment, encouraging competitive exhibitions of farm products, and promoting general discussions and study of agricultural problems. This organisation did an important and lasting work, giving impetus at a time when it was most needed to careful and wellconsidered methods of practice. WEALTH IN SUGAR. The Reciprocity Treaty with the United States in 1876 gave an immense stimulus to the industry. An interesting comparison is found in the sugar production of 1875, a total of 25,000,0001b, and the production in 1890, just 15 years later, of more than 250,000,0001b. This production, beyond the dreams of even the most optimistic, and the prosperity that followed it, gave Hawaii her colourful golden era. Last year the value of its trade in sugar with the United States amounted to more than fifty-five and a half million dollars (refined), and nearly one and a half million dollars (unrefined). A large sugar plantation in thie Territory is as self-contained as a small country, with its own population of labourers, its own government ■ of overseers and foremen, and its own villages, roads, and huge water systems. A cane crop matures in eighteen months to two years, and different fields on the plantation are ready for ! harvesting at different times. Pineapple culture is the second great industry of the Hawaiian Islands. Thousands of acres of this delicious fruit ripen in the subtropical sunlight on every important island of the Hawaiian group. From fourteen to twenty months are required to grow; a crop. The plantations employ every form of agricultural science,

from paper-mulching, which keeps down the weeds and increases the yield, to spraying with iron sulphate or copper, as required.

Visitors are always welcome to inspect the big canneries, and guides are furnished to show them the plant. Welfare of employees is given constant attention, and a lunchroom, kindergarten for the children of women workers, medical attention, and nurses are at the service of employees at no cost to them. The value of the industry to Hawaii may be judged by the fact that last year its trade in canned pineapples with the United States amounted to more than thirty and a half million dollars, and in raw pineapples to more than thirty-eight thousand dollars. FLOURISHING "LEI" TRADE. The visitor finds plenty to do in Honolulu. Apart'from the worldfamous beach of Waikiki with its surfboard riders, outrigger canoes, and fashionable hotel life, there is much enjoyment to be derived from a motor tour amongst the hills and mountains that rise up behind the town. As for spending money, one of the most profitable businesses in Hawaii

is the selling of "leis." Everybody knows that Hawaii says "Aloha"— farewell, and goodbye—with flowers for the arriving or departing traveller, in the form of a "lei," a wreath to be hung round the neck. The tourist demand for leis, made of many kinds of native blossoms, is increasing rapidly from year to year, and the local tourist bureau estimates that there are two hundred Hawaiians, mostly women, engaged regularly in the making and selling of these flower garlands. Another industry, grown out of the lei custom, is the manufacture of perfumes from the same native flowers. They are sold in flacons of tropical woods—handcarved to depict the flower of each perfume—and are eagerly bought by tourists. So far, four different perfumes have been developed—"Pikaki Lei," "Plumeria Lei," "Fern Lei," and "Hawaiian Night." The flacons are made of the Koa, Kukui, and Magnolia woods,and one may watch the artist craftsman carving them in a big store in Honolulu. MILLIONS ON DEFENCE. But the importance of Oahu rests on more than its attention, to the romantic notions of Pacific travellers.

It is soon to be the site of America's largest army air field, and estimated expenditure on this project amounts to 15,000,000 dollars. At present, Schofield Barracks, 25 miles inland from Honolulu, is the largest United States army post, and it is said that the Government is committed to a policy of expanding the defences of Hawaii at a rapid rate during the forthcoming two years. Its yearly disbursements for the maintenance of its naval and military forces in the territory averages 22,000,000 dollars.

Almost everywhere one motors in the islands there are forts and military reserves, while the great crater landmark of Diamond Head, with its net of fortifications, has come to bo known as "the Gibraltar of the Pacific." It was in 1908 that the first serious steps to garrison the islands were taken. Two squadrons of the sth Cavalry arrived at Honolulu in December of that year, bringing with them the first mounted band the natives had ever seen. Literally, these soldiers carved a home out of the wilderness, hampered by difficult communications, lack of roads, and acute shortage of water for men and animals. They used King Kalakua's hunting lodge for a temporary headquarters, and built up what is now known as the Upper Post, back against the base of towering Puu Hapapa, on ground once sacred to the ancient Hawaiians as an abode of spirits. Today the great three-storeyed barracks at Schofield Barracks are marvels of efficient housing.