Newspaper Page Text
THE GARDEN ISLAND. TUESDAY, SEPT. 16, 1919
DECADENCE OF !
COUNTRY LIFE
Whether r i;it tlio Hawaiian
race as a whole is passing away,
it is pretty e ik lit that it is pass
ing away from t lie t mint ry places.
A few years r.jjo Wainiha was
one of the most populous and in
dependent ot rural Hawaiian
communities. They owned their
kuleauas and tl.eir Hui lands,
and were ton tent to stay on them.
They raised their own taro and
other prod net, had tattle more or
less, taught tish in river and sea.
and were nearly sell' contained
and contented. The valley was
doited all over with simple homes
and cultivated fields, even far
niauka.
lint that is mostly ;onc now,
and lone mauo irees, or clumps
of dowering ginger, or red-leaved
folate plants, lietoken, in the wild
erness, the places where homes
used to be.
"What has happened? The old
people who were bred on the land
ami attached tit it are dead, and
the younji people have moved
away to town; partly lccause of
tl.t superficial attractions of the
town life, hut partly also because
they were no longer able to make
a living in the simple ways of
their fathers.
The almost universal blight of
the taro crop has made it verv
difficult, if not impossible, for the
ordinary Hawaiian to produce his
living from the soil. It is simpler
and safer to lease his lands lo the
Oriental for rice and seek a home
and work elsewhere. And once
having got weaned away from his
childhood home, he never tomes
back to it.
It is perhaps one of the inevit
able changes that may not be pre
vented however it may be de
plored. To one who has known
the valley intimately for years
back, and every one in it, it is a
melancholy experience to inquire
about the sturdy leading fami
lies one after another, and learn
that they are all gone, dead or
moved away.
A dollar is worth what you can
get for it. A dollar now isn't
worth much because you can't get
much for it. It will be worth
more next year and twice as much
five years from now when pro-
uu. m.m, ,-.,,i. nun oeinnii.i.iborR no direct relation to the rates
.i : i.. i .1 i
Profiteering, no doubt, has
something to do with the present
depreciated value of the dollar
but it is not the big faded".
In lsti."(. according lo a Chicago
accountbook dated February 21,
18(13, Chicago consumers were
paying 2! I cents a pound for
sugar, a dollar a gallon for kero
sene oil, two dollars a pound for
tea, and seventeen cents a pound
for rice. Kven in the face of pres
sent Jiigh prices a dollar now is
worth about twice as much as it
was then.
ft was worse alter the Revolu
tionary War. Martha Washing
ton paid three dollars a pound
for sugar, one to iwo dollars a
pound for meat, i.ml S2." a bushel
for wheat.
The moral of all this is that
prices are going down within ihe
next five years which means that
a dollar saved today will be
worth at least twice as much
five years from now. Therefore
cut ((lit luxuries and some ucccs-
cessities. Invest everv dollar
you can in Cniied Slates War
Stamps and Treasury Savings
Certificates. They bring four per
cent interest compound quarterly.
Five years from now VI. 12 will b
worth uearlv ten dollars, taking
into consideration interest and ;
certain drop in prices as produc
tion catches up with demand..
:o :
KUHHKK STAMPS made at
this office on Wednesdays ami
Saturdays.
CHILD WELFARE
The Kauai Child Welfare Hoard
appointed, by the Governor re
cently in pursuance of act 12!) of
jthe last legislature, met on "N'ed
i nesday tvtning last at the home
jof Mr. and Mrs. Lydgate in Lihue
and organized for business by the
election of C. li. llofgaard as
chairman, and J. M. Lydgate as
secretary.
A study of the act revealed the
fact that the authorized activity
of the Hoard is limited lo 1 lie as
sistance of needy widows with
children, and apparently does not
include any other children, how
ever needy they may be.
For this specified purpose ihe
Hoard may call upon the County
Supervisors for the necessary
funds for such work.
Attention was called to the
fact that cases of extreme need
are found mostly among those not
appurtenant to the plantations,
such as homesteaders, small farm-
crs. rice planters etc. unattached
to large interests. Ihe planta
tions, as a rule, are very ready to
care for any needy individuals
among their people.
Mrs. (ilaisyer was appointed a
committee of the Hoard to make
investigation and report on any
cases of need that may come un
der the law.
The members of the Hoard are
C. H. Hoofgaard. J. M. Lydgate,
Or. .1. M. Kulms, Mrs. A. K. Glais
yer and Miss Klsie Wilcox, .Judge
Mickey as judge of the .Juvenile
Court is also an ex oflicio member.
The World Price of Sugar
From Facts About Sugar)
Under existing conditions the ques
tion of what is the actual world price
of sugar is an interesting one. It is a
question more d.flicult to answer than
one unacquainted with the situation
might assume. Before the war there
was no difficulty in determining the
world market price because of the
quotation f. o. b. Hamburg was uni
versally recognized as the world basis,
even though it became at times a pure
ly theoretical figure so far as concern
ed its relation to sales values in any
particular market.
With the outbreak of the war Ham
burg puotations ceased and "Hamburg
parity" has now become an obsolete
term in i.ugar reports. With available
supplies tar below normal consumption
the governments of the various bellig
erent nations found it necessary to
establish control both of prices and
distribution and the prices thus fixed
that would have prevailed under the
unrestrained operation of demand and
supply. As the principal consuming
and producing nations were directly
.nvolved in the w?r the prices estab
lished by authority of their govern
ments became the basis for such
sales to neutral countries as were per
mitted. Regulations and agreements govern
ing prices and distribution are still in
effect in most of the belligerent and
in many of the neutral states. The
principal European nations, under the
necessity of collecting vastly greater
revenues than formerly, have imposed
i cry heavy tu.ts on sugai so that
within Mini? borders, even though they
were not artificially regulated, would
not represent the equivalent of a world
valuation. The nearest we can come
to an accurate estimate of the figure
that will represent the. present world
price is by considering quotations for
shipments f, o. b. in those primary
markets in which prices are not con
trolled, or c. i. f. at ports of principal
consuming countries.
Another difficulty is met In the fact
that there are almost no sugars avail
able for prompt shipment in any mark
et. Such sales as are being made are
mainly lor future delivery. With the
greater part of existing stocks under
control, both as to price and distribut
ion, the offers made by purchasers who
have particularly urgent requirements
to meet do not represent the true
ratio of supply and demand under con
ditions that would exist were a free
movement permitted.
Of the primary markets not under
restriction as to prices the most im
portant are those ot the Far East. In
Java recent f. o. b. quotations for
late delivery from the crop now in the
making are given as approximately
10.5 cents a pound for whites while
reported sales of Philippine centrifu
gals at between eight and 8.5 cents
f. o, b. Manila for delivery after Janu
ary first are not far below parity with
this quotation. Reports are current
that small transactions In refined held
in second hands have taken place in
the New York market at 12 cents.
These represent speculative transact
ions or sales to necessitous purchasers
and are' too small in volume to estab
lish a basis that might be accepted as
normal in the absence of restrictions
upon general wholesale prices. State
ments of recent sales c. i. f. European
ports Indicate that the reported Java
figure perhaps comes nearest to a
reasonably accurate indication of the
world price under existing conditions.
Would these quotations hold good
A
King St. Opposit Library
if all restrictions upon prices and dis
tribution were removed? It appears
probable that a steadily ascending
price scale would rule for the remain
der of the year In view of lack of
available stocks to meet world de
mands, and that wholeale prices for
refined ranging as high as 15 cents
might become a reality before the
turn of the year made available fresh
stocks in large volume.
Such a wholesale price as this, how
ever, with the addition of the heavy
taxes that must be paid by European
consumers, would result in a sharp
scaling down of European consumption
and it seems reasonable to anticipate
that a movement toward a more nor
mal price level would set in as soon
as new crop supplies became available
in considerable quantities. The lead
ing European governments already are
taking steps t- supervise purchases,
regulate distribution and limit con
sumption during the coming year. Ap
parently, therefore, the consuming
Sound
When a rapidly growing corporation in a city with such a brillant
future as that of Honolulu offers you shares of stock at par, you have a
proposition well worth considering.
When you realize the rapid growth of Honolulu in the past five years
and the expansion of the automobile busniess and the assured continuance
of thier growth, you will readily see why an increase in our capital is
necessary in order to handle the ever -increasing volume of business.
When you are informed that this concern has grown from a small
company of $13,000 to its present size, with a capital of over
$165,000, you will admit that the Pond Company, Ltd., offers one
of the most attractive and soundest investments in Honolulu's future
prosperity.
The following table will show at a glance the rapid growth
of this Company in three years.
Date
May :il, 19K!
Dee. 31, 1!)1;
June 30, 1!)17
Dec. 31, 1!M7
June 30, 101S
Dec. 31, 1918
Jan. 31, 1!U!)
Mar. 31, 1919
A pi. 30, 1919
May 31, P.tl!)
June 30, litl!)
July 31, l!)l!l
Aug. 31, 191!
Sept.. !, lltl'i
The last six months has seen such a
great expansion in our business that
we found it necessary to increase
our capital stock from $75,000 to
$200,000, and since placing this
stock on the market rhe response
has been so enthusiastic that with
out any great effort on our part we
Subscriptions accepted upon
and 10 per
The Pond Company, Ltd.
Automotive Products
markets that will be in a position to
offer whatever prices may bo neces
sary to attract supplies will be very
limited in the extent ot their require
ments. It is reported that unofficial
representations already have been
made to the government of the United
States and Cuba suggesting concerted
action for the stabilization of priceB
and for the adoption of measures to
assure an equitable distribution of
available supplies.
With the final removal of control,
whether at the end of this year or
next, where will the world price be de
termincd? From present indications
the New York quotation on export re
fined and the quotation for Cuban
raws c. i. f. New York will provide
the most reliable basis for determin
ing world values. New York is the
nai'iral clearing house for the sugar
ot the Western Hemisphere and the
probable continuation of an extensive
export business In refined, in view of
the fact that no other country has any
considerable surplus refining capacity,
will tend to make this port, for some
time to come at least, the principal
sugar mart of the world.
Investment
Capital
? 13,7110
L'O.NOO
LS,f)30
33,(30
33,i30
i4,030
00,100
00.330
73,830
74.830
103.140
131,340
139,000
11(3,000
No. of
Stockholders
4
11
13
17
17
IS
30
31
31
49
""'8
410
300
310
have already doubled our original
capital and have less than $35,
000 worth left for sale.
Here is an opportunity to be
come financially associated with an
established Honolulu business
whose plans and policies are in ac
cord with the best business practices
the basis of 20 per
cent a month.
A Great Gain
Tin. United States lias made
rapid sf tidies in exporting chemi
cals ami dyestutts. ?4.),uuu,inm,
worih of chemicals were export
! litis, a train of $148,00(,()0()
over that exported in 1913, while
$17,000,000 worth of iyes were
exported in 101S.
Previous to that never more
than $r00,000 worth were export
ed as over against imports of the
same commodity running nil the
way from ten to fifteen million
dollars a year. Never again will
we be forced to look to Germany
for large supplies of dyes.
::
The temporary Waiakalua
bridge, on the road to Kilauea is
being replaced by a durable con
crete structure. This is one of a
lot of bridges taken out a few
years ago by a big storm, and the
'temporary bridge installed there
was intended only as an emer
gency affair to meet immediate
demands.
cent down
Honolulu T. H.
