instant. I inclose three copies separate, as printed matter. The absurdity of this document should not mislead anybody as to its mischievous and dangerous power over the native mind clothed with legislative functions. I only state the prevailing public opinion among intelligent foreigners here, when I state that the firm and prudent action of the resident diplomatic body alone saved the country from bloodshed and probable revolution, during the Moreuo régime, in 1880, when the Hoapili manifesto was sought to be put in action. Like trouble is expected at the coming session for 1882, as indicated by the Lilikalaui manifesto. The King and all natives long with a desperate longing for a complete Kanaka ascendency, and they do not see any better way to accomplish this than through legislation practically charging foreign capital with the support of not only the government but the people as well. III. The question how much available sugar and rice land is still unoccupied, and how much further expansion may be expected in the productive industries of the islands, is one upon which I have found it difficult to obtain data, as already before stated. It will appear from the inclosures that I early applied to the foreign office without success; that I was promised reliable data from private sources, which have not been forthcoming; finally, on the 18th of March, The Pacific Commercial Advertiser published statistics purporting to come from the minister of the interior (inclosure No. 2), and a tabular statement of unoccupied lands made up in 1872 (inclosure No. 3), with interesting comments by the editor, Mr. Walter Murray Gibson (inclosure No. 4), which seemed to cover the points desired. I thereupon addressed the minister of foreign affairs, requesting to know how far these statistics might be taken as reliable (inclosure No. 5), and received his reply, discrediting them almost wholly (inclosure No. 6). I forward all these without further comment; also, separate, as printed matter, three copies of the Commercial Advertiser, of March 25, and one unmutilated copy of March 18, the date from which above clippings are made, sending these simply as possible objects of curiosity to the Secretary of State, and not as regular exhibits for this dispatch. I have, &c., JAMES M. COMLY. [Inclosure 2 in No. 213.] THE LABOR QUESTION. A copy of the following circular requesting statistics on the labor question has been forwarded by his excellency the minister of the interior (as president of the board of immigration) to each known employer of labor in the kingdom: "The board of immigration desire statistics on the subject of labor and request your kind assistance. It is important to know the number of men employed on all the plantations, and their nationality. If this knowledge is accurately obtained, it will enable the board to estimate the number of laborers required for any proposed increase of the sugar crop. For instance, one planter says that his crop of 400 tons was produced by the total labor of 80 men, or 5 tons to the labor of each man. If this estimate should be verified by the experience of all the planters, it would be of great value in determining proximately the number of laborers actually employed in sugar making. "Accurate returns of the different nationalities of the laborers will enable the board to ascertain the movements of immigrants. For instance, it is said that there are 14,000 Chinese in the kingdom. If it should appear that only 5,000 were employed on the sugar estates, it will be possible to estimate the number engaged in rice planting and other occupations; and if the number engaged in rice planting is subsequently obtained, it will be possible to ascertain the number of the floating Chinese population, which is a matter of no little importance. "This request of the board may not reach some of those engaged in planting cane only, and therefore the planters are requested to consult their neighbors and obtain statistics from such persons, and from those who employ only a few hands. The returns should show the number of laborers on February 15, 1882. "Upon the return of these statistics a general summary will be made up for the information of the community. I would request that the inclosed blank form be filled up and returned to me." Circulars were addressed to the following corporations and persons. Those names marked with a (*) have, at the present date, made no returns. HAWAII. Hilo.-Hakalau plantation, Wainuku plantation, Onomea plantation, Paukaa plantation, Honomu plantation, Waiakea plantation, *Waiakea mill, Pepekeu plantation, Spencer's plantation, Hitchcock & Co.'s plantation. Hamakua.-Paauhau mill, *Paauhau plantation, Hamakua plantation, Hamakua mill, *Aamano plantation, Honokaa Sugar Co., Pacfic Sugar Mill. Laupahoehoe.-W. Lidgate & Co.'s plantation. A. Lidgate & Co. Ookala.-Soper, Wright & Co. Honokaa.-J. R. Mills. Kohala.-Star mill, Ookala plantation, Thompson & Chapin, Halawa plantation, Union Mill Company, Niulii plantation, Beecroft plantation, Hawi mill, *Montgomery & Co.'s. plantation, Kohala plantation. Kohala and Laupahoehoe.-R. R. Hind. Kau.-Honuapo plantation, Naalehu plantation, Hilea Sugar Company, H. M. Whit ney, Chas. Wall, *Hawaiian Agricultural Company. *Hawaiian Commercial Company.-(Spreckels & Co.) Wailuku.-Wailuku plantation. Makawao.-Brewer and Crowningburg, East Maui plantation. Hamakua.-Huelo plantation. Haiku.-Haiku plantation No. 1. *Haiku plantation No. 2. Paia.-Alexander and Baldwin's plantation, J. M. Alexander. Waikupu.-Waikapu plantation. Huelo.-Huelo Mill Company. Lahaina.-Pionner Mill. Kipahulu.—Kipahulu plantation. Hana.-Hana plantation. Makawao.-Grove Ranch plantation. Olowalu.-Olowalu plantation. Hana.-Kipahulu mill. KAUAI. Koloa. Koloa ranch, Koloa plantation, Eleele plantation. Kilauea.-Grant and Brigstock, Kilauea plantation. Kealia.-Makee Sugar Company, Kealia plantation, R. W. Purvis. Hanamaulu.-Chris. L'Orange, Hanamaulu mill, A. S. Wilcox. Laie.-Laie plantation. Waimanalo.-Rose & Company, Waimanalo Sugar Company. Waianae.-Waianae Sugar Company. Waialua.-Waialua plantation. The following is a summary of the statistics received from seventy-two returns. It will be noticed that returns from the Spreckels and other plantations are not in, but they will be included in an amended report hereafter: Nationality preferred, excepting Hawaiians, as follows: 27 planters prefer Portuguese, and want.. 35 planters prefer Chinese, and want. 4 planters prefer Hindoos, and want.. 3 planters prefer New Hebrides, and want.. 1 planter prefers Swedes or Scotch, and wants. 1 202 25 15 1 1 1 7 90 41 52 52 53 53 8,277 1,000 1,600 75 60 150 [Inclosure 3 in No. 213.] Table of statistics of sugar.cane plantations on the Hawaiian Islands, 1872. 650 7,000 50 600 1,500 Japanese. 100 100 25 180 7,000 Chinese or Japanese. 150 128 12 10 Do. 200 182 18 50 A. Hutchison 39 29 55 150 4,000 Japanese. 50 500 3, 000 Polynesian. E. C. Bond 5 5 30 3, 000 Polynesian. Chinese. [From the Pacific Commercial Advertiser, Saturday, March 18, 1882.] COURT NEWS. On Monday, 6th instant, His Majesty paid a visit to Paia, returning to Wailuku the same evening. At Paia His Majesty was entertained at dinner by the inhabitants of the district, and addresses of welcome were presented, His Majesty subsequently went by sea to Hana, remaining there until Thursday last, on which day he proceeded by the steamer Lehua to Lahaina, arriving there in the evening. The town of Lahaina was illuminated in honor of His Majesty's arrival. From Lahaina His Majesty will return direct to the capital, and may be expected here to-morrow morning. THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DECADE. By permission of his excellency Wm. N. Armstrong, president of the board of immigration, we are enabled to lay before our readers some very interesting statistics collected by the board in relation to our industrial enterprises and the state of labor in the kingdom at this time; and at the same time we present statistics on the same subject, collected and prepared by the secretary of the immigration society in 1872; so that the industrial development of a decade in the country's history is clearly shown, by these being placed alongside the statistics of 1882. The information obtained, both at the former and later period, is not quite full, but sufficiently approximate to warrant correct deductions with regard to the progress and development of the country. In 1872 there were 12,355 acres cultivated in sugar-cane, with a yield of 16,995,402 pounds, for that year, much of the indicated area being newly planted. The estimated laboring force was 3,728 hands, which would give an average of nearly 34 acres to the hand. No statistics as to the acreage under cane have yet been taken for this year, but we hope to obtain them hereafter. The force of hands at work (if, as is reasonable, we put down 2,000 for the plantations whose replies have not yet been received) is, in 1882, 10,277, and it is estimated that the crop will be 130,000,000 pounds. Even if we take last year's crop of 92,393,044 pounds as the product of the laborers scheduled, the comparison between the results, in proportion to the number of hands employed, is very striking. It should be stated that whilst the returns of this year discriminate between field laborers and mill employés, the returns of 1872 did not; there must be, therefore, made a small deduction from the estimate of the field force of that period. The great difference in results shown is to be attributed to increased experience, but more especially to the introdnction of improved machinery, and the great extension of means of irrigation. When we consider the large percentage of juice which is now obtained, in comparison with the average secured in 1872, and that at that time immense quantities of molasses were allowed to run to waste, whilst now the skimmings, even, well filtered, yield an important percentage of saccharine product, we readily perceive some of the reasons for this great change. In respect to labor, it will be noticed that in 1872 the Hawaiian people supplied the whole labor force, whereas in this year the Chinese supply nearly half of the whole, and other foreign laborers one-fourth. Reverting to the statistics which show the preferences for different nationalities of laborers which exist among planters, the most notable feature is the great preference manifested in 1872 for Japanese, who are now not mentioned. There have been no immigrants here from Japan since 1868; hence that race is not now considered in the calculations of planters. Portuguese and Chinese are now most largely called for, because they are supposed to be the only races available. But if it were known that Hindoos and Japanese were to be brought here, they would be very generally preferred. [Inclosure 5 in No. 213.] LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES, SIR: About two months ago I had the honor to consult your excellency verbally with regard to obtaining certain statistics as to available sugar and rice lands not yet taken up, as to lands available for small holdings, and what inducements are offered by Hawaiian laws in the way of homesteads for immigrants of small means desiring to occupy such small holdings, as to amount and kinds of labor already employed, wages, &c. It was not then practicable to supply exact figures or reliable conjectures on these points. In this week's Hawaiian newspaper I note what purport to be official figures, founded upon non-official answers to inquiries, covering some of these points, from the office of the minister of the interior. I now have the honor to respectfully inquire of your excellency whether in your opinion those before-mentioned figures are sufficiently exact and authoritative to be used by me as reliable data in answering an instruction from the honorable Secretary of State; and, if so, when and where I may obtain official copies of the same. I have, &c., JAMES M. COMLY. |