VISIT TO HONOLULU

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 241, 10 September 1929, Page 2

VISIT TO HONOLULU

NOTES FROM A PALMERSTON lAN

A representative of this paper, who has been to Honolulu for two months, supplies interesting impressions ot ms visit to the “Paradise, of the Pacific. Honolulu, he says, is a gmden city justly renowned all oyer the woi its extreme beauty and deiigHtful cli mate. its streets adjoining the Dusi ness centre and extending into suburbs, which run clear up into' •, valleys, are shaded with beautitul flowering trees, Royal Poincianas . pink and yellow shower trees Piedon mating. During June and July Honolulu is a mass of colour, most of the trees and shrubs being in full blo °“; Palmerston North possesses lovely g dens, but if local residents could only see Honolulu during the summer th y would be lost in admiration of the natural and wonderful beauty or tills city. The sight beggars description, and Honolulu’s name, T . he Ifw? of the Pacific,” has not in the least been overdrawn. During our stay .tneie we experienced the finest weatnei c - ditions—warm days and cool mgnts, with delightful showers of rain in the valleys to keep the lawns green. The banks are conducted on vastly different lines from what we are accustomed to in New Zealand. Theie . ‘no charge for opening an account, ana chequo books v/Rh attractive leather covers are distributed free to clients. There is no stamp tax on cheques m the United States. Rest rooms for both ladies and gentlemen with, telephone and writing paper are provided. lhe Bishop First National Bank (formerly the Bishop Bank, which has absorbed several banks, including the First National) has banking chambers or great architectural beauty, the equal of which could not be found in New Zealand. EXCELLENT ROADS.

The roads—not. only in Honolulu, but all over the Island—are excellent, being laid down permanently with a concrete base and covered with bitumen. The road over the Pali (cliff) is a fine piece of engineering work and is daily used by hundreds of motorists. To go completely around the Island one must use this road. It is quite safe for careful drivers, but one Sunday morning wo saw an accident which proved to us that careful driving is very essential for safety. Preceding us down the Pali, which is very steep in places, was a one-ton truck loaded with Chinese going to a picnic. The truck was evidently without brakes, as the vehicle gathered considerable way and hurled itself, out of control, against the stone parapet running down the side of the Gorge. Three Chinese were immediately thrown high into the air, and fell with a sickening thud on the cement road below, a distance of about one hundred feet, being killed instantly. Some of the others were seriously hurt by f being crushed against the wall (in fact, one was killed there). This experience was an extremely sad one. The road is narrow and we had to wait while automobiles from the opposite direction were able to drive through and rush the survivors to the Queen’s Hospital in Honolulu. Those killed were removed to the side of the road and we were then able to proceed on our journey. An interesting side-light on the above experience was gleaned some weeks later. As most people know, the Chinese as a race have a great belief in the power of evil spirits or devils to work them harm. One of those who was injured was advised that an operation was necessary' to save his life. After considerable discussion among his relatives and friends it was announced that tho operation would not be of any avail. Evil spirits caused the accidents and to the Pali all the relatives and friends would (and did) go to exorcise the evil spirits. The Pali, old and dignified with the scars of centuries of erosion caused by the weather, witnessed a curious sight on this occasion. Several car loads of Chinese, including musicians, proceeded to the spot and soon the air was filled with the clashing of - cymbals, the beating of drums and explosions of huge fireworks. Later, after the burning of joss-sticks in the temple, it was announced that the spirits were routed, and, believe .It or not, in a few days’ time the victim of the accident was oiit of danger and left the hospital, for his home. , It was on this Pali that Kamehameha, the King of the Hawaiians, who consolidated the Islands under one rule, fought the . final battle, driving the Oahuan warriors over the cliff to their deaths in the great chasm thousands of feet beneath. A bronze stone marks in an interesting way the details of the fight. Street car? in Honolulu are excellent. Tliev are open at the sides so that visitors may ride in comfort and see all that there is to be seen, as well as being able to enjoy the breezes which blow in from the mountains. The fare is cents, transfers being issued to any part of the city. One can journey seven miles for the above amount. SWIMMING AND BASEBALL.

The Outrigger Canoe Club, which extends its lacuities to visitors, lies between tne Royal Hawaiian and ivioana Hotels. Here is to be found a delightful piece of beach, with no corai to cut the feet, while the water is always clear and warm to swim in. The public bathing reserve is not very attractive, being used mostly by Orientals and others from the plantations and factories. Honolulu, however, possesses a liatatorium which is b credit to the city. Championship swimming “meets” are staged in it, and the public are allowed to use it daily without charge. Baseball games are to be seen on Saturdays and Sundays during the baseball season. IVe saw matches between the University of California and the Hawaiians, also between the former team and a Portland (Oregon) combination. The “barracking” of spectators is a feature of the proceedings, and is somewhat bewildering to visitors. On occasions soda water bottles are flung at the umpire when lii3 decisions do not meet with general approval. Pitchers, in response to public demand, are withdrawn if not pitching the ball satisfactorily, and during one game the umpire came in for a great deal of severe criticisip. However, it is mostly good-natured and everybody, -including the players, seems to enjoy the sport. Automobiles are very numerous there being about one to every 8 inhabitants of the city. Accidents are of daily occurrence, this being mainly due to the low mentality of many of the poorer class Oriental drivers. Europeans are frequently injured as a result of this carelessness. Cars are cheap compared with New Zealand prices a good 6-cylindor car being available for £2BO. PINEAPPLE INDUSTRY. A trip to Honolulu could not be complete without a visit to a pineapple factory, the largest in these islands being that of the Hawaiian Pineapple Co., Ltd. • This corporation, only a quarter of a century' old, is capitalised at 12,000,000 dollars, owns 60 000 acres of good pineapple lands, cans upwards of three million cases of pineapples a year, and is now engaged in an expansion programme which will increase the pack to about five million cases in the near future. The huge cannery at present in use will be dismantled after this season’s pack, and all tho machinery will the transferred to a fil e fteel structure, 500 feet in

length, which is now under construction. This year’s pack was sold out three months ago. The present demand is the result of an advertising programme cleverly carried out in the prominent magazines of ‘the United States and costing nearly three-quarters of a million dollars a year. There is always a good demand, however, for the delicious Hawaiian fruit, as it is canned under such excellent hygienic conditions. Imagine hundreds and hundreds of women and girls with white aprons and caps and wearing rubber gloves placing the rings of pineapple in cans as fast as the machines remove the skins and slice the pines. There is great system and organisation in evidence all over this cannery. Adjacent to this plant are the works of the American Can Coy. and the California Packing Coy. These people co-operate with one another, and as a result get lower costs and greater production. The industry is jealous of its prestige as a whole, and individual members of the Canners’ Association always work for the good of the industry, as well as for the welfare of their own company. Britishers have the tendency to keep away from one another, fearing competition and being inclined to be secretive about their factories and plans for operating. That’s where the American has the advantage over the Britisher. He is not more intelligent, and is glad to have the services of Britishers, many of whom are prominently identified with large American industries. We simply cling to oldfashioned methods, whereas the American is constantly improving his machinery and bringing Ins ideas up-to-date. He sends men to all parts of the world seeking information, and is ever receptive to anything which will help him to overcome obstacles or increase his output and profits. “SUGAR STILL KING.” Sugar is still king in tho Hawaiian Islands, though pineapples are probably making more progress. The former is the leading product in yearly exports. There are several large sugar mills adjacent to Honolulu, two in particular—Waipahu and Ewa—having an extremely large output. The sugar exported from the Hawaiian Islands last year totalled over 900,000 tons, the value of which was, roughly, £14,400,000. The sale of the sugar is controlled by the Refinery Crockett, which is owned by the sugar interests ana is done in such a manner as to prevent dumping and, thereby, forcing down prices which would undoubtedly occur if there was a glut in tho market in the United States. Cuban sugar is handled in a similar manner and prices are thereby kept on a fairly even scale. Industry is very scientific in these islands, both the sugar and pineapple people keeping up experimental plantations and laboratories where scientists are continually at work at problems confronting their respective industries.

CONTROL OF STREET TRAFFIC. The local authority in Honolulu deserves to be complimented for its excellent control of the street traffic. With the thousands of Oriental drivers, large -numbers of whom are utterly reckless, the problem might easily become acute, but the authorities have in force a system which, with /the aid of efficient inspectors, works admirably. At the principal intersecting streets there are rubber notices with the word “stop,” and tho enforcement of this rule prevents collisions in the main streets with the drivers who have the right of way. Then there are officials who are located in circular structures in the centre of the principal streets in the city, and who manipulate signs above their heads with the words “go” and “stop,” and the driver ivho fails to observe these signs is speedily interviewed and his name and address taken. There is a small army of inspectors mounted on motor cycles and their work takes them to every part of the citv in the effort to obtain proper observance of the automobile regulations. _ There are also “poached egg” signs in the streets similar to those in use in Palmerston North. In Honolulu the “egg” is painted yellow and is electrically lighted at night. Lad'- readers will be interested to hear that there are some handsome business premises in Honolulu where goods, especially women’s wearing apparel, are displayed to advantage in shop windows. Owing to the weather conditions unusually light clothing is worn, but the gentler sex display great taste in their clothes and they have a great flair for wearing them" It has been said by visitors to Honolulu that the girls there have adopted the idea of painted legs, but this exists only in the imagination of these people. It is true many of them have discarded stockings, but the only colouring on their legs is that which has been placed there 'with the help of the sun’s rays, and in this respect nature has done her work well.