Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 321, 11 November 1891 — The Other Great Indostry. [ARTICLE]

The Other Great Indostry.

Of course sugar is king and the \-icar of the golden bull on earth;! bul there is another industry that | is likely to eut almost as great a figure in determining the destiny of this 6weet and restful little eommunity of eaintly psalra-singer§ and otfcera who are interested more or less in world!y afiairs. 'We reter to the business of importing and to coneumers an artider» of commeree known as opium. It, a v*cad, stickv, black substance, i somewhat resembling tar, and is made by boiling the juice of the white poppy. It is put up in enaall rectangnlar tin cans like those used for comed-beef and otfeer 4fcotted meats. Eaeh tin is eupposed.to contain about one-hall' pound of the drug v but after remaining in the hand of our frugal and eonscientious officials for a short time, it is usually fouitd to eontain brickdnet and other foreign substanceH of domestic ma.nufacture. Our wellmeaning law require that opium found in the couhtry shaU be shipped oufc again. It seems a waste of valuable pro- i perty to ship away what has been | imported with so mueh tro«ble and j expense, and what is moreover| mueh more valuable here than | abroad. So instead of following the; strict letter of the law to the d^tri-1 ment of all partles. the opium is retained for consumption t and by a,! Jittle legal fiction, tbe cans, 5 with some inexpensive loeal nr6- : <lucts, are sent to China or San ; Francisco or if in the original paek- ! age is relanded on the islands bv parties who are in the businesß. as we here has been the ease with Volo- | citv's opium cargo. V great many 6f our people are | engaged in this traffic, and our most respected citizens and trustworthv ofīieers of the governmeDt ! find in it a source of respcctabihty | and high tone. Unfortunately aii ill-advised eompeiUion lias wUhin • the l-ist few months serioiialv (>urtailed the protits of the busines& ho rhat th« re has l»een a)mos( as mueh riepression in the opinm tra»le a* in ; tiic <1; :-. market. liut the eauae | fōminateh* is more within thē eont ro] <>f our people, and will «louht- : h" r« otiiie<i at an ear!y date. | rtiv two opīum 9yndieaUV' of uhno?!t (Hiunl opuh»nev; the u!d or rvfnrm linn, whieh immh<Ts :"nnj|jf i;s men)hers M>tne of the su.ul r;ipiuili»ts «nd oiīieiuL*. w ! > l>f*is.mj»i;oin* v «vJ tV»r iile. vir highlv h«ve iu»t Ueen d>sp:~oe<{ hv the new jrovc?rument:' v! re , v «r o .vern>ntint e»>mbiantion.

w,hich is the oirtrgmwth of the, new ! aristocrac3'. , -The present govefn- ] rnent concern has sliown all the ac-j tivity of youth and has ghown it- I se!f no mean rival of the older and | better organized reform svndicate. | How important a part this drug | has played in Hawaiian History j i« showu by the fact thiit the eon- j stitution of Kamehameha was abo- j lirihed and Kiog Kalakaua hum- j bled to the dust in consequence of alleged ofienses committed bv thfe last nameti monarch against the dignity and property of the svndicate. It is still powerfal enough to make and unmake constitutions and laws, but the death of Kalakaua and the appearance of a eompetitor greatly complicates the situation. The n©w firm Has already l&id hands on. the legal and political maehinery. They have bought up several tnēmbers of one of the Workin gmen's Union, paying a fair price for active workers, and a_lso a cer|ai n newspaper at present m a rather rattied condition, but whieh they intend to revivify by jtidiciouß expenditure. We would be mudi ,pleased to give the name of the gentlemen bought by the firm iogether with the price paid, and Bhort biographical sketches: but we jare informed that such proceedure woald be tt<mtrary to law. We alwayg desire to observe and respect the law, espcciallv as we find that the Supreme Court displays a great deal of alacrity in protecting the character of the meanest subjects. The plan by whieh the firm expects to further its interests as we are informed is substantially this: to secure the services of enough le- | gislators to pass a bill giving the Minister of lnterior power to grant an opium licenseon very reasonable terms to «ome reliable partv. It is calculated that a gentleman in whom her Majesty has unlimited confidence will be minister at that time, and who has alreadv promisēd to recompense the firm for all investments by :esuing to them the lieenae to import and vend opīum and prsparati9hs thereof throughont the kingdom. The scheme is a pretty one, and we wieh the enterprising managers every sucoess, and hope it will not be injured while young by tfee light and air : we have let in on it.