PART I. INSULAR POSSESSIONS OF UNITED STATES TERRITORY OF HAWAII CAPITAL HONOLULU The Hawaiian, or Sandwich, Islands formed during the greater part of the nineteenth century an independent kingdom, but in 1893 the reigning Queen, Liliuokalani, was deposed and a provisional government formed; in 1894 a republic was proclaimed, and in accordance with a resolution of Congress of July 7, 1898, the Islands were on August 12, 1898, formally annexed to the United States. On June 14, 1900, they were constituted as the Territory of Hawaii. The organic act has since been amended several times. There is a legislature of two houses; a Senate of 15 members elected for four years and a House of Representatives of 30 members elected for two years. Sessions, limited to 60 days, are held biennially. The Governor and Secretary are appointed for four years by the President of the United States. The Territory is represented in Congress by a delegate elected biennially. He has no vote. AREA AND POPULATION The total area of the islands is 6,406 square miles. The principal islands of the group are Hawaii, 4,015; Maui, 728; Oahu, 598; Kauai, 547; Molokai, 261; Lanai, 139; Niihau, 73; Kahoolawe, 44. CIVILIAN POPULATION The estimated civilian population on June 30, 1915, was 223,256, an increase of 33,185 or 17.45 per cent. since the census of 1910. The Bureau of the U. S. Census estimates the population for January 1, 1917, at 217,660. ARMY AND NAVY POPULATION This is erratic according to the policy of the Federal Government and increased from 1,838 in 1910 to 9,600 June 30, 1915, and a further large increase is expected. The estimated population of Honolulu, the capital of the Territory, is 64,150. The following table shows the population by races, as nearly as can be estimated, as of June 30, 1915, with the increases and decreases that had occurred during the five years and two and one-half months since the last decennial census was taken: ESTIMATED POPULATION JUNE 30, 1915 Total...... 191,909 232,856 42,868 1,921 22.34 1.00 The rapid increase of the Oriental races, comprising over 60 per cent. of the population deserves notice. The Japanese now claim the Koreans as their subjects, so the Japanese total must be changed to 97,636. Their percentage of the total births, 1908 to 1915, was 55.17 per cent. PRODUCTS AND INDUSTRY The Islands are to a great extent mountainous and volcanic and the area of arable land is relatively quite limited, but the soil is highly fertile and productive. A variety of crops can be raised, but the two which have proved to be commercially profitable are sugar and pineapples. The export of sugar for the year ended June 30, 1915, was 640,459 short tons, valued at $52,953,099, against an export for the year 1914 of 557,445 tons, valued at $33,194,912. The export of pineapples for the year was in value $6,319,129, against an export for the year 1914 to the value of $3,274,995. Other crops raised, principally for domestic consumption, are coffee, honey, hides, sisal, bananas, rice, wool, tobacco, cotton and rubber. In 1910 the Territory had 500 industrial establishments employing a total of 7,572 persons. The capital employed was $23,875,000 and the value of the output was $47,404,000. BANKS There are 19 banks in operation which had commercial deposits on December 31, 1915, of $17,418,103, and savings deposits as of June 30, 1915, of $7,736,569, a total of $25,154,672. The distribution of savings bank accounts by races on June 30, 1915, is shown by the following table: SAVINGS ACCOUNTS-DISTRIBUTION BY RACES 4.05 Japanese.. 93,136 40.03 3,420 15.43 $ 91.66 $ 313,494.96 Chinese. 21,770 9.34| 1,935 8.73 307.97 595,922.08 7.71 Hawaiians 38,920 16.70 4,228 19.08 106.73 451,251.23 5.84 13.11 Portuguese 23,650 10.15 3,367 15.19 301.28 1,014,400.08 Total. 232,856 100.00 22,166 100.00 $349.03 $7,736,569.32 100.00 These figures, when considered in connection with the figures for population, are of great interest. COMMERCE Following is a statement of imports and exports at the end of the first year after organization of the Territory and at five-year periods thereafter: *These figures include specie for 1901, but since 1903 most of the specie has been handled through the post office by registered mail, and the amount thereof is not included in this table. Next to those from the United States, the largest imports are from Japan, very largely rice and food stuffs preferred by the Japanese population. These amounted in 1914 and 1915 in round figures to $2,500,000, or about 40 per cent. of the "other" imports. As Hawaii is a territory of the United States, the customs receipts, of course, all go to the parent government. These receipts from the organization of the Territory, June 14, 1900, to June 30, 1915, amounted to $20,630,122, an annual average of $1,372,306.59. |