118 HA WAIIAN G UIBE B OK. 



gaged in mercantile pursuits, varying generally from 

 fifty to two hundred dollars a year. The whole reve- 

 nue collected by the government annually is $430,000, 

 or about seven dollars a head for the entire population, 

 tion, while in England and France the average is eleven 

 or twelve dollars, and in America it is still larger. 

 Compared with those countries, taxation here may be 

 called very moderate. 



12. — Is the cost of living high? 

 It is about the same as in the United States. Rents 

 in Honolulu vary from $200 to $600 a year, according 

 to the size and quality of the dwelling. In the coun- 

 try, dwellings can be had for one half or one-third 

 these sums. A good house and lot, suitable for a fam- 

 ily of six or eight, can be purchased in Honolulu for 

 $3,000; in country places for half or one-third that 

 sum. As to provisions, — in Honolulu, flour costs 4 

 cents a pound, beef and mutton 5 to 8 cents, potatoes 

 2h cents, rice 4 to 5 cents, sugar 5 to 8 cents, butter 30 

 to 50 cents, milk 6 to 8 cents a quart, eggs 30 to 50 cents 

 a dozen. Lumber, building materials and wages of 

 mechanics are about the same here as in the United 

 States. In country places beef, milk, eggs, potatoes, 

 &c, are much cheaper, while imported provisions cost 

 more. A native saddle-horse costs $5 to $25 ; a milch 

 cow, $10 ; sheep, $1 to $2 • and goats, 50 cents to $1 

 each. A family, in the country, can never lack the 

 necessaries of life, as an acre of taro, sweet potatoes 

 and bananas will amply support it. The luxuries, how- 

 ever, are always more expensive here than elsewhere. 

 13. — Are good schools established? 

 The government schools throughout the islands are 



