The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1877-02-03

imitable shrugs aud smiles OF 3 Frenchman trying
20 explain matters to one who Is but very in
differently acquainted with the politest language
on eartb,-with 4 smile that said much. Monsieur
added, 4" Ze advance re loan on crop depend q
great deal upon ze industree and capable sense
Of re man who wants TO borrow He told the
whole story, | sincerely believe
The first factories were established by individu-
ais, or by private firms. At one time, while the
sugar business was very depressed, some fifteen
years since, the house Of Gail and Co. appear to
have held nearly the whole producing trade of
the islands. As business revived, they sold in
several cases TO the men who had been their
managers. At the present time it does not sp-
pear that Cali and Co. have a single factory in
the French Islands but indirectly, by holding
shares. &c, the firm have large interests there.
Several of their former managers have become
wealthy, and have interests second only TO the
great house itself.
But the company system, pure and simple, is
considered the best for all concerned in the bust
ness. 1t would seem that (although want OF
confidence is by no means common) the growers
are best satisfied who dispose of their cane 20
and work with manufacturing companies. The
capital of these companies varies, IN British
money. from go 900 to el50.0o0, and the guam
tity OF sugar made varies from Eve to twenty-five
tone each day. | heard OF instances of 40 tons
each day and night being turned out for
weeks in the largest factories, and do not doubt
the statement after seeing the machinery and the
men who control it. This heavy work is not
shirked, it was evident, when it became necessary
to push in order to get of the crop. AT such
times the factories are worked day and night /;
but, as q rule, day work only from daylight to
dark appears to be the system most in favor.
The workmen, it would appear, do not like night
work, and the employers find it TO their interest
to adopt this course of working, except 10 cases
of emergency.
AS might be expected, heavy expenses were
incurred in the earlier factories for appliances
and machinery that are now proved to be unne-
cessary. This is particularly noticeable in the
many contriyances obtained at one time and
another for ~fltering liquor and syrups, and now
abandoned. Indeed the whole of the fltering
processes for this purpose have lost favor the
presses of various kinds, bags, &c, and animal
charcoal itself has lost favor. Even in these
high-elass factories, with every facility for wash
ing and returning animal charcoal, one cannot
but see that the use of this material on the plan
tations does not give the fine, perfectly pure
white sugar which rehners turn out. l have be-
fore me at this moment sugar from half a dozen
f~rst-class West Indian factories the syrup of
this sugar has been through animal charcoal (the
process adding at least Is. per cwt. to the cost
and yet it does not look any better, nor would it
sell for any more per cwt. than the sugar eXhi-
bited in the Queensland Court, Philadelphia,
from the plantations of Mr.. Brown, Mary River /;
Messrs. Fryar and Strachan Logan Mr.. David
son, Port Mackay Mr.. Couldery, Logan or
Mr.. Muir, Nerang, none of whom, as l believe,
use animal charcoal. (Mr. Lippeen, a planting
friend from Guadeloupe, compared with me the
West Indian with the Australian sugars named,
and is quite agreed that the latter are especially
good with the West INDIAN
Draining is still common IN the West Indies,
and also in Louisiana, perforated hogsheads being
used for the purpose and very excellent sugar
is made by this process, but it is not likely to
succeed with US. Where draining succeeds. the
atmosphere is moist and still and unless that
state can be maintained by artificial means, the
dry air of Australia makes draining q much more
uncertain operation.
| am in possession of agreements drawn up
between growers and manufacturers in Martini
que. They are stringent, but in practice the
whole process is very simple. Usually Tin all
cases, l believe, where the factory agrees before
hand to take the crop) the cane is delivered at
fixed points into punts, boats, or tram cars that
belong to the factory. The usual arrangement
10 such cases is to pay the current market value
of from 4 to 5 lbs. of sugar (the character of the
grower and the usual quality OF his cane all
counting in the arrangement) for each 100 lbs.
of cane delivered to the mill. Should oppor-
tuuity offer, l shall send along to the colony
sample glasses OF the standard sugars of the CEN
trail factories, and also sample glasses of the
usual grades of sugar made in the West Indies
and Louisiana.
In the usine system, where tramways are laid
down, the factory is at the cost of them, but
they pass through the lands of adjoining pro-
prietors GENERALLY indeed in nearly oil cases,
contributors to the factory. The manager of
the uslne decides as to whose cane shall be cut,
and who shall load certain trucks each day.
There is, it would seem, q great deal of working
into each others hands at this stage. The
grower does the cutting and delivering he
makes his own arrangements about how the cut
ting is done, and neighbors evidently help each
other a good deal. Bot / hope to get up the
marrow of the whole when visiting the islands
during the approaching crushing season. Where
cane growers are deficient in mules or other
draft animals, the factory manager supply them
for q consideration.
well done. although by a slower process than We
have been used to. Heavy wooden ploughs of
the French or Spanish pattern are used for
nearly all the labor of cultivation. l saw but
few horse-hoes or s~carifers, and the people do
not " go in +" much for hard labor, for which |
do not blame them. The less of that sort of
thing in a warm climate the better; bat 1 think
they could do a great deal more with the scarf
fer. However, that is their affair.
Sugar being the product of the French islands
every facility exists for selling and buying the
article. The process of selling is much the same
as that followed in New Orleans. The sugar
barrels are exposed on the levee or market place,
in any number the seller has to dispose of.
Holes are bored at each end of the cask Gin New
Orleans they bore in the centre), so as to get at
an average of the quality of each. Sales are
then effected by accepting the highest offer. 1t
is not an auction, although something like it.
The seller names his price, and if he does not get
it the h~ogshead may remain over for another day.
We now come to the main point of the whole
question-How does it pay? Wherever l have
been there is a desire to approach the factory
system, and from every direction we hear of COM
missions sent to investigate what is being done
in the French islands, and to report upon the
applicability of the System to other cane-produc-
ing countries. That it will answer everywhere /
do not believe. 1t answers in the French is-
lands, because there is q large body of landed
proprietors there and because the people are
frugal and thrifty, and of a decidedly domestic
turn and also because the larger land owners
work In harmony with their nnorer hrethren.