The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1878-04-27
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
NORTH KoHALA, HAWAII, }
ApriI Doth, 1878. {

This is already an exceedingly rich district
agriculturally, and is destined to become of i'm
mense value in the production of sugar in the
near future. In extent of yet unoccupied arabic
land it is second only to the adjoining district of
Hamakua, which is as large as the whole island
of Oahu. There are now six plantations in
active operation here, and there is room and
plenty of rich land at a higher altitude for
twenty-five or thirty more. OF course those who
came first have chosen the most eligible sites in
regard to elevation and with reference to points
of shipment at the beach, but there is a large
extent of un%occupied rich land further up to-
wards the mountain, which will erelong find
occupants to develope the grand resources of this
magnificent district. On the coast line, as it
may be called, there is an opening for another
plantation, in and about the Sc big gulch" of
Pololu, where there are some three or four hun
dred acres of rich cane land, belonging to the
estates of the late Lunalilo and of Ii. H.. Keeli-
kolani. Doubtless the men and the money will
be forthcoming for this new enterprise, if those
having the management of the properties will
either sell or lease them on reasonable terms.
Pololu valley presents an admirable site for an
immense rice plantation-a wide, rich bottom
with abundance of never-failing water.
The great drawback to the otherwise rapid
development of the rich resources of Kohala Tin
a less degree however than in the case with
Hamakua) is found in the fact that there is
NO GOOD HARBoR
In the district, and that the boat landings, of
which there are several, are generally unsafe and
difficult of access and frequently for periods of
weeks together quite unavailable. This is owing
to the formation of the shore and the direction of
the prevailing winds, and no amount of engineer
ing skill and expenditure of labor and money
can ever obviate the difficulty entirely. The
lest of these landings is at Mahukona, at the
southern end of the district, but, quite distant
from the most of the plantations, from which it
is reached over a long and pretty rough road.
Mahukona is the only point in the district where
the steamer touches, and Mr.. Wilder, the ener-
getic owner of the Likehke has done the people
of Kohala and the public generally a valuable
service in deepening the boat channel and pro-
viding a landing stage. The place itself is a
barren pile of rocks where no green things grows
within a radius of miles, and where the traveller
awaiting the arrival of the steamer can get
neither food nor water. This Is however to be
LCnOOlCu cuOEtlJ, do VIC lodTu ludt tuIOuRu tu0
enterprise of the owner of the steamer a restau-
rant will be established near the landing, where
tea and coffee, etc., can be had. But the only
real harbor for shipping in Kohala, where a
vessel may safely lay in all weathers and where
there is no surf to be encountered in unloading
supplies and taking on produce, is the harbor of
Kawaihae, in South Kohala. This possesses all
those advantages but it is quite unavailable for
the Kohala planters, owing to its distance, a
wide impracticable extent of rocky barren coun-
try intervening between it and the plantations.
Kawaihae on this side and Hilo Bay on the
windward are the only harbors which nature has
provided as outlets for the agricultural produc-
tions of Hawaii, (leaving Kona out of the case
for the presently. These are situated, the one at
the east and the othor at the west, having in the
interval between them immense tracts of fine
cane lands, by far the largest proportion of
which is yet untouched by the plow, lying waste
and unoccupied. What a mine of wealth is yet
to be developed in those lands. What a tenn
ing, thriving population they might be made to
support, and what marts of busy commercial
and mechanical industry would Hilo and Hawai-
haze become, if only there was constructed
A LINE OF RAILWAY,
Through these districts, to transport their sugars
to those two points of shipment, Which shall
it be-the railway first, to hasten the develop
ment of these lands-or the slow progress Of
struggling improvement under great difficulties,
until a railway shall become an absolute neces-
sity? There are, of course, a plenty of imprac-
ticabIes to at once pronounce this idea of a rail-
way in Hawaii as the mere dream of a visionary;
but we believe that when the subject is thorough
ly examined in all its bearings by men of prac-
teal experience in the construction of railways
in other countries, and in view of the wonder
full advance in engineering science as well as the
great reduction in the cost Of such works in
these days-the project will be found, with all
its difficulties, to be a practicable as we'll as a
profitable one. And just here we desire to
record our prophecy that the "Hilo, Hamakua
and Kohala Railroad, - will be built and actually
running before many years. Demand will in
evitably produce supply in the matter of trans
portation as we'll as production.
THE PLANTATIONS
In 'his district are all prospecting. Our brief
stay Of lut two days has precluded our giving
more nan a passing notice of each. The pro-
tacled drought which has been experienced else
Why're throughout the Islands during several
moatn this winter has scarcely affected Kohala,
where the usual good showers, borne on the
constant trade wind, have kept vegetation green
and Furnishing. This is more noticeable the
further north one goes in the district about
Mahukona the country is pretty dry. The first
mill we come to is that of Mr.. R. B. Hind, who
it will be remembered was burned out some two
years ago. His new mill is a fine, well-appointed
one. There are some 700 to 800 acres of fair
cane land in the neighborhood of the mill, about
200 acres of which is planted and to be manu-
featured on the
COOPERATIVE SYSTEM,
Whereby the operations of the planter and the
manufacturer are kept separate and distinct
no doubt very much to their mutual advantage.
This system prevails throughout the district,
with the exception of on but one plantation, and
we are assured works admirably. To the owner
of the mill it manifestly proves of great advan-
tage to have the skilled workmen whom he is
compelled to employ each feeling a personal
interest in the success of the estate, proportional
to the amount of crop which each has coming