The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1883-11-21

Az extract which we give below from the
| New Orleans PicaWmc shows how wildly
men can write upon a subject which they
/ are only partially acquainted with The
/ extract Is taken from an article which re
views the report of the Sugar Commission
! The Ptc1yulc says:
The refuer is Sir Claus Spreckels lof San Fran
cisco. Knight Commander of the ROYAL Order of
halakGua, and he owns on the island of Maui the
largest sugar plantation in the world. Dr. j. II
Bemis, on lis return here from Hawai- last Oct
said that Spreckels had just taken of from about
zoo acres crop of over 10000 tons and expected
to have 1000 acres under cultivation this year He
also stated that very little sugar not consigned to
Speckels goes from the islands. We have forgot
ten how much land Spreckcls has: we should say
about 1900 acres. His plantations. in 1879 1850
and 1871, yielded an average of five tons per acre
We are under the impression that he was increas-
ing the cultivated acreage ut the rate of about
POO acres per annum, but with his vast means,
say not less than S14Op0OO0. he can doubtless in
Now, what need has Spreckels, the planter to di-
vide profit with Spreckols, the reiiner? he can
land does invoice ms sugars TO san Francisco at
Col actual average for 1882 as easily as at 5Ol
lactual average for 1876. before reciprocity sent
him TO the island;j and the difference can be sub
iracted from the profits at his San Francisco re-
hnery TO tickle the consumers. But DR.. J. H.
Bemis told the pfcggrHe last winter that Sprecs-
els contends that he viii in short time be able to
lay his sugar down IN San Francisco at a COS of
but tribe more than cent per pound, which viii
cover all expenses of cultivation. manufacture
and freight. The difference between the cost and
the invoice price is the profit of the planter
SpFeckels, and if the refiner Spreckels gets no
advantage from reciprocity he can, at least snap
his fingers at cur foolish Congress.
Facts must speak in answer to this. The
crop from the Spreckels estate this year.
far from exceeding that of 1882. will fall
short of it, The Pieayt7,e
man was allowing his imagination to run
not into the contemplation of n crop of
10000 tons: be calm perturbed spirit, there
Is not the slightest danger Of your being
thrown off your balance by any such an
nouncement
Whatever tract of land Mr.. Spreckels
possesses, the amount of sugar he can
raise from 1t Is limited by the amount of
water available Situated where his plant
alton Is. to plant cane and not irrigate it
Is simply to court loss Now the amount
of water. which MIR. Spreckels has. is in
the opinion Of very capable Judges, not
much more than sufficient to water his
present area Of cultivation, how then can
be " expand suddenly to 10000 acres. 1t
is simply impossible to expand his
plantation suddenly to that acreage with
the means OF irrigation which he has at
Then as to the laying down of sugar at
one cent a pound in San Francisco. in
Guiding freight cultivation, manufacture.
etc, such boast mag have been
made. but assuredly it was an empty one.
At the lowest estimate of reliable figures
hat We have seen made. the cost of ma
uring. cutting, delivering and manufac-
uring pound of sugar is 81 cents. and
his at the door of the sugar house. cost |
If land transport freight insurance and
have to be added on to this |
lfter the sugar leaves the mill The cal |
'uiatlon we refer to was based on a SUD-
losed yield of four tons to the acre: refi- |
IDLE calculations have been made and it /
has been shown that the average yield per |
ere IN the Hawaiian Islands is only a little /
,ver three tons, 50 that we have given the |
'ieayHe favorable rather than an unfa- 1
orable calculation. No. when sugar Is
nd down at one cent pound in San
Francisco, we should like to have some
took in the concern that can do it. and
hould recommend the Picay,mc editor 10
Ell out and come and try his luck in Ha
'aii. At present however, no such brill
mt chances are before him. and be had
etter stick to his newspaper. We believe
Re Pioag7ws receives the Hawaiian Planters
Ioailly: before another article on the Ha-
aiian sugar question Is penned we would
that the files be read up: such
Onsense as appears in the article in ones
on would not have been written had this
zen studied
There is one warning however, that our
sople should take, and that is not make
lgUe statements as to the capabilities of
u lands, they are fertile certainly, but
ey are not so much better than those of
her tropical countries People like to !
'eak Of extraordinary yields from GER
IN favored spots; average yields are
nat ought to be given: SIX tons to the {
re he been obtained, but not as an en-
e crop: the habit of exaggeration is 1
rong IN very many men: they like to tell
e very best about lheir work and to'ig-
re their own failures, but moderate estf-