The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-08-14

Absent: Ministers Green, Thurston,
Ashford; Mobiles Robinson, Dowsett,
| Young, Jaeger, Smith, Foster, Wight,
Motley, Wall, Townsend, Hitchcock, Bald
win. Bailey, Campbell, Widemann, Makee,
Wilcox, Bertelmann; Reps. Hustace'
| Dowsett, Kalaukoa, Kauhi, q. Brown, f.
Brown, Kinney, Mcguire, Kauhane, Paris,
Nawahine, Daniels, Wilcox, Nakaleka,
Kapaehaole.
Noble Waterhouse presented a petition
from s. H. Mekapu, supplementary to his
petition or report OF June IA. Referred to
| Sanitary Committee.
Rep. Helekunihi presented a petition
! from Huelo, Maui, for wharf. Referred
to Public Lands and Internal Improve
ments Committee.
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES.
Noble Smith read the report of the bill
introduced by Rep. F. Brown, July 2, to
amend section 1,036 of the Civil Code.
Recommend that the bill be laid on the
table. Adopted.
ORDER OF THE DAY.
Coffee.-Second reading of the bill intro
duced by the Minister of Interior, June
| 80, to encourage the cultivation of coffee,
with the ajOrity and minority reports of
| the Committee thereon, presented respect
lively, July 81 and %, thereon. The bill was
taken up section by section.
Noble Baldwin moved the first section
pass.
Noble Wight moved the first section and
the whole bill be indefinitely postponed.
He supported the policy recommended in
the minority report of the Committee, en-
couraging small growers by bOunties
Foble Baldwin approved of the principle
of the bill 1t is intended that company,
with sufficient capital will be formed to
test in a practical way the cultivation OF
coffee in this country. The company will
introduce the best machinery, the latest
improvements and the most approved
methods. 1t would be impossible to reach
these results by distributing aid among
large number OF cultivatOrs. NOtwlth-
standing the fact that coffee has been raised
here for 40 years, the industry is really in
its infancy. Plantations pay twice as
much, man for man, In wages now as they
did twenty years ago, and get lower prices,
and yet the profits on sugar raising are
generally speaking better now than they
were then. The reasons are, better appli
ances and more economical methods Oper-
ating on large scale and requiring capital
to introduce and keep up. The United
States had spent millions of dollars on
sorghum farms for the development of that
industry The object of this measure is
not, as some persons assert 1T is, to SubSi-
die Mr. Forsyth. 1t is to encourage this
important industry in the way most likely
to be of permanent advantage to the coun-
try and at the smallest expense to the
government. The bounty plan to be of
any effect, would involve hundreds Of
thousands of dollars. There is no estimat-
ing where its cost would end.
Noble Widemasln was sorry that names
had been mentioned III this discussion.
But since Mr.. Forsyths name had been
mentioned, he would say that he believed
the bill to be to encourage that gentleman
and for no other purpose. Coffee grows
on the tree and there is very little ma
chinery required about it. Such is not the
case with sugar. Coffee raising had been
carried on here 40 years ago, and so profit
able was it at Hanalei that one extensive
cultivator invested and lost all he had in it,
The plantation had all the machinery re-
quired, but the enterprise died an ignO-
miniOus death. In 1856, 81 and SO, the
blight struck the plant, and spread over
the country. If the plant was generally
started again it would be struck again in
the same way For these reasons he
wanted to keep his hands off coffee To
say that the Government can stop the sub
sidy when it becomes burdensOme, that's
all in nv eve" The title of the bill should
be changed to read for the encouragement
of a certain company to cultivate coffee
and not encourage anyone outside of that
company.
Noble Smith said he was in favor of the
bill, for two reasons, Q) he believed in the
future of this country, (2) the wealth and
development of the country depends
mainly on its agricultural industries. The |
Hon. w. H. Seward said in the u. S. Sen |
ate, in 1851: ''The Pacific ocean, its shores, |
it's islands and the vast region beyond will |
become the chief theatre of events in the |
worlds great hereafter. Before many |
years, steamers will be running from here |
to San Francisco in AZ days. In fact, |
there are steamers on the Atlantic now |
hot 10 In iV,f hot
We are now depending on two or three |
industries Great Britain and the United |
States are spending millions on the en- |
couragement and development of new IN |
dustries every year. The State of California,
an empire in itself as to extent, owes its |
marvellous progress of late years, not to |
its gold mines, but to the development of |
It's agricultural resources. There are other !
agricultural products that might be cult
waited as prOhtably cane or rice in these |
islands. Tobacco had been raised here and |
with excellent success, except that those |
working it had failed in properly curing it, |
Minister ThurstOn said the hon. Noble
Widemann's ideas seem to be ALWAYS re-
volvlng within the circle of 40 years ago.
The Mobiles attack upon Mr.. FORSYTH was
an attack upon him, the Minister. People |
had been experimenting little and talking
a great deal about coffee culture these 40
years Now, we propose to ge ahead and
do something. A ma ority of the commit
tee and ma Ority of the House had agreed |
that coffee cultivation ought to be encOur-
aged. The only question now is the method !
to be adopted. The provisions of this bill
are in the line of the measures adopted by
other countries. The reform Government
has come into power for something more
than stopping the KaimilOa. The Govern
ment is not supposed to sit like an old hen
on nest and do nothing. The way to
progress is to do something. The British
government had gone into tea raising in
India and now India is raising One-third |
Of the tea crop of the world. That Gov
had in the same manner. at enor-
nous outlay, made cinchOna one of the
great staples of India and Jamaica, Coffee
can be raised here, and we propose to start
it.
Noble Wight said he was anxious to en-
courage coffee cultivation but could not
agree with the Minister of Interinr that