The Hawaiian gazette., 1888-03-06
PROPOSED new PLANTATION.
Both Foreign and Domestic Capital
lists Looking FavorabIy on Improve
nents in Hawaiian Enterprises

! meeting Col. Geo. w. Maefarlane at
the Hawaiian Hotel Friday evening,
made some enquiries i'll reference to
the proposed new plantation referred
! to in our Kauai notes of Thursday
mornings issue, and was favored with
full particulars of the matter.
The land, Makaweli, is part of the
estates of Gay & Robinson and the
! Sinclair family, and comprises some
| 5000 acres more or less of good cane
land, the topography and situation
being singularly favorable for irriga-
ton and for cane raising. 1t is on the
| lee side of the island and consists of
! gentle slopes and flats. With proper
| irrigation it is estimated to yield an
average of five tons and upward to the
acre.
Mr.. VIM. Kenny Watson has Sc
cured for himself and associates the
option of a thirty-eight years lease OF
| the property. The final execution OF
| the lease is contingent on the results
of survey to be made of the available
supply of water necessary for irriga-
ton. This survey is to be proceeded
with Immediately under the direction
of Colonel Macfarlane. There Is no
water on the land at present, but 1T IS
situated between two rivers, the Wal
mea and the Hanapepe. 1t is pro-
posed to tap the sources OF the two
rivers, the Koula, an atf1uent OF the
Hanapepe, and the Makaweli, a trib-
utary of the Waimea, these athuents
being nearly at the highest part OF the
proposed plantation, about four miles
above the boundary line. The lands
front on the ocean. The survey will
extend back on to the Waialeale
Mountain, the great watershed of the
island. Competent, practical engi-
neers will be employed to ascertain
whether the probable minimum sup
ply will be sufficient at dry periods for
irrigation purposes. The starting of
the plantation depends altogether on
the result of these engineers investi-
cations. The option of the lease eX-
tends to the end of the year.
Should the reports of the survey
prove satisfactory, Mr.. Watson will
proceed at once with the organization
of his company. y ditch will be made,
pipes laid and first class mill with
all the latest Improvements in sugar
machinery will be erected.
The output of the plantation is cal
culated to be from 5000 to 5000 tons.
1t is understood that the company,
if organized, will be composed of
MessTs. w. r. Watson and some of
his friends in Glasgow, Scotland, to-
gether with several of the monied
men of Honolulu, among whom are
Hons Jas. Campbell, H. A. Wide
mann, C. r. Bishop, and others.
The terms of the lease are private
for the present.
The GAZETTE reporter was next in
troduced by Colonel Macfarlane to Mr..
VIM. r. Watson and was very cordi-
ally received. Mr.. Watson is per-
sonally a gentleman of well proper
toned, solid Scottish physique with
pleasant countenance, and seems to be
between forty and fifty years of age,
his hair being slightly tinged with
grey. He expressed his opinions with
ingenious freedom on the matters en-
quired about. besides throwing out
several original ideas on the Chinese
question, the possibilities of the sta
bility of the sugar and other industries,
and kindred subjects of interest in the
Hawaiian Islands.
The reporter opened the interroga-
ton business without much preface,
after which the interview proceeded
substantially as follows:
What will be the probable extent of
your estate on Kauai?
That question is best answered in
this letter producing a letter in which
the area of the land with the offer of
an option of lease was set FORTH, where
you will find that it is only the option
of the lease that L have taken so far.
1t contains from 1000 to 5000 acres,
which we estimate to be sufficient to
produce crop of betwiXt 5000 and
10000 tons.
Have you any idea of the probable
cost of the ditching and piping?
No, that cannot be obtained until
the survey is made. L have to bear
the expense of the survey myself, and
my reason for taking the option of the
lease is to have the survey made of the
water supply.
What will the capital stock of the
company likely be in case the survey
shows a sufficient water supply?
That, too, will depend upon the re-
suits of the survey. The quantity of
water and the plant that will be re-
quired will have good deal to do with
it. However, the capital would not
likely be less than half million. A
5000 ton crop will be necessary to pay
the expenses of getting on the water,
besides other OUTLAWS. The land is
evidently of great fertility. 1t is on
the lee side of the island where the
cane will not be exposed to wind and
rain storms as if it were on the other
side, and that is a great advantage
Cane requires calm. And cane is pro-
duced with less expense with irriga-
ton than when its growth depends
upon falls of rain, as there is less
hoeing and wedding to be done about it.
As you have been a good deal about
the Islands during your present visit,
what is the general impression on
your mind as to the country's induce
ments for the investment of foreign
capital, about which a great deal has
been said and published here?
| have had more or less to do with
every sugar country in the world; and
know some of them pretty well, hav-
ing travelled through them, and sup