The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-02-21

able to SEND their sugar into our mar
kets, things have not been so bright for
the Hawaiian planter. That is partly
what brought on the discomfort leading
to the revolution last month, which re-
suited in deposing the queen and a petit
ton from the new government to the
United States to annex the islands.
Sugar planting was practiced in the
islands on a small scale before the reci-
procity treaty with the United States,
but it was after that event that it took
on the large proportions and improved
methods which characterize it today.
No small part of the improvement in
methods and enlarged scope of the bust
ness is due to an American citizen of
German birth, of whom the American
people have heard a good deal in one
way and another. This is Claus Spreck-
els, the sugar king, who is drawing divi-
dends on millions Of sugar stock.
Spreckels' work as financial artist is
drawn with bold, free hand which pro-
duces striking effects He got his first
foothold in the business world by land
speculations in California. Having
achieved in this way the wherewithal to
pursue further operations he got control
of the California sugar refinery. This
opened up an occupation most congenial
to his mind in the shutting off of compe-
tition in the refining industry. He paid
rival refinery comfortable income for
many years to stand idle and made it well
worth his own while by the increased
price he charged for the refined sugar.
He succeeded in. cornering the Hawai-
ian sugar crop year after year and en-
joyed monopoly Of the refined sugar
supply on the whole Pacific coast. The
Hawaiian sugar supply was ample for
the demands of The Pacific coast, even
with only the most favored spots
brought under cultivation. The easy
going Hawaiian planters were long con-
tent to work these rich lands until
Spreckels went into the planting bust.
ness himself, reclai1ning vast areas Of
what had been considered waste lands.
Previous to that time sugar planting
had been confined to areas within reach
of existing water courses. The cane re-
quires great deal of water, and the
rainfall is not to be depended on to sup
ply its needs. The resource is irrigation.
There is vast amount Of land in the
Sandwich Islands which could be made
productive by a water supply, either by
digging wells or by lengthy conduits.
Before Claus Spreckels' time the plant
ers huddled about the mouths of the val
leys and along the streams, from which
they brought water for short distances
in rickety wooden fumes.
Hawaiian sugar planters are the en-
bodiment Of hospitality. They are much
isolated from one another, and for long
periods their only intercourse with the
outside world is through the occasional
travellers who stop with them for shelter
and food. So they welcome all corners.
There is in this region a plantation and
sugar mill run wholly by Cinnamon. 1t
is owned by Along, the wealthy Chinese
merchant in Honolulu, whose son is
graduate of Yale college. The overseer
is a Chinaman. The mill hands are
Cinnamon, and the field hands also. The
mill machinery was all made in Homo
lulu.
The cane requires 10 months to ma
trre. After the first crop is taken Off, a
second and sometimes third, called the
first or second ration crop, is raised from
the same seed, each time with dlmln-