The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-06-26
TWO MEN OF H|LO TOWN
THEY BRING GOOD CHEER FROM
THE SECOND CITY.
Catholic Mission Lands i'm Hilo and
Puma Priests Business Work.
Colonel G.. +. Little on Boom.

One of the real live men of Hilo and
the Island of Hawaii is the pleasant
FIR. Bonaventura. Besides looking
after parish, he is the resident man
ager of the Catholic Missions prop
critics in the growing town and in the
Puma coffee district. He is just now
visiting Honolulu for the purpose of
consulting on various matters with
the Bishop of Panopolis. Father Bon
aventura has been at his present post
fifteen years and is naturally intimate
ly familiar with Hilo and neighbor-
hood.
The Catholic mission owns in the
town of Hilo two good pieces of prop
erty. One has frontage on two bust
ness streets and part of it has lately
been in litigation on lease question.
The second holding is the church
ground. Besides these two lots the
Mission has 900 acres left of 5000 or
iginally owned in the Puma district.
This fine tract was purchased many,
many years ago by FIR. Charles, who
was on Hawaii half century and
who died there about a year and
half ago. Land was cheap in the early
days and this large estate was bid in
at auction for $3.50. The Hilo prop
critics were also bought at auction. The
2,100 acres of Puma land now passed
from the Mission is either in coffee
or used as pasturage in fee simple or
by lease. The Mission sold outright
cheap and in the past on lease re-
CURED no pay until the fourth year.
A change of rule has been made late
ly and lessees must pay twelve months
in advance. 1t is the policy of the
owners to occupy their tract with
small holders. Several good offers for
the entire estate have been refused.
FIR. Bonaventura, who has handled
this big business very successfully, is
naturally an enthusiast on Puma and
Hilo, though he comedies that large
portion of Olaa will prove to be eX-
cellent and profitable at the produc-
ton of coffee. To Star representa-
tive the visitor yesterday spoke with
much citation of the several best
known coffee groves in Puma, especial
ly the place of Goudie Bros. Here in
the second year the first patch is pro-
ducing ten tons of coffee. The Rycroft
place i'm Puma has earned it's spurs in
this and other countries many years
ago. FIR. Bonaventura cosiders the
Peter Lee and Mason groves the best
on the volcano road (Olaa). He is also
confident that fruit growing is to be
an important factor. Particularly he
mentions the Kinney and p. c. Jones
places as having in prospect profitable
business in the expectation of lines
and oranges.
The matter in which the Mission
Hilo head is just now especially inter
ested is a couple of applications from
s., California for land for a colony. He
is in communication with gentlemen
who have been chosen the leaders Of
bona fide colony scheme, the mem
bers of which have voted to try first
for homes in Hawaii. If they do come
which seems quite likely, a consider
able thrifty population will be added
to the big island as well as support
to Hilo.
FIR. Bonaventura had intended re-
turning to Hilo by the Kinau today
but on account of the heavy travel
was unable to secure a berth and will
remain over a trip.
= Another man who is quite promi-
nent in Hilo booked for return pass
age when he left home and was aboard
the Kinau when she sailed this morn
ing. Col. G. f. Little, the attorney
who has been before the Supreme
Court in a couple of cases, is the gen
tleman. The colonel is just as san
! guine on the future of Hilo and
growing tributary districts as the
priest, but is more conservative in ex-
preston. Col. Little went through
the terrific boom in Seattle and says
the reaction was enough to make
strong man weep for months. He
doesn't want to see anything of that
kind in Hilo. He says the town is
pace and that the surrounding coun-
try is settling up rapidly. The attrac-
tive and solid feature of the business