The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-04-28


of newspaper talk in these Islands is
the continuous outcry against the sugar
plan ations, the sugar barons, etc.
How is it possible that Honolulu's
newspapers should be in the dark about
the Importance of the plantations for
Honolulu? What are the resources of
Honolulu but the plantations? Where
would her business, her commerce, be
if the sugar plantations could not exist?
How childish this talk of the unfailing
wealth to be found in sugar plantations
for few happy owners, perhaps rich
absentees, whereas in reality for the
last four years but small number of
the plantations have paid dividends. A
considerable part of them have only
been kept above water at the risk of the
so-called rich absentees and sugar bar
Ons; and during all these years their
hundreds of employees and laborers have
received their usual salaries and wages,
the Government has received her taxes,
and Honolulu trade has been kept up.
Kill the sugar industry and you can
make pasture grounds of Honolulu.
The raise in the price of sugar this
year is indeed well deserved blessing
TO the plantations, and think that Ho-
noluIu will also be benefited. But who
can guarantee the same good prices for
the future? Hence l ask, why should
the plantations be taxed higher? If Ho-
nolulu needs so much money for electric
lights, fire companies, etc., ETC., who
does she not have her own city govern
ment and pay municipal taxes like all
the cities of the civilized world? Why
shall the country pay for her many i'm
provemeats2 It is another case of Spain
and Cuba.
But this is only depression. My main
purpose is to rectify the statement made
in several of the newspapers, that the
Lihue Plantation Company has not paid |
her proper share of taxes. If one Of the
stockholders has seen fit to pay as much |
as 1885 for one share, no doubt he had |
his good reasons for doing probably |
a great aloha for the place where he /
has worked for more than thirty years |
and which he principally has built up.
But the shares as a whole are not worth I
it at present, and not for good while
been the custom to pay taxes according
to the quoted value of the stock in the
market. The Minister of Finance is on
the right track, if he wishes to retain |
the method of levying taxes on the |
total income of the plantations, etc.
Only in this way will everybody con-
tribute their proper share, no matter as
to the fluctuations of stock in the mar
ket.1 CBy the way, about four years ago
the stock of one prominent plantation /
on Maui reached $500 and more, while
at the same time the stock of this place
only sold at $1,000
What place pays $4,000 taxes on a
crop of 1000 tons. As may be seen
from the tax returns, on the average
not quite 20 cents per ton of sugar has
been paid on last years crop, while this
place with Sc ,1SS.14 on 1000 tons almost
paid 80 cents a ton, and the income of
Lihue Plantation Company is from it's
sugar only.
The personal tax of the contract la
borers, besides of the German, native
and Portuguese day laborers, has also
been paid by the plantation.
There is no place that has had to
overcome so many DISTANCES before it
was able to produce the crop it does
I
rocky. never of any use before to the
natives, so rocky that no pillow could be
put in. and it cost on the average 500
per acre to clear it. Over thousand
acres have been cleared that way in the
course of the years, with painstaking
labor, and another thousand acres will
have to be cleared in the future. The
has had and will have its
increasing taxes from Lihue according
TO the increase of the crops, but / do
not see why we should pay so much :
more than any other place. Never has
this place been able to pay such fabu-
Ious dividends as some plantations on ]
Maui and Hawaii are said to have paid.
Never has this place had such returns
per acre as we read have been obtained
elsewhere. About II per cent. of our |
crop has been destroyed by the borer :
last year, which pest seems to be on
he increase.
Besides improving the land, for which {
great percentage of the yearly income
mas been spent, Lihue Plantation has
also spent some $50, 900 for foresting up
and and fencing woodlands. Where /
aIse has so much been done for this
purpose by one plantation? A system Oh =
,obber economy has been practiced in
stead on a great many estates. Make
nay while. the sun shines was the mot
%. The woodlands were allowed TO De
.uined by cattle and fires, until now the
water supply is failing on many place
Because Lihue Plantation has taken
different course, has very judlclousiy
hought of protecting these natural re-
sources and is benefited in consequence
with an ample water supply, does IL
deserve to be attacked for its pros
,erity?
Lihue has spent more money on pro-
.uring and keeping white laborers tnan
INV other place on the Islands. Com
= - ,, ornoS have been built for each