The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-10-08
Coffee Expert S0uZa Writes Of the
Olaa District.
TELLS JUST WHY HE LOCATED
Investigates in Advance-The Market Out
look-Labor Problem-Co-
Operation.
Editor Hilo Herald:

Dear Sir:-You wish to know my
opinion as to the future of the Olaa
district. The mere fact that l am To-
Gated here could be my best answer, be-
cause had not believed it to be very
good field l would have certainly kept
out of il. But, of course, am liable
TO errors, and, moreover, | have made
them before, and this is perhaps the
best foundation upon which / venture
to give my opinion, because one who
has discovered his previous mistakes
is generally more cautious against new
ones.
/ made my first visit to Olaa nearly
one year ago and then formed my opin-
ion as to the excellent conditions ex-
listing here for the cultivation of cof-
fee. There are some men engaged in
growing coffee here whose we'll eX-
planned confidence in the future of
their enterprises should be enough to
encourage anyone to follow them. In
this connection | may mention Messrs.
Higgins, Peck, Russell, Eagan, Sumter,
Abercrombie, James, Grossman, Motley,
Fulcher, Reinhardt, zimmerman, and
many others. A visit through the cOf-
fee fields and a good talk with any of
the named gentlemen, will be more
than enough to demonstrate the adj
vantages Of Olaa for coffee to any ag
riculturist.
nrtiny 1or. \.
l kept ON travelling through several
other districts, where coffee is grow
ing and bearing we'll, In the Hawaiian
Islands, before making up my mind in
favor of any particular place.
The result of my Investigations is
that coffee will grow and thrive in sew
eral districts of the Hawaiian Islands,
and that the details connected with the
future of the industry, as cost of plant
ing, wedding, pruning, harvesting, pro
duction per acre, transportation to
market, ETC., ETC., are the reasons of
my being now in Olaa engaged in COT
fee, having brought my family from
distant country where l had been en-
gagged in the same industry for many
years and | feel very much pleased
with what | consider a bright future.
AS to the probable result of a coffee
field several estimates have been pub
lished, some more conservative than
others, but in no. case is the bene1t,
commencing on the fifth year. less
than 25 per cent on the investment.
This result, of which all those engaged
in coffee at present feel sure, in addi-
ton to the advantage of stable gov
eminent, obtained by our having been
annexed to the United States, has nat
urally produced a rise in coffee lands
to from $50 to 500 per acre, unim-
proved according to its proximity to
the Volcano Road.
Annexation has made our future
much brighter. We are now portion
of the United States and may look
forward to protective duty on foreign
coffee We have our own markets
without having TO seek buyers for our
produce all over the world.
The Hawaiian Islands are the only
portion in the United States where cot
fee can be produced and if every square
inch of available coffee land was bear
ing, we would still find a larger de-
mand than We could supply, right in
our own country.
But there is still more in the future
of Olaa We can produce bananas.
igator pears), and many other tropical
fruits.
No attention has been given 70 fruit
growing heretofore, owing to our want
of transportation facilities, but now
there is no doubt that direct steam
communication with San Francisco
and Seattle will soon be an accom-
plished fact. We can plant bananas in
our coffee fields and produce about $50
punches per acre in addition to half
ton of coffee every year, which at
most conservative estimate should
bring a net profit of over S100 per acre
annually.
That our fruit will find a sure market
there can be no doubt if We figure on
the many millions Of people in the
United States and Canada to whom We
can sell it cheaper and better than they
could obtain from anywhere else,
which the various railroad lines con-
Meeting Seattle with the heart Of the
two countries will help us to accomp-
lish.
AS to the possible difficulties TO OBJ
tain labor | do not entertain the least
fear. If l am not mistaken free labor
can come into the United States from
Japan, and as the wages paid in this
country are higher than Japanese labor
can obtain anywhere else, | feel sure
they will find their way in here. But
even if we don't have japanese labor
there is no reason for fear. Coffee can
be worked by white men on the CO.
operative system without any difficulty
Some seem to think that a white man
cannot work in our fields, and if this
is so | cannot see how white farmers
are engaged in other countries where
the farming work is harder than ours
and where the climate is far from being
as good as here. In my opinion the
cooperative system is the coming So
luton of the coffee industry in this