The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-11-09
ClaS. N. Pepper Writes Of Pros
poets Of the Planters.
CASE OF An AMERICAN
Each Estate Worth a Million Dollars
Grinding Seasons Some Time
Off Making Loan.

HAVANA. Cuba.-The personal for
tunes Of many Of the Americans who
formerly had property and business in
Cuba is, by their own showing, al
low abb. am ready to credit all they
say. Three years of guerrilla warfare,
during which Cuban insurgents and
Spanish troops were engaged chiefly in
destroying property, could not have
left them otherwise. But 1 have not
met a single one of these Americans
who has lost heart. Though they have
not the means of rebuilding at once,
they are not discouraged. Most of
them have expectations" from the
claims they have filed with the State
Department. While the amount OF
these claims is presumably eXaggerat-
ed, and while some may be fraudulent,
the expectations of realizing something
from this source with which to rede
velop their holdings is not an unjust
one.
One of the Americans, who owns
sugar plantation in a corner of Matan-
zas Province, gave me an account OF
his financial condition. AS it is typi-
cal of others l repeat the substance OF
his statements:
I'm going out to visit my place,
he said. Haven't been there for near
ly two years. Saw the cane burning
then. Pleasant feeling TO see your
plantation burning, but l was pretty
lucky. Nobody eve heard me talk
ing against the insurgents, and they
were pretty decent. The. machinery
was not destroyed, and that's the main
thing in raising sugar. Cost me some
thing, mostly in promises, but they
protected me. I've had word the ma
chinery is in good shape"
Shall you grind any cane this
year?"
Grind cane this year! Good Lord
my friend, you don't know much about
sugar production. If L can get $500, 900
right away, two years from this COM
ing December 1 will be able to grind
big crop of cane and pay the money
back. But it will take two years to
realize anything from the plantation"
You won't have any trouble in
making the loan, l suppose?"
1Ou SuppOSe, 40 you. linen II YOU
know anybody who wants to lend
100000 on a plantation that's worth
$1,000, 900, just bring him around. I've
been hustling a month to get that
$500, 900, but not a dollar of it yet.
though a plantation worth S1,OO. 600
ought TO be good security"
BY way of depression. it may be said
that there are no sugar plantations in
Cuba worth less than 81 600 900. At
least | never heard of one. This valu-
alton seems to be one OF the effects of
the tropical climate. Whoever has a
sugar mill and cane field speaks of
them with a deprecating wave of the
hand, as though they were of no more
account than an ordinary corn patch
in Iowa, or a wheat field in Dakotas.
But when inquiry is made as to their
value, it is always "a million or So"
While the Matanzas planter NAV have
added few hundred thousand to the
value OF his place, and while he may
be seeking a larger loan than is need
ed TO redevelOp ii, he does not deceive
himself on one point. This is the
length of time that will be needed TO
put his plantation again on a paving
basis. As for the rest, he will keep
hustling till he gets together S25. 600 or
$4,000, and will start in without wait
ing for the balance Of the 5000 600
which he thinks he wants.
CHAS. VI. PEPPER