The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-03-12
FOSTERING COFFEE.

The bill for fostering the coffee in
dustry by a further remission of tax
es upon hte growing trees for ten
years from the present date, will prob
ably come up before the House on
Monday, unless a good deal of work is
done this morning, and the bill comes
up this afternoon.
There is no doubt that the coffee in
dustry needs fostering. In the face
of an overstocked market, the pros
poets of the coffee pioneers are not 30
brilliant as many thought year or
so back. On the other hand though
low grade coffee is low. high grade
coffee continues to command good
price. Every assistance should then
be given to the struggling planter. As
it is, he has to pay tax upon his I'M
proved land. For the land which he
bought at from three to five dollars MI
acre. as soon as it is cleared and coffee
trees are planted upon, becomes tax
able at one hundred dollars an acre.
The remission of taxes for ten years
from date upon the growing trees,
moreover, is not for as long period
as it looks: it is really only an addi-
ton of six years. as there are still four
years of the former exemption to run.
The amount of exemption is not very
uhpNy thn ppf1pp
growers that the country wants to do
all it can to assist in putting this inn
portant industry on its legs.
But something further is needed,
and that should have come in the
shape of a petition from the principal
coffee growers throughout the coun-
try. This is to keep up the grade
of coffee. coffee grower, largely in
terested. has outlined plan which he
has submitted TO The Star. and which
might serve as the basis of bill.
One of the difficulties that coffee
growers see before them is that any
coffee can be sold as Hawaiian coffee.
and the best coffee would finally
bring no better prices than the wild
ungraded coffee. The berries should
be graded with regard to size and all
discolored berries carefully picked
out. This advice was recently given
in one of Williams Dimond's monthly
letters. It was there stated that there
was a distinct loss per pound. because
the berries were not graded. But
there is no doubt that coffee of very
inferior quality is shipped as the best
Kona coffee. This is collected by the
Chinese peddlers and small store keep
ers. They barter rice, flour, sugar,
for coffee beans, by the cupful at a
time. Instead of taking cash in Kona,
the natives take coffee, and buy what
they need. Gathered in this way Il
sack of coffee is fearfully and wonder
fully made up,
The plan spoken of above suggests
that Government coffee commission
ers be appointed by the Minister of
Interior, who shall receive fee of
80. cents per hundred pounds from
the coffee grower for examining clean
ed and graded coffee. All fees above a
certain specified sum to be turned in
to the Government treasury as real
ization.
The coffee so examined is to be
graded by number, and the duty of
h. =, b
oughly all the coffee and then seal
the bag in such a manner that the
seal must be broken to open the bag.
The bag would then be plainly mark
ed with the grade of coffee contained
in it.
Lastly this coffee grower would wish
to put an export duty upon the coffee
exported without the seal of the COM
missioner. The idea in the latter
clause being to force all growers 20
have their coffee graded, and advance
the prices on all grades.
1t is plain that in this form such a
bill would neither pass Senate nor
House. Indeed it is by no means
certain that legislation can reach
what this coffee grower desires. That
something should be done in this di-
rection either in the way he suggests
or by combination of the coffee grow
ers, is very plain however. 1t is a
matter which interests the, Hilo, Puma
and Kona districts, and those districts
should be heard from.