The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-10-27
Mr.. VOSS|ON'S PAMPHLET
GOOD REVIEW OF THE HAWAIIAN
SUGAR INDUSTRY.
The French Consul and Commissioner
Informs His Countrymen of Agricul-
tural Conditions in the Islands.

The French Commissioner, NJ. Vos-
sion, is man of erudition and makes
study of social and economic condi-
tions of whatevercountry he may
have been posted at. He is the author
of many works and pamphlets, all of
which are interesting and show how
l<eenly he can appreciate all kinds of
questions. His latest pamphlet deals
with the production of sugar on the
| Hawaiian Island and with japanese
/ immigration.
! In his booklet NJ. Nossion gives a
rapid sketch of the history of sugar
cane, stating that it was introduced
! in 1928. ten years after the death of
| kemehameha, and that what sugar
was made was very coarse in character
and only for small local consumption
| In 1871 few hundred pounds were eX-
| ported. From that date with each
succeeding year the industry progress
ed till it has reached it's present di-
mansions. The Commissioners pages
bristle with figures, till he reaches
PSI, 126 tons of sugar for the year
1867, produced from 81 plantations.
His opinion is that the trade around
the Horn to New York will run up to
100000 tons.
But the question of immigration in
terests the author more than the cul-
tivation of cane and he devotes far
greater number of pages to it, In this
section of his work NJ. Nossion makes
free use of published tables and has
constructed tables which are intense
ly interesting. He shows the continu-
ed increase of Japanese laborers in
the country and points out that the
proportion of women to men has di-
minished He considers the Japa-
nese as the most satisfactory laborers
on the plantations, basing his views
upon the opinions of planters. He
discusses the other classes of labor
and speaks highly of the industry OF
the Portuguese.
Then NJ Nossion discusses the flu
ture. He shows that Portuguese inn
migration has ceased, that with an
neNation Chinese are shut out, anC
that native Hawaiians can only sup
ply six per cent of the labor. The use
OF japanese and Tonkinese is propos
ed, and ii is shown that the wages of
fered to these people would be mucf
more liberal here than anywhere els'
they might go. He does not think thu
question of labor is insoluble, but III
INbllNlNNlS ~ q NNlN SitNt OilV'
In conclusion NJ. Nossion reviews tn,
work of DR. Maxwell at the experiment
= station and highly commends it, ant
shows the many advantages whicl
have accrued to the Hawaiian plante
by means of scientific cultivation ant
the use of proper fertilizers, guided b.
chemical analysis of soil.
The pamphlet finishes with the fol
lowing little peroration. Mr. Nossio
writes:
I'm short, there are few industrie
more interesting to study in deta
than that Of a sugar plantation, sue
/ as one sees it in the Hawaiian Islands
:, when in full work. In every directio
y the most modern methods, in the field
e as in the MILL give unexpected +,
suits: the science of the engineer. tn
mechanic. the forester, the agricultT
ralist and the chemist, is alike Gale
upon. and when one reflects that TIL
nature of the work at the experiment
station and in the laboratory is not i
the least limited TO sugar cane, but ca
be extended to all kinds of cultivation
one cannot help expressing the hop
that in our French colonies, wher
= they do not now exist, may be create
: similar establishments, which wi
make then really productive colonies.