The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-07-11
A SISAL GROWER
Visit of a Man Who
Knows Fibre Business.
Chas. Wilde From the West Indies Bound for
Fiji-said slsal ENTERPRISE WouId
Succeed Here.

During the hurry burIy times Of last
week there was in town for couple
Of days a gentleman who had the no
ton Of engaging in an enterprise here
and who would have been most val
liable acquisition. He spent most Of
his time with \. H. Turner, of the
new fibre company that is undertaking
to go into business in Eva district
and met B. F. Dillingham; and a few
other prominent men. The visitor
was Chas. Wilde, who has for a num-
Der Of years been in the fibre business
in the West Indies and who has gone
on to Fiji where he intends to grow
sisal and ship the product to the mar
ket Mr.. Wilde had no idea that there
was a good field here for him, but had
he been offered sufficient inducement
he would have remained. He goes to
a definite arrangement in Fiji. Mr..
Turner VIII be in corresp ondence with
Mr.. Wilde and the Englishman may
come back here later.
SisaI, perhaps the best of all fibre
plants, made itself at home in Hawaii
from its first introduction some years
ago 1t has grown well wherever
planted and the analyses and small re-
auctions have been most satisfactory.
After months of effort and in the face
Of many and heavy discouragements,
Mr.. Turner lately completed the or
ganization of a good company in Ho-
nOlulu There has been, and still IS
some ''hitch" about the land, but il
is hoped to soon straighten out this
matter. A statement now made is that
one Of the Island corporations entire
Iy responsible will go ahead with the
cultivation of sisal very soon on its
own account.
MIR. Wilde said that Mr.. Turner had
been altogether too conservative IN
presenting the project to the gentle
men who have taken stock in the local
company Mr.. Turner figured on 1000
pounds of fibre to the acre. Mr..
Wilde. on looking over carefully both
the plants and the ground had no
hesitation in declaring that there
could be produced here yield OF from
800 to $500 pounds Of fibre to the
acre. When Mr.. Turner entered on
the work of interesting Honolulu cap
ita1 the price of the fibre was 312
cents a pound The quotation now is
from 1912 to II cents a pound and on
account of this advance those in bus
mess have made enormous profits. 1t
is the conviction that the price will
remain good for many years, even at
ter the war ends, that has caused Mr.
Wilde to eagerly hasten to FIJI to get
into business for himself. He says
that he can sell to fine advantage once
his crop is in the ground.
Mr.. Wilde is a practical man OF eX-
parience Of many years. He under
stands all about the business, from
the planting to the marketing. The
machinery for the treatment of the
nIants. the removal Of the fibre from
thn 90 per cent of trash, is manufac-
tured in the United States. There
comes all the time from India the
complaint that machinery for the
treatment of the fibre plants grown
there has not yet been invented. There
can he no question whatever concern
ing the American machinery used on
sisaI in the West Indies. 1t is doing
the work today and has been doing 1t
for some time.
Amongst the products Of the ibre
taken to the factory are rope, brushes,
mats. carpets. etc. Mr.. Turner is now
of the belief that after the visit OF Mr..
Wilde something in the line Of estao-
fishing here a new and important m
dustry can be carried out.