The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-09-30

rupled within the past six months.
The Moana, a large steamer formerly
operated by the Union line, of New
Zealand, which cooperate with the
Oceanic company in San Francisco,
has been scarcely able to carry her
cargo during her last few,voyages. on
the last trip every inch of available
space was filed, to such an extent that
she was unable to carry the usual sup
ply of COAL having been detained in
Honolulu twenty-four hours to fill her
bunkers upon which her freight had
encroached. What is true Of the Mo-
ana has been true of others. and. in
some cases tons of freight have had to
be left behind in San Francisco Tor
which no room could be made.
The increase in the number Of sail
ing vessels has been proportionatelS
great TT far exceeds the halcyon
DAYS when whaling ships lay side by
side along the wharf, for the distance
OF mile, so close that a man could
step from one deck to another. For
now they cannot even get into the
dock, but must wait their turns outside
a detention of sometimes of four
weeks duration. The question OF
wharfage is little serious, for while
the dock can be, and is being con-
stantly extended and improved, it has
it's limitations that cannot be over
come. 1t seems n little too bad, in
view of this, that our Navy deparh-
ment. instead of utilizing the splendid
possibilities of Pearl Harbor should
be eXpendng money for the harbor In
Honolulu. which is already so crowded.
1t is said that the United States has
been influenced by the fact that the
land adjacent to Pearl ElarbUr has
been brought by q syndicate which
holds the tract at such an eXorbitant
figure the government will postpone
purchasing until more reasonable
terms are offered. This may be true,
but Pearl Harbor is needed. and needed
badly so that all the space in the
harbor at Honolulu may be let for
the merchant marine.
Meantime a giant dredge Is i'm opera
tion at the foot of Richards street
and the WORK Of excavation for new
slips in that comparatively unimprov-
ed part of the harbor is making excel
lent progress. The dredge has n ca
pacity of two tons. and hoists three
loads. or six tons of earth and stone, a
minute The work begun will he com.
| pleted in March and will cost $275,000
SUGAR INDUSTRY.
OF course the leading industry OF
| the islands, sugar planting, has had an
! enormous stimulus, and people of mod
! crate means have grown rich within
| the past year by buying and selling
stocks. New plantations are being
| opened up, with capitalization running
up into the millions. On those where
| irrigation is used the mostly costly and
| perfect machinery is employed-pumps
! that force a stream of water to the in
credible height of six hundred and even
eight hundred feet-a thing hithe. tc
| believed to be impossible. This hlc
redeemed the highlands which have
been supposed to be unclaimable anu
has added to the arabic lands through
out the islands.
The yield has almost doubled in the
irrigated lands where cane culture is
carried on in the most scientific man.
ner. The Planters association which
| represents the combined sugar inter
ests of the island. employ an eXper
who had his training in one of ou
western experimental stations and h,
makes soil and fertilizers his chic
study. and the subject of constant eX
pertinent. In 1894 a plantation il
Oahu, not far from Honolulu, yielded
six tons of sugar to the acre. Thi
was considered extremely profitable
The plantation now averages ten ton
to the acre and the best of the land il
hppI
made to reach the enormous yield o
fourteen tons to the acre. 1t was cap
italized only a few years ago at $500,
900. and today it represents a capita
of $5,OOO,OOO while it wields a dividenc
of thirty per cent. to the fortunate
stock owners. who have been mad
rich.
Indeed. the sugar industry is hardl
past its infancy, and the future of thes
Ereat Hawaiian plantations can hardl
be forecast. 1t has rather cast coffe
growing in the shade, which is rathe
pity, since no coffee in the world, nc
even that which passes for Mocha, ca
be compared, in strength or flavor, {
the KonG coffee, indigenous to tn
islands. This. however, will improve
and no doubt when the same energ
and knowledge are brought to bea
coffee plantations will rival the can
fields. One difficulty has been that g
least three years must elapse befor
capital invested in coffee yields any re
turns.
CUSTOMS RECEIPTS.1
The receipts at the custom house
Honolulu constitute perhaps the bes
index to the prevalent and increasin
prosperity which is a direct outcome
annexation, The receipts for the mont
of June, 1885, We're $72,34S.3 For tn
: month of June, 1892 they We're $9S, ,3S4. 0
. an increase of $4,000. In July, 1893, tn
receipts were $Gl2S5, and for the mont
just ended s9l,5l6, an increase of owe
$4,000. The advance is not confined