The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-08-07
OlAA PLANTATION
Great Progress is Being
Made in Planting.
Manager MeStOckers Work Praised saIrhy
Patches of Cane Growing in
All Directions.

I was through the Olaa district a
few months ago" said J. G. Pratt. a
representative of Bruce Warning & Co.
TO reporter of the Hilo Herald last
week, before any work was performed
and | could not help noticing the great
changes that have taken place since
my visit at that time In the lower
lands the greatest amount of work
has been done and it shows for itself.
1 would not dare say how many acres
have been cleared, but there is a large
tract of the finest soil | ever saw any
where.
a number of plOwmen are working
the land and preparing it for seed and
in few months this will be growing
finely. The fern trees have all been cut
down and piled in different parts of the
to the ground and burned As the
trunks decay they become excellent fer
tiliZer and add to the quality of the
land. From the road the scene is one
sugar planter. In the vicinity OF the
ninemile point great progress is be-
ing made in the erection of buildings;
quarters for the men and substantial
stables have been erected. l believe
the managers residence will also be
built there.
AS l view the proposition of the
Olaa Sugar Company, it is one of the
best on the Islands for an investment
When their upper lands are producing
the mill will be grinding the year
round and the acreage should yield an
enormous amount of sugar. The Waia-
kea Mill Company has about 5000 acres
under cultivation and is capitalized for
S600,000, upon which the company
earns about 60 per cent. Suppose the
.Olaa Company has in a few years r.,
900 acres of producing cane, it would
seem to me that even with sugar much
lower than it now is the plantation
would be a splendid paying one, and
when all of the land of the company is
under cultivation the So, 600. 900 capital
iZatiOn will not be a whit too high. L
prophesy this: that within six months,
as the Doubling ThOmases have an
opportunity to see what is being done,
Iany bear movement of the stockholders
will disappear and people will fall over
each other in their efforts to buy
shares. OF all the sugar properties L
have seen on the Islands Olaa presents
itself to me as the best. The conditions
are excellent; so good, in fact, that the
plantation, though a large one, can be
run at a less expense than others. Any
I'm
what the soil is and knows that irriga-
! ton is not needed and in this there
| will be a great saving of expense. On
one of the new plantations l am told
there will have to be two pumping
Iplants and between these there will be
! six miles of piping. Calculate the eX-
Ipense of that and compare it with Olaa,
!where there is natural irrigation, and
YOU will see the advantage Olaa has IN
this respect.
In my opinion Mr.. McStOcker shows
wisdom in concentrating his efforts :;
land his work shows for itself in way
that any one can see what IS pelng
done You may go through the district
land on all sides you will find patches
| of cane which show an exceedingly
| healthy growth. Cane few months
old is waist-high and in some places
that which has been growing SIX or
eight months is as tall and hardy look
ling as that which on the average plan
tation has grown a year. L presume
that as soon as the lower lands are III
| cane the work of preparing the upper
Hands will begin. A friend OF mine
from the States, who visited here a
few weeks ago. has an option on con-
tract for clearing 1000 acres. 1t is a
class of work he is familiar with but
he is unaccustomed to Asiatic labor.
He has returned to the States Tor the
purpose of securing the same Whlte
men who have worked for him IN the
lpast. If he can get them down ne VII
take the contract and proceed with the