The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-08-20
AN EXPORT FALLACY.

AN EXPORT FALLASI.
The Northumberland olScussioh
draws out this interesting letter:
Soc Honolulu, Aug. 19, 1901.
Editor Advertiser: There have recently
appeared in the Advertiser two editorials
dealing with the question OF diversified
products The writer of these, stimulat-
al TO areumentatfve zeal by extreme
statements in hostile sheet, has, De-
Neve gone beyond the legitimate purpose
Of his plea, in writing SO hopelessly, and
indeed tiisparag ingly. of the attempt az
the production of anything other than
sugar In so doing, he has done MUS
hce to- certain interests of the Islands
.IJpon the profits of sugar large mer-
camille and economic structure has been
built UP. To cripple the sugar industry
would be to undermine this structure
and 1t is out of the question TO magma
that any other industry or combination
Il Industries would Immediately rise 10
take, the place OF sugar.
At the same time It is not true, as
some people insist. and as one might in
fer from the editorial in this morning $
Advertiser, that outside" industries are
fpEiori, doomed to failure
In the past the brains of the Islands
have been devoted to sugar, and to Ell
terpriSes dependent directly upon 1t, Tht
margin of profit great that moth
ing better was TO be looked for. and II
certainly did not pay people to bother
themselves much about the prices they
paid for potatoes and onions. Such out
aide enterprises as were. undertaken pre-
vtous to annexation seem not to have
been really well handled.
Conditions are now changing AS We
approach the prospect of eventual small
e profits in sugar, business enterprise
Is turning to other channels. How far
this change will go We cannot foresee.
That we shall reach the condition of an
Eastern manufacturing town is not pos
sible, That we have reached the point
where an American farmer can make an
Independent living by raising truck for
market. has not been proved. 1t is an
spen question whether the same amount
Of intelligence and enterprise which las
established the quality of the Washing
ton Navel orange In the Eastern mar
'ketss would not establish the Hawaiian
grange, or produce here an orange that
could be established. In the markets of
NE country.
We do know. however. that we now
have an apparently successful brickyard,
and that there Is a pineapple cannery
actually In operation and making money
veloping into hundreds If not thousands
Of acres. Insignificant. comparatively.
as these items appear. they show the
trend of things, and the Advertiser
should not stand in the way of progress
of this kind.
Yours respectfully
The Advertiser has never doubted the
ability of the small farmer in Hawaii
to raise enough fruits and vegetables
to support himself and to reduce the
cost of living here, but it objects de-
cidedly to the argument that sugar
could be abandoned with the result that
prosperity equal to that of the present
or approximating one-fiftieth part of
II, could be had from sending fruits and
vegetables to the glutted markets of
California, Oregon and Washington
Our correspondent has a place at Wa
hiawa. We hope and believe he will
profit by it. But if he raises fruit to
serd to California he must first pay
the cost of its transportation to Ho-
nolulu. He will then take the loading
risks which always destroy a percent
age of his consignment. Next he will
pay the heavy steamer charges to San
Francisco and when his wares arrive
there and drayage has been paid, they
will be levied on for commissions by
agents who have him at their mercy
and. are generally soulless in theiI
charges. We could write a lay book
Of Revelations about the hapless ex-
perience of Southern California farm
ers in trying to realize on their fruit
honey and vegetables IN the San Fran
cisco market, but 500 miles away; yes
and of the ruin of fruit and vegetable
growers in the San Joaquin, not two
hundred miles from the metropolitan
center Yet we are asked to believe
that Hawaii, 2.100 miles from the
Coast can sell oranges pineapples
onions and squashes and what-no
there in a way TO make a fortune. Why
We can't even make money from expor
bsranas; and as for pineapples II
cans Captain Kidwell fought out tina
question long ago and finally retiret
from the field in disgust. The first OBJ
stacle he met was a combine of buyer.
to compel him to take $3.50 per doze1
for his superior canned goods; an<
while he forced them above that pric,
it took a continual warfare with TIL,
men who controlled the market to ge
fair returns. AS for pineapples in theil
natural state the market scored tn.
eultivator a loss.
Our correspondent does not gair
much by his reference to the brick
yard. That plant does not make brick.
for export. but for home use. 1t Is do
ing with its product what the small
farmer must do with his.
The hope of tropical countries Is II
some great staple, produced by cheat
labor and always salable at good
price. For, US that staple is sugar
There Is nothing to take its place now
on the export lists and the things leas
likely to do so in future are those
which are produced in abundance close
to the market we must seek. Coffe,
we may do something with when Con
gress puts a tariff about 1t; the rubber
tree Is full of potentialities the vanilla
bean grows here as q trellis plant anC
might be reared into an export com.
modify on the scale of Sc per pound
Tobacco might be tried. Experiment:
with these things would be the part OF
wisdom. hut to try and build up a trad,