The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-11-19

made over old methods and at this time
so far as l can see the methods in vogue
IS years ago on the larger estates are
still in use. The average cost per ton
of sugar manufactured, for the handling.
loading and transporting CT cane. inelud-
ing all OUTLAWS. is shown to have rang
ed on the different plantations from $3.50
to $3.50 per ton for the past eight or ten
years, the extreme cost being $500 per
ton of sugar and the minimum cost $50
per ton of sugar. The question of hand
ling and transportation of cane today is
OF considerable Importance to many of
the plantations. Many of the mills are
of such a capacity that viii permit of
the handling for manufacture OF greater
quantities of cane than can be furnished,
due to the stringent conditions that are
accounted for in connection with lab3~
in many ways. Hence the importan
of this branch of the work has OF late
been much impressed upon the planters,
because of the expense which ensues
through not being able to keep the mill
properly supplied
With the advance in the cost of labor
and the independent and more stringent
labor conditions. plantations having
methods for the handling and transpor-
tation of cane where they depend for
the economical outlay of the work on
the low cost of manual labor. now must
devise new means. The advantages
which plantations have had. having level
and easy sloping lands where the work
has been done by railroad system, load
ing in cars on portable tracks. in the
past years. over those plantations that
have had the question TO deal with in
years gone by because of a rougher con-
tour and more broken conditions OF their
respective places, are now put on the
same footing and confronted more forci-
bly, with the problem The labor prob
Iar,, hnfr7 int Of nsi1 al
at that time, they We're able to perform
the work by manual labor entirely at
figures that would compete with condi-
tions and methods or systems requiring
less manual labor, having more mechan-
zeal devices in their use. 1t was appar-
ent to the writer during the past season
that much of the manual labor could be
replaced with mule labor by adopting for
the hily lands methods in use on plan
tations having similar conditions. There
fore the subject becomes one of our inn
portant branches of the industry. and
while not only because of the advance
in labor but because of reluctance of la
borers TO perform the class of work
which comes under the head of handling
cane, more commonly known as "Hapai
Ko." 1t is not to be wondered at when
we consider the locomotive power that
the laborer eXpends in packing and e1e-
waiting of cane in this work, whether on
cars or wagons. which Is hereafter so
plainly pictured by Mr. Horner.
The modes of the transportation of
cane are by permanent and portable
railroads, over which the cars are haul
ed by steam and mule power, permanent
and portable fumes. mule carts and
wagons, and the wire rope tramWay.
Where water can be obtained for fun
ing cane in supply sufficient quantity to
warrant the transportation to the mill.
main and portable fumes are in use.
Where the lands are of level nature or
of easy slopes, the railroad system is
generally in use. and where the contour
of the estates is more broken and billy
the methods of transportation are va
red sometimes including two or more
ways of transportation Of cane.
On Onomea Plantation, on Hawaii the
nume system is in vogue. The cane is
tied UP in small bundles from 60 to so
lbs each. and carried distance from 100
to $50 feet to q fume side. Out of the
way corners and sides of pals, gulieys
and more distant parts of the fields, the
cane is hauled by sleds. Sleds are used
because of the cane being easily handled
in loading and unloading OF the same.
Consideral labor is used In the piling
of the cane at the fiume sides for night
work. One by fourteen inch pine lumber
is used in 12-foot length fiume boxes for
portable fumes, thus in removing the
flume one man is able to. pack one sec
ton very readily. Cane is flumed in this
manner through portable and permanent
fumes on this plantation over a distance
of seven miles The cost for the hand
ling loading. transporting, and every
outlay connected with the hufning of
cane, including the expense of the ami
mails hauling sleds and carts and the eX-
pense of guarding and experimenting the
fumes, placing and building of portable
fumes. is shown by Mr.. Moir TO be APP
proxfmateIy 90 cents per ton of cane. or
$3.50 per ton of sugar, delivered in the
carrier at the mill.
At the Kukaiau Plantation a wire ca
BILE system is used, the cane being load
ed into wagons especially designed, after
which it is hauled to the wire cable. No
definite figures of cost are given by Mr..
john NJ. Horner. but the subject and
methods are treated most fully in his
writing. He refers to Mr.. Albert Homer
for details, and from him the following
information has indirectly come to me.
The cost at the Kukaiau Plantation for
the cutting and bundling of cane APP
proximates between SO and 30 cents per
ton and further handling and transpor-
tation Of same some p cents per ton
This would make total outlay of about
60 cents per ton. including the cost or
cutting. Taking the average cost OF cut
ting cane throughout the Islands for the
we might say a figure of IS cents per ton
for the buhdIing. handling and trans
portat;on of the same by the wire cable
system was the cost. This figure OF y
cents per ton by eight tons of cane TO a
ton of sugar would equal $3.04 per ton OF
sugar. These figures. however, are ap-
proXimate, and probably do not include
the cost of wear and tear and up-keep
OF the system. In studying this system
and looking at il from an economical
standpoint, even though these figures
were increased some il is not the only
point of interest to US, there is still an
other that is just as vital; that of mini
MIXING the manual labor necessary for
harvesting a crop by this system. have
not been able to secure this information,
but in a general way ] am told that 1t
takes less manual labor per ton of cane
than by the methods In vogue on the
larger estates. In fact by referring to
Mr. Horner's writing given below. and
following his description of their expert
appa he cfa that they found sled,