The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-08-21
WELL TO FACE THE FUTURE.

II certain quarters there springs
ID a cry OF an attempt to ruin the
sugar interests OF course every
thoughtful man knows very vel that
there is no attempt to ruin the sugar
industry Of the Islands. merely be
canse certain methods are criticised
Or certain faults pointed out Men
and newspapers both oftrimes criti-
else the conduct Of certain manufac-
turing establishments in the States
because they honestly differ from the
managers as TO whether or not the
policy pursued results in the most
good for the city or community in
xhich the plant is located.
At present sugar is not only the
.eading, but practically the sole. In
iustry OF the Islands Just as the rails
.ng Of supplies for the whalers was
he sole industry forty years ago.
there we're men in those days who
declared that when the whaling fleets
xere removed grass would grow in the
streets and the country would go TO
.uin and despair just as there are
some to say today that If the sugar
interest we're 10 be supplanted by
something else grass would grow in
me streets OF Honolulu. Such lex-
Jressicns are not the result of close
observation nor the sentiments OF
thoughtful men They are uttered on
The spur of the moment without Civ
.ng any thought to the fallacy Of such
an expression
The South was as absolutely given
Jver to the cultivation of cotton forty
ears ago as Hawaii is given over to
he cultivation OF sugar today and yet
he wiping out OF slave labor and the
humiliation of the South's leading in
lustry did not cause the grass to grow
n the streets of any of her cities.
The sugar industry viii for number
II years remain the leading industry
II Hawaii but the time has arrived
when our people must face the stu
,tion that confronts them and pre-
pare to devote part of the tillable land
Il the Islands TO other products. Gu
"a possesses the greatest possibilities
sugar cultivation in the world
This year her crop viii reach the to-
al of 100000 tons and next year it is
.,laced at 100000 tons. what it was
N 1904 the best years in the history
# that Island. Yet with this enor-
nous crop but eight per cent of
he available sugar land of Cuba is
.nder cultivation. Even granting
hat Cuba is neither admitted TO the
Union nor given reciprocity, as was
given TO Hawaii. the difference in
reight will still enable Cuba to be
! ruinous competitor in the markets
II the United States. 1t costs $S.75
Der ton to ship raw sugar from Ha-
saii to New York or Philadelphia,
around the Horn, while it costs but
$3.50 per ton TO ship raw sugar from
cuban ports to New York or Philadel-
)hia refneries. One writer in an
sastern journal has estimated that
JUDAS sugar crop win reach the
normous total OF 100000 tons with
n the next decade. Granting that it
viii only reach half that total in the
lext ten years, when it is remembered
hat the total crop of the world is but
100000 tons, an idea of what factor
Cuba viii be in the market can readi-
y be obtained
All this should teach us that we
must begin TO prepare for the future.
This is not an alarmist cry. 1t is
practical. common sense facing OF
conditions and an appeal to the peo-
ple to begin in time to meet them
without loss. How is this to be doneg
By developing other industries along.
sith the cultivation of sugar. No
oager than ten years ago the cattle
industry OF the State OF Colorado was
-unning mining a close race for first
place in the industries OF the State.
Mining was on the decline and fol-
owing the panic OF 1898 and the fan
n the price Of silver the mining III
serests OF the state seemed to be ru-
med. Leadville. the leading mining
town. declined from a city of over
sorty thousand people to about twelve
thousand Thousands and thousands
u men left the State. But With
the hard times came attendant losses
10 the cattle industry until it seemed
10 be in IS absolute ruin as mining.
What could people dor They turned
20 the cultivation o. the soil. A
small start had already been made
II farming BY Irrigation in the North
Platte Valley about the town Of Gree
ley and in the Arkansas Valley about
the little settlement OF Rocky Ford
New irrigating bitches were taken ont
along every stream and now there
are thousands Of farms In the State
and every valley. no matter how
small. Is given over to the farmer.