The Hawaiian gazette., 1901-12-20
PROTECTION
FOR COFFEE
A Report is Sent to
True by Jared
Smith.


Hawaii requested by Director True of
the Bureau of Experiment stations for
the information of Congress will be
forwarded by Jared Smith On the
American Maru today. The report con-
tains a comprehensive review II every
agricultural crop grown in Hawaii. eX-
oepting sugar, and deals particularly
with coffee which is the principal feat
ure of the report.
Il shall recommend a protective tar
if for coffee for the benefit Of the Ha-
waiian planters" said Jared Smith yes
terday. Il don't suppose that the rec
onffnendation will have any ,uticular
weight with Congress, but believe
protection of some sort is needed before
coffee can be profitably grown in Ha-
wall These things are not protected
, upon recommendations, Thought II Is
taken more on a general average, and
there Is no telling what may be done
Nearly every industry will want some
sort of a concession, and very few will
get II.
1T seems impossible for Hawaiian
planters to successfully compete with
coffee growers OF South America,
though the coffee grown here is Just as
good as any on the market. Yet I be-
lieve fully one-third of the coffee used
in the islands is imported from the
United States; go into any grocery
store and you can see from the labels
on the packages where it comes from
1 have known OF coffee being shipped
from here to San Francisco, rnade up
into packages and then sent back to
Australia. / shouldn't be a bit sur
prised either to learn that some of 1t
Is sent back here and consumed.
Most of the coffee used in the Unit
ed States comes from Brazil. Nicarag-
ua, Mexico and Guatemala The most
expensive coffee is the youngest, grown
in Bolivia. This is an unusually fine
quality that grows in small valley
about ten miles across, and which brings
dollar pound. 1t is sold chiefly on
its reputation, and IL Hawaiian coffee
could get the reputation 1t might bring
fancy prices, too. Hamakua coffee Is
just as good as is grown anywhere, and
IL 1t only had reputation to back II,
would command fancy figures in the
United States.
Most of the coffee shipped from here
now is of low grade. 1t comes from
Hawaii, where 1t is put up by Japanese
and Portuguese, not acquainted with the
best methods OF picking and preparing 1t.
Most OF the abandoned plantations on
Hawaii are given over to people of these
nationalites, who pick the coffee with
out regard to its selling quality.
Il do not believe there is much profit
in coffee growing, for even these South
American countries: but they will con-
tinue growing It no doubt, even at a very
small profit. 1t is their money crop, and
will not be lightly abandoned. 1t Is the
same way with sugar here, even If the
price fell so that the profit was very
slight the planters would still continue
its cultivation, because II is their money
crop, and with the hope that the price
might rise again. That is what the cot
ton planters of the South did Il few years
ago, when cotton was selling for five
cents a pound. 1t costs at least that
much TO prepare cotton for market, but
the plantations were not abandoned, nor
did the planters fail to plant n crop as
usual the next year. In my opinion, the
sugar men have too much money invest
ed in machinery and pumping equipment
to abandon cultivation of their lands. be-
cause of n temporary fall In sugar
prices. Coffee grows at an elevation
above the sugar belt, and need not inter-
fere with the cultivation OF sugar.
1.-THE report which will be forwarded
to Washington is for the information Of
Congress. 1t will be a separate report
by Director True, containing information
concerning all the experiment stations.
The report from here will contain very
few recommendations which have not
already been made concerning Hawaii"
Accompanying Mr. Smiths report are
several letters written by c. s. Wight Of
the Inter-Island Steamship Company.
containing valuable information about
the coffee growing industry in Hawaii.
4