The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-03-11
CAPT Al.
SEES.
Visit of inanCiers
To the Volcano
Island.
DILLINGHAM;
TELLS OF CROPS
Splendid Showing of Some Big
Plantations Railroad
Outlook.

The E1lIO Herald OF recent QdIe says.
B. F. Dillingham;, who is today recog
nized as the ablest financier in the
| Islands, is a guest "a Hilo with a num-
Der of capitalists from the Mainland
| who are here seeking an outlet for
their money in the form of dividend
paying or soon -be-dividend-pay
securities The party arrived in Hilo
by Mauna Loa on Sunday morning,
and in the midst of pouring rain
they took the train over the Hilo Rail
| Way for Puma on Monday. After go
ing over the fields at Kapoho and
Puma they came back to Olaa and in
vestigated the cane on the Olaa pan
tation in that vicinity, and arrived
back in Hilo by the regular train that
evening on Tuesday they returned to
| OIaa, spending the day With Manager
McStocker and going more carefully
over the fields and examining the cane
and soil The mill. so fae rs It was
| built had their attention for some
time On Wednesday they examined
the upper fields, and spent the night
at the Volcano. They will return 10
| HiIo this evening, and go to Honolulu
| tomorrow.
To say that they were astonisncd
does not express it. Mr.. Dillingham;,
! in answer to a question by the Herald
representative, said:
Il wanted to come up and see now
the place looked, and l wanted to take
my time, but it is the same old story,
hurry home l am here this time with
these gentlemen, showing just what
| Hawaii has to offer them; prospectuses
don't go far with capitalists these days
they want investments in enterprises
that have something to offer and they
prefer to have everything in fair work
| ing order | cannot think of anything
better than Olaa and Puma plantations
and Hilo Railway and l guess they
think So too.
Il am not more enthusiastic over
these propositions today than L was
when they started-nor any less. No
I.shape than has Mr.. McStocker; the
place shows what he has done, and the
cane looks magnificent. Their crop
next year will be 10000 tons, as much
as Eva produces, and it has been es-
tabliShed ten years. Hawaiian Com
t-mercial will have between thirty ana
thirty-five thousand tons this year,
and mind you it is quarter of cen
fury old, while Olaa is baby. Five
years from now the product of this
one plantation will equal that of all
the plantations between here and ku-
kuihaele. That is pretty broad prom
Use, but just make note of 1T and see
if 1 am not right.
Puma is as good as Olaa. With the
land of these two plantations and that
of the government to be taken up by
settlers there should be more than
100000 tons of sugar produced in
single crop five years from now. The
soil and climatic conditions guarantee
it; plenty of rain and plenty of sun.
We want individuals to plant their
lands, and | want to say right here
that we will give them all the assist
ance possible, and we will make con-
tracts that will enable them to make
money. The plantation does not want
to make it all, and l am sure l will
favor any agreement with the plant
ers that will give them a fair chance
to do well. There is no fun working
in the cane and getting nothing for IT,
IF enough of them go into planting
to make it an object, we will run
be brought to the mill This means
considerable expense, and we must
have enough planters to satisfy us that
the area cultivated will warrant it.
When | got the franchise for the
Hilo Railway there were some good
people free enough with their opinions
| to say that the road would never be
built. Why, before the ink was dry
| on the document that gave US per-
mission, L sent away an order for ma
there is now on the way the rails for
the line to within seven miles of the
| Volcano, and that branch will be in
| operation before the close of the year.
! We have done lot of work for COM
pany that, in the opinion of others,
did not intend to build the road 1
am satisfied with it; surprised to see a
road without ballast such an easy
rider. When the rock crusher arrives
and we get the ballast in, the whole
! line will compare favorably with the
| average road on the Mainland, and I
don't believe many section men will be
required The idea of extending the
| line to Kau and Kona has not had our
| serious consideration. | don't believe
| the plantations on that side of the ISL
and would make contract with us, and
! until they do, there would be no In
ducement for US to build.
| LAS to the road through North Hilo,
L sincerely hope for the good of Hilo
that the gentlemen interested in it will
| build it. We were after franchise,
and so We're they, and the cabinet was
divided in the matter They did not
/ believe two roads could pay, and they,
| or some of the cabinet officers, thought
| that as long as We had the franchise
for one road we should yield to others.
| After going carefully over the estl-
mates of the cost of building the line
and the probable returns, we decided
| to concentrate our efforts on the Puma
and Olaa line, and surrender the other.
| have as yet had no cause for regret
! If Mr.. Gehr interests capital in his
enterprise, ard | am informed in HilO
! that he has, the road may be complet-
| ed. From what L have seen during this
visit it appears to me that belt line
| of street railway for Hilo would be
a good thing for the investors in such
an enterprise
| As to the question of condition Of
| Puma plantation, Mr.. Robinson. who
| is one of the principal owners in the
enterprise, declined to give an opinion.
Il have just seen the cane growing
! for the first time, and I am delighted.
but being an interested party, I would
prefer to have you get an opinion of
! somebody else
Manager w. H. c. Campbell was in
conversation with Mr.. Robinson at the
time, and suggested Mr.. John Buck
| That gentleman was sought, and in re-
] 60 e