The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-03-21

These corporations are being divided in
TO shares which are marketable under
the provisions of their charters, and are
subject TO daily fluctuations upon the
stock exchange of Honolulu which bear
no necessary relation to the state or
value of the estate. These corporations
I'VE or sink solely by sugar. They must
Day their way or close up. When the
Mckinley bill passed Congress several
years ago, placing raw sugars on the
rec list and giving bounty to the do
nestle producers, thus depriving Hawaii
ii the benefit of the reciprocity treaty,
he great agencies and plantations OF
Hawaii tottered to- their fall Some fell;
/ others We're saved by outside capital. A
labor crisis, prolonged quarantine, or
a suspension of ocean traffic would work
sore disaster even to those estates which
have enormous capital, since at no time
is there a superabundance of food Tor
man or beast in the pastures of the plan
tations or the stores of Honolulu.
To maintain the fertility Of the soil
where only one crop is grown for they
have no rotation, no restorative crop,
and that in maximum quantities, requires
rare Sagacity. On the estate the one
| thought Is how to keep the average quail
| ity of land from going out of cultivation.
| How can expenses be reduced and crops
| enhanced, so as to secure the largest div
| idends on stock is the object of their
existence.
Such estates are destructive OF family
/ ties and home comforts, preferring al
ways to employ single men, and object
| ing seriously to women and children.
| Hence adaptability of AsiaticS to such
work, who serve their contract time and
then return to China or Japan, or rush
| 10 no TO engage In
ban pursuits. Such estates are not con-
ducive to permanent settlers, steady yeo-
many, prosperous farmers, which are
regarded as the pride and reliance of ev-
cry nation. In the Islands strong an
| tagonism prevails against such estates,
and a demand Is made that the large
areas owned by the Crown (now United
| States GOVERNMENT and now leased by
the sugar corporations. shall be divided
and subdivided into homesteads at the
expiration of the lease. for occupancy by
permanent farmers or gardeners. On the
contrary, 1t may be stated that there is
probably no industry besides sugar that
can give such enormous acre yields in
money and bear the heavy cost of eXpen-
sive Irrigation plants, steam plows, etc.
The exports of the Islands were last
year, 500, 62S.741, of which over $22. 900, 00C
Were furnished by sugar Again, these
large acre yields give enormous taxable
values to the lands, from which public
resources are raised for public improve
ments. public schools. roads, etc. 1t is
therefore, a question Of serious moment
whether the present conditions Will be
improved by the establishment Of small
farmers, market gardeners, dairymen
stock breeders on the islands.
Few corporations own their entire
plantations. A large part of the lands
now in sugar are held under long lease
About one-third of them are old Crown
lands, now public lands for the United
States, and when these leases expire
there will be quite contest over future
disposition of them.
Under the Kingdom and Republic q
Hawaii, there was q treaty between ia.
pan and Portugal which permitted what
was called contract labor and hence
all Japanese and Portuguese on the isl
and were imported under these treaties
There never was any treaty with China
and the Chinese came Of their own ac
cord, often in numbers beyond require
ment. Annexation has changed all this
By abrogating contract labor the Japan
csc and Portuguese were liberated, anC
by the Geary law, Chinese are excluded
from Uncle Sans domain. This hal
brought about a labor crisis which tn,
planters are trying to meet by introduc
ing the Southern and Porto Rican ne
groes. Whether they will succeed IN Sc
curing enough of them and, If thew do