The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-12-11

number of families sent out upon the
lands. which were carefully selected,
and the people were given every adj
vantage that we could think of in the
way of their quarters and conditions.
believe there was only one family which
staid upon the plantation until the COM
pletion of the crop. 1t was costly ex-
pertinent for the estate, but 1t was
made with the idea that there could be
found plenty of white men who would
undertake the cultivation of the cane,
and had the first colony been success
full one then we would have been able to
/ get all the men We wanted, for the
/ farmers who came down were from a
country where there had been droughts
which had prevented a crop for many
years The experiment was a complete
failure and we are convinced that white
men, though they can, win not cultivate
lcane. Withdraw cheap labor from the
cane fields and in ten years the terri
tory will not have a population of 50,-
900 people.
LAS to small farming there is not
enough of a market. the transportation
facilities are not such as would permit
of such free movement of goods be-
tween the islands as TO make the mar
ket stable. 1t would be case of the
selling of ones product TO a neighbor.
The tenure of land should not be dis
turbed until there has been careful
investigation OF the conditions here, and
then there would be resultant leSisla-
ton which would be safe and healthy.
Any radical legislation now would mean
much loss to every interest here and
would work no benefit in the end"
Mr. w NJ. Giffard of w. G. Irwin &;
Co said he was of opinion that there
should be a thorough study made Of the
conditions here before any action should
be taken. The conditions here" he
continued. ARE so different from those
which exist in the other parts of the
United States that a commission OF ex-
perts should be sent here to look into
the lands and the conditions which sur
round them, and we would then know
that Congress would have the case be-
fore it with knowledge OF what are the
relations of the various holdings OF
land. 1t is not a new thing to have
the question of small farming come
up. We have heard this before and al
ways the people here have been ready
to take their stand for the bringing In
OF the farmers. But there has ever been
a failure. AS it is there are none but
OrientaIs and Portuguese as rule who
have anything to show for their work
upon farms
THE great interest upon which the
islands depends is sugar. The wealth
for all classes comes from this bust
ness. and a blow at it would be felt by
every resident of the Territory. The
time may come when the small farmer
would be a success here, but past eX-
periments have not shown that there IS |
much TO be hoped from the cultivation
of small pIats. I believe that it would |
be impossible for one who has never |
seen the islands but who has become IA |
miliar only with conditions in the tenn |
perate climates TO thoroughly estimate |
the conditions here, and for that re1- !
son 1 would favor scientific commits |
sion before any action is taken"
Mr.. j. a. McCandless said that he was |
of opinion that there would be a thor
ouCh investigation Of local conditions |
before there was any action by Con-
gress. and ne did not interpret the par
aGraph OF the Presidents message as
that complete adaptation
Of the land laws would be advisable. He
said that there had been so many ex-
periments Of small farmers that :he
question could be considered now with
out any feeling at all. He thought that
the fact that there had been such great
success attending the cultivation OF SUI
gar. should weigh before there was any
attempt to make it impossible to carry !
on the system.
Mr. Faxon Bishop OF Brewer & Co.
said he was Of opinion that more ex-
pert information would be sought be-
fore there was any alteration Of the
laws which govern the lands and that
the Congress would surely secure as a
10 taking any action at all.
Mr. J. F. Brown, formerly Commits