The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-09-22
LoUIssoN ON CoFFEE

S"AAAS W NAAC AaNN lLdl IHe
plague in Honolulu this city was kept
clean.
LoUISSoN ON COFFEE.
A L. Louisson, coffee grower of Ha-
makua, was the next witness, saying in
preface tnat he had come to Hamakua
five years ago, since which time he has
been engaged in that industry
Mr.. Louission then recited the va
rious points which must be considered
in raising coffee, such as the Ameri-
canizing of the Territory the labor and
| agricultural features, and then said
| that while Hawaii raised 25,O00 bags
of coffee under protection this would
grow to nearly 100000 bags. After
saying that Hawaii had revenue duty
Of seven cents a pound on coffee he
urged that this product be used for re-
ciprocal treaty features. He urged city
and county measures at once.
Mr.. Louisson said that he would ad-
vocate a duty of five cents. a sum
which would pay for the picking of the
crop. This he said would perhaps en-
hance the price of coffee a little but not
not as much as the duty. The hoeing
of the trees was done by Japs, who re-
ceived $19 a month, but the picking is
done by Portuguese women and chill
dren, who earn we'll by the piece sys-
tenn. There are 200 acres in the Louis
son plantation. In Kona there are sew
eral plantations, but owing to the low
price of coffee practically all but two
have been abandoned. The best coffee
fields We're on the higher lands, the
witness having now fields planted at
from 1900 to 2300 feet,
The picking would average about 125
or $50 pounds of cherry, though he has
known $50 pounds picked by one wom-
an.
To Senator Mitchell Mr.. Louisson
said that if there could be no duty the
| placing of a bounty would accomplish
the same purpose. and he fixed this at
| four cents a pound. He said he did
not believe coffee could be grown here
and laid down in San Francisco for
less than ten cents a pound. The Bra
lillian No. Z, the standard, was selling
in New York at 5H to 5& cents a
| pound. Hawaiian coffeee once sold in
San Francisco at 19 to 81 cents and now
nets liz cents for the most favorable
| plants
As to the age at which coffee begins
to bear he said four years should pro-
duce a rich and excellent coffee, but
no one could yet tell what would be the
| life of the tree, as the experiments had
not yet progressed.
Senator Mitchell asked what would
result from Congress failing to give re-
| lief; the witness said his plantation was
/ most favored and he had put in so
much capital that he could live. He
| explained that there were many small
men who had already abandoned their
| plantations.
Mr.. McClanahan interjected query
! as to what had caused the loss of $780,
| Geo by Hackfeld & CO., and Mr.. Peck
took it up, answering that the difficulty
was with the cost of handling. For
inerly wages were $3.50 a month, but
| now the Japanese want 81 a day. Then,
| too, when the laborer was hired by
the month, he picked only 75 pounds
| of cherries and when given a field on
shares they picked 200 pounds. This
! ne said would make coffee cost IN San
| Francisco some sixteen cents a pound,
| but the highest price paid for coffee to
! his knowledge was fifteen cents
pound The result was, Mr.. Peck said,
that AIS acres are now abandoned and
! bananas will be planted between the
] trees. He said 1850 pounds would be
| the average per acre but there would
have to be heavy potash fertilization,
| and he had not made that experiment.
| He said also that Central American
coffee planters were in bad way, be-
| ing heavily mortgaged.
Secretary Cooper said he had sug-
gested that the Army and Navy buy
| their coffee from Hawaii but this was
found impracticable. The two depart
ments consume 10000 bags a year.
LoEBENsTEIN TELLS HOW.
Albert Brown Loebenstein said he
had lived here twenty-four years and
wished to bring before the Commission
the question of public lands, advocat-
ing reform either by new laws of A
merican sentiment, the abolition of the
present land laws of the Territory or
| the extension here of the Federal laws.
He said if there was no such change
! there would soon be no lands left, as
the government policy was the aliena-
ton of the lands and their passage INTO
/ the hands of the dominant faction.
The present land law, he said, was
I
I ed features of the United States ana
{ New Zealand statutes, also points not
/ found in the land systems of any. con-
| stitutionally governed country. The
/ latter he said consisted of right OF
! purchase leases, of freehold agreements
and inaIienable leases for ninety-n1ne
years; the latter being passed with spe-
| ciaI view to the characteristics of Ha-
waiians, and further provision for the
settlement association plan, which had
reference to companies of not more
| than six who might thus gain large
| blocks. The operation of the act he
| said proved it un-American and un-
/ progressive and unless changed would
result in the Territory being barren Of
| lands for settlers.
/ Senator Mitchell then took up the va
rious methods of land purchase ana
/ these were explained at length Inc
American system Of maximum or
/ minimum price for lands does not ex-
ist. Mr. Loebenstein then read me-
mortal at length. In the course OF MS
/ paper he said many thousand acres had
| apd smoke of the iQdi2-