The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-10-12
THE BALL is ROLLING.


Tt is an item of progress in itself
that Hilo has an agricultural society OF
it's very own. Not SO long ago Ihe
whole group had but one agricultural
society, which for many long years was
only heard from at its annual eiec'1oh
of officers 1t was exclusive, royal II
YOU please, and representatives OF the
Dress were not invited to its meetings.
Long ago it manifested signs OF lie
by holding exhibitions at Intervals Oh
wears in Kapiolani Park. No doubt the
old society did some good, its period Oh
usefulness being contemporaneous Win
the introduction of thoroughbred STOCK
horses, cattle and sheep, by King haia-
kaua, Chamberlain Judd, W. 6. lrwln'
w M Gibson. B. F. Dillingham; and
others.
Though organized agricultural inter-
ests waned in the era of political revo-
luton. private enterprise kept rlght on
and. with more or less public encour-
agement. brought stock raising, forage
cultivation, dairy farming, horticulture
and general agriculture, apart from su-
gar production, UP to standards not 10
be despised These various industries
besides largely supplying the nome
market. contributed quite respectfully
sometimes to the exports Prior 10 the
admission of Hawaii as a Territory 10
the Union, there was tariff handlcap
upon some Hawaiian products Whlch
prevented their profitable marketing
on the mainland. Now everything goes
into the United States market free ana
the failure of the pineapple industry,
for instance. is turned into success and
great future promise. The fibre indus
try has been started, after years OF
talk and desultory experiment, with eV-
cry indication of becoming greatly i'm
portant.
It is incomprehensible, in view of the
progress that has been made, how peo-
pie continue to deride the cause OF
diversified industries and croak about
broad survey of the agricultural situa-
ton in Hawaii today, there is every
thing to encourage hope that before
long the hackneyed taunt of having all
our eggs in one basket will have its
edge dulled for good and all. Forces
of progress are modifying. We have
organizations on Oahu and on the other
islands to promote industries other
than sugar. The Federal experiment
station is working out problems for the
small farmer as we'll as for corporate
enterprise in new directions. Reorgan-
lied and subsidized by the Legislature,
the Board of Agriculture and Forestry
is working in conjunction with the Fed
eral authorities. Intelligent and ex-
are coming in by colonies, settlements
and individuals. The irrigation aues-
ton, where it exists, is being settled by
systematic and modern methods. Sew
eral large schools, public and private, |
are instructing the children of the soil
In agricultural art and science appro- |
pirate to local conditions.
If there is anything more truly alive
in the Hawaiian Islands at present than !
the movement for complete develop |
ment of the country's natural re-
sources, the pessimists will have to |,
climb the rugged slopes of Mauna Loa
and look down into the furnaces of |
are at the end of the pessimist's vision !
anyway, but fortunately his power of |
dragging everybody else to hades with ,
him is limited.