The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1904-05-26


warded to you from the Land Office
35. Average wages are about IS cents
! ! er day.
o. Labor employed is chiefly Jap
anese ana Chinese. the former predo-
minating. These laborers are transient
| .or the most part, and consequently
/ the .abur supply is somewhat uncer-
| tain. and at times is rather scarce.
IS Most of the bananas now shipped
from Honolulu are either raised in the
| close vicinity to the city, and hauled to
| the whmves in wagons, or are brought
| into town on the oahu Railway from
points along the shore line The rail-
road rates from Honolulu run from six
cents bunch at twelve miles out. to
twelve cents a bunch at fifty-six miles
out. The Hlo Railroad Company have
been requested to forward to YOU Il
schedule of their rates to Hilo. Gsland
Of HaYaii) from points in the Hilo.
Olaa and Puma districts Rate from
Honolulu to San Francisco, is forty
cents per bunch, from Hilo, forty-five
cents, irrespective of size.
-. The average weight of banana
buncnes grown here is estimated at
from fifty to eighty pounds and the
number OF hands will probably fall
slightly under nine.
SO. Bananas are grown here on va
rious classes of soil, alluvial mud. vol
canic clayey soils, and porous volcanic
soils.
49, Bananas are raised all the way
r., 81,
or three thousand feet.
30 Climate excellent throughout the
islands. There is little. if any fever.
except i'm low swamp land.
III. Yearly rainfall varies, according
to locality and elevation. In some dis
tricts, bananas are grown by means of
irrigation, where the rainfall is less
than twenty inches a year. The aver
age rainfall in the Hio and Olaa ba-
mana districts runs about 100 to 175
inches per annum.
"12. There are some swamp areas
near the shore line but these are usual
ly small and if valuable are already
planted i'm bananas, rice. or taro. and
are held at a high price. Spaces in
sheltered valleys are usually of small
extent
10 1t is doubtful if suitable land in
any considerable amount can be had on
the Islandof Oahu, though there are
some lands that could be purchased,
but would require irrigation, and would
be held at not less than 500 per acre.
IA. As previously stated, further in
formation in regard to Government
lands will be forwarded to you from
the Land ifTice.
10 There are no large syndicates
now engaged in the banana business.
Most of the fruit is grown by Chinese
lessees of small holdings who sell their
fruit to two or three buyers in Ho-
nolulu. The latter make the shipments.
A number of Americans are raising ba-
nanas in the vicinity of Hilo.
'l6. At present the shipments of ba-
hahas are approximately as follows:
From Honolulu. $1,000 to 10000 punches
per month from Hilo $500 to $500 ,
punches per month, increasing; from
hahului, 1000 to 1,5OO punches per
month, recently started.
IL 1t is unlikely that banana
planter could at present obtain employ |
ment here as superintendent of ba- |
mana plantation. Any opening would |
nave to be made by the settler him |
self. We would recommend to you a |
inspection of the field.
Hoping that we have satisfactorily
covered your inquiries, we are, yours
very truly,
&c. S. HOLLOWAY,
Secretary and Executive Officer
Board of Agriculture and Forestry"
The committee received the follow
ing letter from the Land Office CON
'erning the opportunity to secure land
here for banana growing:
j. D. Dole, Com. on Ayr, Wahiawa,
Oahu.
Dear Sir: Yours of the 9th inst
received and I hardly know how to an
'wer same. If l only knew to what
extent this party desired to go into
The banana business 1 could give a
more definite answer to his inquiry.
You of course know that the lands
above Hilo are producing a fine crop
If bananas but the growers appear to
be at the mercy of the California
N#