The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1905-04-11
Work UP
kOD LUMBER
sawniIl Will Soon be
Opened on Volcano
House Road.

HILo, April "A. Richley returned
from Honolulu last week, having Sc
cured from the Bishop estate lease
for FIVE wears of $500 acres of koa
timber land in the vicinity of the Vol |
eano House. A company has already
been started with Mr.. Richley at the
head. with capital of $4,000, which
will shortly erect a mill about two
miles back of the Volcano House and
proceed to cut down the matured koa
timber of marketable size and quality
on the leased Bishop estate lands.
According to Mr.. Richley, in which
opinion Forester Hosmer comedies,
there are millions of feet of valuable
koa lumber going to waste on the
slopes of Mauna Kea. Some of the
trees will measure seven feet in diane
ter, and it is Mr.. Richley's purpose to
cut these trees into square timbers for
better handling for shipment. There is
n steadily increasing demand for hard
wood lumber on the coast and in the
East, where it is proposed to market
the large supply of koa now in sight.
Some of the older trees are beginning
to decay, and the trustees of Bishop
estate decided to enter into timber
contract to save loss and waste to the
forests. The only limit in cutting that
IL placed on Mr.. Richiey's company is
that trees less than two feet cannot be
removed unless fully matured. Matured
trees, it is said, begin to rot, and it
mas been deemed advisable to clear the
forest of al marketable koa.
Mr.. Richley has entered into con-
tract to sell all the bark he can supply
and he proposes to erect a complete
plant on the spot, including a sawmill,
planer, hatcher, bark grinder and 9th
er machinery. When the active log
cling work begins. the new company
will probably employ fifty or sixty
men.
NEW ARC LIGHTS.
Pedestrians and others who have had
occasion to be on downtown streets
after dark have noticed the improved
arc lights now in use. Last week the
Hilo Electric Light Co., Ltd, replaced
all the old style globe lamps with "a
new light known as the Warner"
lamp. The new lamp casts no ugly
long shadows, is more brilliant in IL
Illumination and requires to be recharg-
ed with carbon only once in seven or
eight days. The former lights were n
constant source of annoyance, requiring
TO be refilled daily, and suffering out
at most irregular intervals.
BAHAMA MEN WoRSTED.
A majority of the nomesteaders COM
posing the Kaihenui Settlement Asso-
citation at Thirteen miles, Olaa, are pre-
pairing to plant sugar cane and have
combined to plant a small acreage of
seed cane for next season s planting.
They have received such bad treatment
by commission men at San Francisco
that they see no profit in bananas for
the grower. The excessive charges
of the railroad, steamship lines and
commission men combine to discourage
the further growing of bananas in this
region, it is alleged.
Apropos of this, the Herald says:
Bananas now in demand in San Fran
cisco bring two dollars and a quarter
a bunch at the stores of the commits
sion men, while in Hilo the shippers get
little more than the bills for freight.
1t would seem that there is no further
evidence needed that the services of an
agent are required in San Francisco
else the shippers will be robbed just
so long as the present system contin-
ues. A story is told of a fruit man in
California shipping carload of fruit
TO the city and getting sparse returns.
But on the same train MS the fruit was
man who went to investigate. He
saw the fruit train unloaded in fine
condition and saw it carted to the
commission mans store. There he
priced it and saw much of it sold at
high figure. But the grower realized
little more than the cost of freight
and commission to the dealer, so he
HE'D himself to the city and interview.
ed the commission man, not with six
shooter. but with forcible argument
that had the same effect, for the man
discovered that his bookkeeper had
made n mistake in his work and had
not credited the proper amount to him.
Then came an apology. Bookkeepers up
there have TO stand for all the schemes
and rascality of their employers with
out receiving a salary commensurate
with the amount of cussing they re-
eeive. The experience of that grape
man is duplicated in Hilo by nearly
every banana grower and the system
will continue until the growers organ
ize and appoint an agent in whom they
have confidence.
PELE QUIET.
On Friday the fire in the pit of XII
lauea began to subside, and on Satur-
day no glow was visible whatever.
There are explosions of gas at inter
walls and steady volume of steam and
sulphur vapor arises from the cone
where the former activity occurred. d.
Lycurgus, the manager Of the Volcano
House, who has become an expert on
volcanoes, asserts that the cessation of
activity is only temporary, and will be
followed by a larger demonstration
than has ever been witnessed before.
Five 10000 gallon water tanks have
been constructed, with capacity of
years water supply, and J. NJ. Cam
sron is installing a complete system
of plumbing.
HILo NOTES.
r. T. Guard has donated three bar.
rels of crude oil to the park commits
sioners for use on the walks in Moo
beau Park. 1t is said this will solidify
the earth and make as Substantial .