Hilo tribune., 1905-02-07
HILO, ITS FUTURE
AND POSSIBILITIES.
DR.. Nicholas Russell Writes Of Present Conditions and
Future Prospects - Opportunities Lost-Suggests
Remedies in Establishment Of Industries Now Neg
ed-Recommends Specialized Farming.

into primitive conditions ana con-
sequent failure. To compel the
farmer to manufacture his produce
and to keep a factory is as un-
reasonable as to expect a factory to
raise its own raw material. The
division of labor is an unavoidable
necessity. An agriculturalist can
only do his part and no more. In
this respect the initiative most un-
doubleday belongs to the town,
because, of its obvious advantages.
A factory in a town can secure
raw material from a considerable
distance, even import it from
abroad. Thus the town industry is
more independent. No farmer will
be foolish enough to raise raw
material in the absence of a factory
near by, especially in such a distant,
isolated place as these islands and
with transportation facilities Mono
polized.
In my travels over France and
Germany 1 did not see a village
however small, that did not possess
some industry Of its own-one
manufactures felt hats, another
makes briar tobacco pipes by the
million, the next distills flowers
into perfumes or dries grapes into
brandies, while a third supplies the
world market with a special brand
of candies and what-not. When
the country around represents
nothing but sterile rocks and cliffs,
a little town prospers on the re-
sources supplied by the free motor
force of mountain waterfalls and
has a dozen mills grinding import
ed diamonds and precious stones.
Hilo cannot boast of a single
factory smoke stack. Its citizens
have not only neglected to build
up anything to encourage new
agricultural industries in its vicin-
ity, but have lost their opportuni les
even though when such industries
have been started in the country
districts independently. Such was
and is the case with bananas, con-
siderable areas Of which are now
being cultivated upon the rather
whimsical demand of the single city
of San Francisco. On account of
a total lack of credit for proper
cultivation, banana farmers are un-
able to grow exclusively large,
marketable punches. A good half
of them are too small or become
too damaged to be marketable. AS
a consequence these must be
thrown away.
Molasses is permitted to run into
the e by the sugar mills in and
around Hilo. Guavas, %pineapples
and other fruit, as we'll as valuable
fiber plants growing wild in the
country, are rotting and going to
waste for the lack of factories. The
soil Of the country district repre-
sents a rich surface iron ore. There
is a naturally rich country behind
the town capable of producing any.
thing and the best protected Amer.
lean market in front of it, united
and not divided, by a free waterway.
u Is it not time to ask therefore
"What is the matter with Hilo?"
Are citizens waiting for that
blessed time when their beautiful
city lots are plowed and planted
into sugar cane again?
AS far as I can judge from eight
years experience in this district,
the following industries could and
should be started in the town Of
Hilo at ono without any risk:
A distillery for molasses, bana,
mas and pineapples.
Evaporating and fruit drying
factory, principally for bananas.
A cannery for pineapples.
A starch factory for cassava.
A fiber decorticating mill for ba,
nanas, olona and the Hawaiian
varities of pineapples.
The establishment Of these few
) plants would bring new life into
the country around and the re-
!, generated country would raise HilC
from its coffin.
NUba, ,ya avb;b;t oar onno,+,,;