St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1905-08-05
PROGRESS OF HAWAII. .

.
| e Has Been Remarkable in All Lines
Since Annexation to the
United States.
When the revolution Of 1893 put an
end to the Hawaiian monarchy prom
| inent resident of Honolulu remarked:
II have thousands Of dollars OF real
estate in the best business quarter OF
| the city, and could not to-day raise
500 on the whole of it. /"
From the organization of the pr0vis-
ional government in that year there
came an immediate change. Under ma
| tive rule there had never been any diff
iculty in getting liberal appropria-
ton from the royal treasury to pay the
expenses of chiefs funeral. but It
was impossible to secure even limited
| sums for the construction of necessary
public works.
The provisional government began
at once to enlarge the water front, ia
cilitating the docking of large vessels,
and to dredge the harbor.s A magnifi-
cent road was completed from Hilo, on
the island of Hawaii, to Kileauea, the
great volcano, smooth as the boulevard
of city and set on eiIner side with
breadfruit trees, mangOes and alliga-
| tor pears. Other highways were sur
veyed and finished and the sugar plan
tations began to improve with all else.
So long as revolution was imminent at
any time there was natural unwilling
| ness to experiment in new and costly
methods of cane culture.
When annexation to the United
States insured political stability and
| undisturbed public credit the activity
which began with the passing of the
monarchy was immensely stimulated,
writes Mary H. Krout to the New York
Herald. Aside from the temporary dis
turbance pending the discussion of adj
mission of Cuban sugar into American
markets at nominal tariff the COM
lnercial development of the islands has
been phenomenal
The evolution Of the plantation on
Oahu is an example. The land had
been considered worthless, lying on the
leeward side of the island, but it was
found that by irrigation and fertiliza
ton it could be made productive It
had also been supposed that the water
on the lowlands obtained by boring
wells would be too brackish, but it was
also found that the cane could endure
| q certain per cent. of salt and thrive.
All manner of modern machinery was
installed, clever contriyances, like a
wonderful shredder invented by Mr..
Scott, of Hilo, being devised. The mills
are now brilliantly lighted by electrici-
ty, running day and night, while grind
ing is in progress. The sugar is taken
through all the processes except REIN
ing on the ground, and it is SO pure
and light in color when it leaves the
mills that there is little left for REIN
ers to do. From the time that the cane
Is fed into the hopper, labor formerly
performed by stout, sturdy Japanese
women, until it is being put into sacks
ready to transfer to the waiting
schooner, little more than three hours
elapses.
The work of retaining the naked
mountain slopes and other arid regions
by planting algaroba and eucalyptus
trees has gone on steadily. The rain
fall had been seriously diminished by
the telling of the indigenous forests
for cane growing and by the ravages
of wild cattle that run at large in Ha-
Waii and other of the islands.
;aI II
remaining wooded mountain slopes,
have been carefully protected and
thousands of new trees have been
planted. The once naked slopes up to
the Pail, beyond Honolulu, are now
clothed with dense masses Of gray
green eucalyptus foliage, all the
growth Of a few years. Here, too, are
thickets Of prolific guavas, the fruit
Of which lies rotting on the ground
by the ton. In this alone is a hint to
some enterprising manufacturer who
could find in the waste fruit enough
material to supply the American mar
ket with a costly table luxury.
For its population Hawaii has the
largest commerce in the world. It lies
in the direct route of travel to Aus
tralasia Japan, China, the Philippines
and the far east. The cramped schoon-
er and the weather beaten whaler have
been supplanted by great twin screw
steamers, floating palaces which equal
those that make their flying voyages
across the Atlantic. There are also
well equipped lines plying regularly
between the islands, now supplement-
ed by wireless telegraph station,
while widely separated and isolated
plantations are brought within talking
distance by telephone The marine
railway is still substitute hardly adj
equate to the enormous increase Of
commerce since the close OF the Span-
ish-American warrior modern dry
docks whose construction is merely 4
matter of time. Meanwhile the peo-
pie are waiting patiently for the prom
Used Improvement of Pearl harbor
which, completely landlocked, and with
Its winding inlets will furnish safe an
chorage for our great cruisers
New Anaesthetic