The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-07-13
SUGAR OUR
one SUPPORT.
Pinkham Pleads for the
Planters Before
Engineers.

The problems affecting the agricul-
tural lands of Hawaii in comparison
with the standards of America We're
dealt with last night in a lengthy pa
per read before the Hawaiian En-
cheering Association by L. E. Pink
ham.
Mr.. Pinkham devoted the first part
of his address to tracing the rise of the
American farmer from the man with
tie hoe" to the man with machinery
the result of applied science agricuI-
tural economics and transp ortation.
The American farmer is rich and in
dependent beyond any division of men
of physical activity in the world.
The fixed land laws of the govern
ment and the land policies of the rail-
roads were praised. The immigrant
knew exactly what he was to get and
where he could get it, not having to
wait for a land policy to be adopted,
surveys to be made, or halting officials
to make UP their minds.
The American policy only restricts the
acquiring of land by foreign non-resi-
dents. The American farmer stands on
his rights to do as he chooses with, or
to dispose of, as he will, his lands. He
stands or falls on his own ability. and
not on Government regulation or dicta-
ton. To change from this American
land policy to paternal land policy is
not American. If a man is fit for
American citizenship he is fit to exer-
else independence in his private affairs.
When a government chooses to part
ownership of any of it's lands it should
let go the apron strings and let her
citizens become Independent men and
not wards. We, in Hawaii, must come
to this or there can be no development
on American lines.
AGRICULTURE IN HAWAII
No place in the world has agricul- |
tural operations that can approach |
either in daring, cost of plant, or re- |
suit, those of Hawaii. Eighty per cent |
Of the arabic land requires irrigation,
and in 1905 the value of the sugar pro-
duction was SO per cent of the total
value of our products, showing that
the support for the population and the
government rests on the sugar indus
try.
OF the total of 56S.O0O arabic acres
I99 46O were planted in cane. requiring
the operation of 716 miles of railroad
an investment of s943SO,-
517.29. All this that 95,443 acres might
De cropped in 1905.
In the installation of irrigation sys-
ems and their operation there is in
rested $40 603. S93.49
From this can anyone claim that the
agriculture of Hawaii is not the most
costly in installation and intensive in
operation of any existing or historically
In 1898 many sugar plantation
schemes were ffoated and speculation
n the stocks was rushed into, result
ng in disastrous effects, now running
through the life of the Territory, the
md of which has not yet been reached.
OF the fifty-three plantations. TWEEN
y-three have been very profitable,
even have been so at times. seven
lave never paid dividend and four
cen have had occasional prosperity.
his will dispose of the idea that sugar
5 always enormously profitable and
yill stand an indefinite amount of polit-
cal and economic experimenting and
exploiting.
1t is the fairy tales spread every 1
rhere, particularly in Washington, I
hat have created belief as to the Ha-
"a ian sugar industry to the everlast-