The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-01-20
U. S. PUBLICATIONS.

rangement-where they told me that in
one year they had produced eleven and
twelve tons of sugar per acre. The
managers of that plantation say that
they do not think that the extra
amount of sugar pays for the extra ex-
pense in cultivation and in fertilizing.'
Mr.. McGavin-I would like to ask
the gentleman from New York what the
reason is for excluding sugar from the
absolutely free list?
Mr.. Payne-I am sorry that my
friend was not here when l commenced.
L said that the only reason was for the
sake of revenue. They need the rev.
enue. There is no other reason, that
know of.
The gentleman from New York then
touched upon the amount of revenue
produced by sugar, and continued: ~
remember now that l was talking about
Hawaii, and free sugar there, and the
result. Mr.. Hatch, who is retained by
the business people of Hawaii to look
after their interests in Washington, ap-
peared before the committee. He does
not want this bill to pass, and they do
not want this bill to pass. They are
afraid that it will jeopardize something
In Hawaii If this bill passes. Still, he
tells about the result there. While
these lands that | have referred to pro-
duce eleven to twelve tons per acre on
this one plantation, they are able to
produce but from two to three tons per
acre on the average land in the Islands
And they say that on their investment
of $65,000,000 in plantations the last
two years, the return was 81 per cent.
profit in the whole Island. Now. if
with American capital and Hawaiian
capital, if with the best machinery in
the world, if with steam plows and the
highest and best methods of cultiva-
ton for producing sugar in the world,
this is the result after thirty years of
free trade with the United States,
what in the name of common sense has
any interest in the United States to
. fear from the Philippine Islands?
Why, Mr.. Chairman, | visited one
of the plantations in the Philippines
and saw a sugar mill. They had cara
bao power with which to grind the
cane. They had carabao at each end
of 1t, and boy to drive the carabao
They had a three-roller mill, and they
fed the rollers with one stalk at a
time. Now, you expect that
these people, with these crude methods,
without any understanding of the mod
ern means of producing sugar, to walk
at once into the position of the Ha-
waiian Islands, and to be able to come
into your market and sell sugar at the
eXtravagant profit of 81 per cent.
profit on the capital invested That is
what all this bother is about in resist
ing the passage of this bill at % per
cent. of the Dingley duties"
Mr.. Mondell-The gentleman persists
IN referring to the case of Hawaii l
suppose from the gentleman s numer-
Gus visits to that Island he discovered
that the plantation owners have long
since capitalized our duty, and that the
Hawaiian plantations are capitalized at
four to six times what they cost. and
they are making less than three per
cent. upon the cost of the plantation.
but it IS because of the enormous over
capitalization there
Mr.. Payne-The gentleman does not
know any such thing. and that thing
IS denied by gentlemen whom I met
there, with all the apparent candor of
my friend from Wyoming.
Mr.. Mondell-I happened to be in Ha,
wan at the time this process was go
ing on. |
Mr.. Payne-Does the gentleman say
sugar plantations in Hawaii were capt
tallzed four to six times their costY
Mr.. MondeIl-I was saving that I
happened to be in the Islands at the
time when the bill passed making Ha-
waii part of the United States, when
the business of increasing the capital
OF Hawaiian sugar plantations was GO
ing on at very rapid rate, and one
plantation had it's capital multiplied
four times in less than two months
Mr.. Payne-WeI. now, Mr. Chairman,
it may have been true about one plan
tation. The gentleman may have been
there. He may have been
there and seen one thing of the kind
done. But, of course, Mr.. Chairman.
one swallow does not make a summer.
L believe the gentlemen who have lived
there all these years have had an oppor-
tunlty to know better than nv friend
from Wyoming on a single visit. I
know that they know more than I did
on one visit | admit it for myself,
and I am willing to acknowledge it for