The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-05-16

me their opinion. They ADVISED HE W
forward it. The men of whom L speak
We're born here and as far as / know
they are not interested directly in
plantations. One Of them said to me:
When I read the article. at first I was
going to advise you not TO publish 1t.
On reading it again, l made up my
mind that it was best that the truth
should be stated
Let US examine frankly the cases
which you cite as instances of the sue
cess OF small farming. / know most
of the men named personally and have,
in the majority of cases. been on the
land. I believe that the Advertiser
wants the truth and / call attention TO
what follows:
/. The Louisson brothers can scarce
ly be classed as small farmers. When
was there one of the brothers told me
that they had at that time two hundred
japanese employed. Through relations
who are bankers. and connections on
the mainland who handle coffee, they
are able TO hold their crop three or
four years if need be until prices suit
them
2 Mr. Bruner of South Kona is
coffee factor and in addition has his
coffee plantation and mill, besides hav-
ing pineapple lands and a cannery.
The coffee which he ships, and the
pineapples which he cans are largely
raised by Japanese on leased land at
their own risk.
3. The wahiawa small farmer is
gone and a company with a capital of
100000 has taken his place. The col
onist has disappeared.
4. Peter Lee who grows cane for
the Olaa plantation employs large
number of Japanese. He is a small
planter and not a small farmer.
). Mr. Barnard of Laupahoehoe is
postmaster. has a large general store
and conducts a liquor business. He is
also a coffee planter and rooster.
g. Mr. Edwards of Napoopoo has not
succeeded in his small farming venture
and has now gone into the distillation
of okolehao from the root of the ii
plant
I. The Kona Orphanage has hand
some returns" you. say. / have been
there twice. Coffee growing has been
given up by the manager, so 1 am in
formed, and the land leased to Japa-
nese. The only farming done is the
raising of vegetables and the keeping
of cows for milk
When I wrote that coffee did not
pay" | used the words in a general
sense and not in reference to special
and peculiar cases or where a Portu-
guese in Kona, for instance, has a few
trees which his children pick.
I used the words in the sense that
scores of small coffee planters have
abandoned its cultivation. This is in
evidence whether at Judge Cops
place on Maui, or on the Volcano road
in Hawaii or elsewhere. Practical far
mers have, as rule. found that under
present conditions raising coffee does
not pay here.
As 10 sisal, the manager of the Ha-
waiian Fiber Company has recently re-
turned from Yucatan. He reports that
the smallest plantation which he saw
there covered 10000 acres. The COM
pany here has concluded that it must
increase its acreage. This bears out
what I stated in the Independent that
the history of the tropics showed that
in order for industries to pay here,
staples must be produced on a large
scale. We cannot ignore the fact that
we have to compete with other tropical
countries. In these Islands sisal has
been grown to some extent for fourteen
years and some $4,000 has been in
vested in its cultivation. l believe that
the only returns up to date have been
one dividend OF $3.50.
I write the above facts not 10 decry
diversified industries but for the truths
sake. / believe that we shall remedy
evils most surely by facing facts
should rejoice if they were otherwise
Lately, to my knowledge, a long re-
port on the Philippines printed in five
volumes was suppressed because it told
the truth. I believe that the best in
terests Of these Islands or elsewhere
demand that facts be given.
How shall we increase the popula-
ton of Americans or OF those eligible
to citizenship? This is the question