The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-12-12
HATCH'S MOHONk
PAPER ON HAWAII
Prepared as the Representa-
tive of the Chamber of
Commerce.

copy of the address he prepared to b.
delivered at the Mohonk Conference a.
the representative of the Chamber. OF
the invitation of Mr.. Smiley, the origi-
nator of the conference. This was re.
ceived lately and was presented to the
trustees at their meeting yesterday at
ternoon by President James F. Nor
gan. Mr.. Hatch was not able to be
present at the conference because OF
matters requiring his attention in
Washington. His paper. however, was
as follows:
In addition to the gentlemen who
have addressed you from Hawaii, Mr.,
Smiley, desiring discussion from all
| points of view, has kindly invited a
representative of the Honolulu Cham
Der of Commerce to say. something
| from business standpoint.
Hawaii in its material development
| shows very satisfactory progress. It's
crops have been good. The rewards of
| industry have in the main been rea-
| sonable, and general conditions indi-
cate a fair degree of prosperity. Ha-
waii has been successful In managing
her local affairs at home, and in work.
1 ing out her own difficulties. She has
not been a dead weight on the Federal
administration. She has presented but
| few questions for it to solve. Her one
great problem now is that of popula-
| ton. AS the years go by, this is be-
coming of more pronounced import
ance. Situated as Hawaii is, she has
| been the meeting place of the races. Tt
was. inevitable that her population
should be cosmopolitan. Corners from
all quarters have been welcomed with
traditional and superlative hospitality
by the native Hawaiians. From them
may be traced the tolerance which is
so marked feature OF the island COM
munity today.
American ideals, however, have shap-
ed the development of these different
elements. There has been evolved
community intensely patriotic, and
dominated by ambition to make of the
islands a state whose civilization shall
be of the highest and purest type. The
feeling in Hawaii is almost universal
that the foundation of her prosperity
must be the small farm.
Hawaii is essentially an agricultural
territory. 1t has no mines. It's manu-
features are only those connected with
sugar. Its dependence must be upon
its soil. The area Of land of high fer
tility is large. Where water can be
obtained, crops are most bountiful in
yield Closely allied to the question of
immigration is that of diversified
crops. Down to this date Hawaifs
great staple, sugar, has required CO.
operative effort, which has taken the
form of corporations Single individ-
uals have not, as a rule, been able to
engage in it, This has been due to
the great cost of irrigation and factory
works, and the impossibility of carry
ing on this business on a small scale.
Every effort is being made to find some
crop suitable to the climate which will
offer quick returns with small in
vestment of capital; crop which a
small farmer, who puts in merely his
time and personal effort, can make a
success Of.
Coffee would be an ideal crop. 1t
grows best at an elevation high above
the sugar cane belt. where the climate
is invigorating, and much undeveloped
land lies ready for the home seeker.
Coffee, however, has not proved profit
tariff changes make it so. Pineapples
are proving great success. Fruit of
a fine quality is produced, and the
market demand is strong. Two million
tins were put up the last season. The
industry is young yet, and it gives
promise of fine development Among
the unexpected sources of production
has come a demand from a great over |
land railroad for a million and a half !
railroad ties, to be cut in our hard |
wood forests, which have hitherto been |
unproductive. This contract involves |
an expenditure of some two million |
dollars, and will run over a period of |
five years The indigenous ohia tree |
furnishes q hard and lasting timber |
which is of no great value as a cabinet i
wood, but which is admirably adapted |
to railroad use. Employment will be |
given to a large number of people in |
carrying out this order. Fortunately |
our ideas on forestry are we'll advanc-
ed. Government supervision will pre- |
vent denudation
As the completion of the Panama |
Canal approaches, there viii be a |
duickening of activities throughout the |
Pacific. Hawaii surely will feel the |
impulse. There is no question that she |
will respond, and that all of her ener- |
gies will be bent to helping swell the |
coming commerce of that vast ocean. |
We depend upon you on the mainland |
TO help to supply us with a reasonable |
sprinkling, if nothing more, of the |
Drawn and brain of the hardy sons of |
the soil of our beloved country to help
populate the island. Men who will |
carry with them into the tropics their |
rugged ideas of right and wrong; who |
will instn the push of their energy in
to Hawaiian business, and who will |
round out and fill our island life. Not |
that Hawaii has failed in the quality |
of any of these elements of character:
she has been lacking only in the guam |
tity of them. Hawaii's record of en-
ergy in devising and carrying out |
great engineering and irrigation works |
by private enterprise has been unri- |
vailed; her efforts so far however,
have been successful in a marked de- |
gree only in one industry. The same |
energy, with only a 1.-THE of the same |
capital, which has made our sugar /
80 rms he lrT-