The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-08-30


or seventy % them altogether, at work
taking in the large 200 pound bags of
sugar. They took six to ten bags to
a slingload. The men worked well,
just like the poolas in Honolulu. They
kept at it all night, and at o'clock
in the morning we sailed for Navua,
eighteen miles distant, to take in 500
tons of sugar from the sugar mill
there. On arrival at Navua we found
eight large plantation scows loaded
waiting for US.
The steamer anchored in the beau
tiful smooth bay among the coral
reefs, commencing at once to take in
sugar. The same gangs of men had
come along with the ship and went
again at their work, from four scows
at a time. holding from fifty to seven
ty-tive tons each.
Some of us went on shore here and
visited the sugar mill about two miles
on, up the river. They were grinding
and it looked very natural to be among
the sugar cane, railroad tracks and
the smells around a sugar mill. This
plantation is a large one, about the
size of the Kohala mills put together.
All the laborers are East Indians
that get twenty-five cents 9 day, but
it takes about four of them to do enc
days work on the Hawaiian planta-
tions. They are mostly lazy and irreg-
ular at their work. The manager is
Mr.. Gliding that used to be at Kohala
Sugar Co. This mill turns out $4,000
tons of sugar a year and is the larg-
est on these islands (Ffji). The total
amount of sugar made on the islands
is only $4,000 tons. There are six or
eight other plantations in the group.
The machinery at Navua is new and
everything was running we'll. 1t is put
up alongside of the old mill and some
times both are used at the same time.
The Indians are not a strong people,
but do all kinds of work. Those of
the best sort get better wages than
the common hands. Some of the older
hands lease lands from the Fijians
and plant cane on shares, or sell it at
$3.50 to $500 a ton cut in the field.
the plantation company taking it to
the mill for grinding. Mr.. Gliding told
me about half of the crop was raised
in this way.
l only saw a very few white men
done by Indians. They do not have
TO use fertilizer or water the cone,
they having good soil and plenty OF
rain and low lands which do not re.
quire irrigation. A river runs through
the plantation and by the mill, so
they ship the sugar by scows about
four miles, to the vessel lying outside
the reef and just outside the mouth
of the river. They run house scows
up and along the river carrying food
stuffs and goods for trading with the
laborers, who live on the bank of the
river. All the transportation for the
iaborers is done in this way and the
railroad cars carry an the cane to the
mill.
On our way to and from the mill
we went up the river in small gaso-
line launch run by a small Indian
boy onfy twelve years of age. He was
very akaniai. He ran the engine,
steered the boat, and collected the
fares. We enjoyed the day very much,
it remind US greatly of Lahaina,
On our way back to S1va the poolas
sang songs and amused the passen-
gers very much with their acts, their
dances, etc, for over an hour after
dinner and until We went alongside
the wharf in Suva at s o'clock Tues
day evening. Here we lay all night,
again taking in sugar as before. The
same men worked through the second
night and seemed just as lively as
ever.
We set sail from Suva for Honolulu
at $3.50 a. m. Wednesday via Tanning
Island. We had Willie Greig on board
and a lot of his freight. also lot
of goods for the Cable Co. on Fan
ming Island, to be landed there. You
will remember Willie. He looks just
as he used to when living in Honolulu.
Tanning Island is a beautiful look
ing place with its sand beach, its CO.
coanut trees and other green vegeta-
ton. The island is like the Gilbert
Islands, a low ring of low lands en-