The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-06-13

President Pinkham of the Board OF
| Health is to engage in small farm
| ing-that is as an official.
At the meeting of the Board of
Health yesterday he made a report on
a location at Waimea, Hawaii, for the
home for non-leprous male children of
Ieprons parents. This location he con
siders better adapted to general farm
| ing than any other available location
he has found in the Territory, and he
thinks it affords splendid opportunity
| where these boys can be given that
| wholesome. out-of-door manual train
| ing and life which farm affords bet
ter than any other means and which
has been the. foundation training Of
so many of our able men. He thinks
it splendid opportunity to give this
class of boys who have been neglected
for forty years training and chance
to make something of themselves.
The Board authorized its president
| TO investigate IuFtutf ana itl'Olt.
His report on the subject was in
its essentials as follows:
The Legislature at its recent session
| having granted an appropriation Tor
the establishment of a home for nom
.ebrous children of leprous parents, said
appropriation becoming available July
1st, 1907, it would seem advisable for
the Board of Health to take the matter
under prompt consideration.
After frequent consultations with the
Land Department and visits to various
| localities / recommend efforts be made
to establish the home at Waimea. Ha,
| wall.
l recommend this because at that
Place, to an extent not possible else
where, general agriculture, not special
lied agriculture, can be carried on and
agricultural machinery OF the most
modern types be used.
Here, too, is the most favorable loca.
ton in the Territory TO illustrate, carry
out and train young men in American
methods of agriculture and raise some
of those products we consume, but
which, at present, we are obliged to
import.
Certainly this Territory needs as a
matter of prudence to raise, to the ex-
tent possible, foedstuffs for local con-
sumption.
Attached is a memorandum by Will
mot Vredenberg, for over twenty years
a resident of Waimea, in which he sums
UP the capabilities Of this district.
I trust a government investigation
and survey would disclose more arabic
land with dependable rainfall than Mr..
Vredenberg mentions.
An inexpensive railway, if capitalized
at cost, of some twenty odd miles in
length would connect the whole district
with Kawaihae harbor and enable the
products of the Waimea plains to be
delivered in the Honolulu market in
fourteen hours.
The land referred to by Mr.. Vreden-
berg is under lease to the Parker ranch
until July LIST, 1913.
The only land now within control of
the Territorial Government at Waimea
is some 900 acres known as the Pitman
lease situated a short distance north
west of the village, and the Land Com
missioner regards it as site for sum-
mer homes.
This land by a proper landscape sur
vey and plating could be made a most
beautiful and healthful resort, the
scenery is magnificent, the atmosphere
5racing and withal in the near future
only nights journey from Honolulu
1t would therefore seem inexpedient to
apply for any portion of the Pitman
lease lands except for the temporary
object below named.
1t might be wise to request the Land
Department to negotiate with the rep
resentatives of the Parker ranch look
ing to the release of not less than 240
acres of land, as may be selected on the
area described by Mr.. Vredenberg, CIV
ing in exchange a lease for six years
of portion of the Pitman lease lands.
This institution should be made as
self sustaining as possible, eventually
entirely so, therefore / suggest this
Boys Home be provided with not less
than $40 acres of excellent, arabic land
in this dependable evenly distributed
rainfall belt, with an opportunity 10
later increase the area devoted to it's
purposes.
One hundred and sixty acres of Iowa
and Nebraska land, growing the same
produce adaptable to these Waimea
lands. were considered necessary for the
support and reasonable prosperity of
a family. The entire labor of raising
and harvesting forty acres of corn was
considered the proper yearly stunt for
robust eighteen year old boy, though
at present the limit is twenty-five or
thirty acres ,as cultivation is more in
tense. 1t is time to abandon the idea
farmer in Hawaii can prosper on
few acres, though tropical products
allow him to exist on fewer acres than
those possible products of high e1eva-
tions The area suggested for this
Boys Home is not excessive.
To digress somewhat, permit me to
| suggest it might not be an ill-advised
step for the government to eventually
| divide 5000 acres of the land described
into apprentice farms of suitable size
where, on each under the supervision of
a skilled working farmer. robust, strong
boys. for the four years preceding
| reaching legal age, could engage in a
strictly business way in agriculture. de
pending solely on their own efforts for