The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-09-24
GOES INTO HISTORY
Of SPRECkELSV|LLE

vi vi lILUNLLuHiLLI
Views of the Kekaha- Waimea ditch,
the same as appeared in the Adver-
tiser, are given in the Honolulu cor
respondence of the American Sugar In
dustry and Beet Sugar Gazette. Be
sides description of this important
work, the letter contains the following
on H. c. & S. Co.'s banner crop:
''The Hawaiian Commercial & Su-
gar Co., which owns and operates
the largest sugar plantations in the
world, has finished milling its 1907
crop. This crop amounts to 44,130 tons
of 1000 pounds. This is Ats tons more
than last year, and is the largest crop
ever produced on one plantation in
the Hawaiian Islands, or, so far as
is known, in the world.
"Hawanan Commercial G. Sugar Co.
was organized by Claus Spreckels in
King Kalakaua's time. An immense
tract of land in Central Maui, known
as crown lands, was bought by Spree
kels from Kaiakaua. It was immensely
fertile land, comparatively level and
easily cultivated, but needed water.
tains to the northeast of the planta-
ton. The Spreckels constructed
ditch, still known as the Spreckels
ditch, to bring this water to the plan
tation. That ditch was both an en-
cheering and financial feat in those
days, though it has been outclassed
since. Claus Spreckels controlled Ha-
waiian Commercial & Sugar Co. until
thirteen or fourteen years ago when it
fell into the control of two of his sons
who at that time were at outs with
their father. They used their control
for stock jobbing purposes, and about
nine or ten years ago they suddenly
found that they had lost control of
it, and that the control had passed in
to the hands of practical sugar planters
in Hawaii, represented by Alexander
& Baldwin. Stock jobbing operations
were at once abandoned, and the oper-
alton of developing the plantation to
its greatest possibilities was UNDER
taken. A ditch longer, bigger and in
'volving more engineering difficulties
than the Spreckels ditch was construct
ed, bringing an immense supply of
water, entirely around mountain
range. An increased acreage of land
was put under cultivation. Old water
right litigation was settled up permit
ting further development of the plan
tation. A new mill-one having a
capacity larger than any other in the
world-was built, and latterly the Wal
hee ditch was completed. As result
of these improvements and this develop
ment, the plantation under the present
ownership has increased in production
from about $4,000 tons year to the
present crop, $50 per cent larger. In
1901 the crop had increased to 1884
eNhos W. yCdAo AdbCA Az was ccy-oO
tons. Last year it was 1862 tons.
The company under its new ownership
has been for years steady dividend
payer, which it was not before. This
year after paying dividends of IS cents
a share month, it will close the year
with 100000 for permanent improve
ments and investments; $4,000 for
the redemption of bonds; and cash
balance of about 100000.
The year throughout the islands has
been on the whole favorable one,
and there is every reason to believe
the total crop of the islands will be
somewhat larger than that of last year.
A good many plantations are now get
ting well along with their grinding so
that something can be judged of totals.
'tOnomea plantation, which it was
estimated would have a crop of about
1000 tons, it is now known will have
10000 tons and perhaps a little more.
This is not quite so big crop as was
produced last year, and is not so big
a crop as that of 1903. But with these
two exceptions, it is the biggest crop
the plantation has ever had -