The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-03-15
SUGAR WILL GROW
ON LANAI SAYS GEAR
LANATS SOIL Is FERTILE, TWO
NIGHTS MEETING.

The Lanai Committee resumed its
Investigation last evening.
Mr.. Rawlins, speaking for Chairman
Kaleiopu stated that the committee
had advertised this meeting so that
any of the public interested in the in
vestigation would have an opportunity
to make statement.
After wait of some minutes some
Of the public appeared in the person of
A. V. Gear.
Mr. Gear stated that some years ago
he had been in Lanai at the starting
of the Maunalei Sugar CO. The com
pany had employed experts to find wa
ter. w. ]. Lowrie, at that time man.
ager of a plantation at Spreckelsville,
was one Of these experts Messrs.
Pain and Neumann with young Mr.
IIayselden had a number Of acres
plante' in cane when Mr.. Lowrie ar
rived. The latter said he had found
| several sources of water and stated
that the plantation would turn out to
be a good one.
The services Of William Stodart as
manager of the plantation were Sc
cured. He also recommended the plan
tation, so the company went ahead and
planted a good deal of cane which
seemed to do nicely. Three-fourths of
| the stockholders of the company, said
Mr.. Gear, were Chinese. About this
| time the plague appeared, and the gov
eminent, in its wisdom, saw fit to
| burn Chinatown, as a result of which
these Chinese stockholders could not
pay their assessments. After securing
| $4,000 overdrafts from Bishop & Co.,
| that bank refused to advance the COM
pany any more money 50 it went into
| the hands of q receiver. The lands of
this company had consisted of leased
private and government land. Mr..
! Gear thought then, and still thinks
that a profitable plantation could be
| established on the lower lands of La
mai on that side toward Maui. Mr..
Gear further stated that Messrs. Pain
and Neumann had not intended to use
Maunalei stream for irrigation but had
purposed to use it for water power.
Mr.. Gear at that time was surprised
| at the beauty of certain portions of
Lanai. He said that some of the seem
cry was perfect-green pastoral lands,
thousands of sheep, larks singing in
the air, etc. Mr.. Gear said that lack
of water had nothing to do with the
failure of the plantation. He said fur
ther that at the time of the financial
stringency, he had consulted Mr.. Stod-
art, the manager, as to the advisa-
bihty of putting more money into the
plantation, and that gentleman HAD
strongly advised raising funds to carry
on the enterprise, as it had a fine flu
ture. Mr.. Gear stated that the plan
tation suffered from a scarcity of wood.
Asked by Mr.. Rawlins what he thought
of the policy of disposing of Lanai as
a whole, Mr.. Gear stated that under
the present conditions he strongly OPP
posed it. He thought that not only
Lanai but other portions of the Ter
ritory also, ought to be opened up to
small farmers.
: Mr. Gear went even further and said
he would be in favor of the govern
ment acquiring large holdings by con-
demnation proceedings if necessary,
Leases he said on the government lands
should not be renewed to large hold
ers. Mr. Gear stated that there was
always danger of the small holders
turning over either from necessity OF
choice, their tracts to the large cor
porations. He stated his opinion that
the only solution of the question is for
the price of sugar to go so low that the
planters will be forced out of bust
ness He said that legislation should
be effected which would force the
planters to use American or European
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