The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-05-31
SOLID MEN OF
HAWAII FOR
SMALL FARMS

| which are now unoccupied by any till
age, and are capable Of handsomely
supporting twenty civilized families TO
the square mile. Very little Of this
land, however, is at present open for
sheep and cattle pasturagc. The larger
half Of such lands are subject to private
ownership, and much of the rest Is held
in long leases from the government.
AS such leases fall In, it Is understood
to have become the policy Of the Ter
ritorial government to put homesteads
upon the market at moderate prices to
desirable American settlers. 1t is also
to be expected that some landowners
will exercise a generous policy toward
such settlers.
There are also in the hands of the
large sugar estates many excellent
tracts of the lower lands, which would,
from fertility and climate, be very
desirable for farmers. From tpese
owners also generous policy is de.
sired and hor cd for. Thee is thus
much ground for American rural popu-
lation during the next decade or two,
such an addition as should establish
our American character upon a solid
basis.
Leading indications, however, of
the near future point to very differ
emit source of change in the status of
Hswaii. The early future OF these is
lands seems likely to become over
whelmingly commercial rather than
agricultural. Being the central cross
roads of the North Pacific, all the great
commercial routes of this ocean seem
necessitated to converge here. Great
steamer lines must very soor cross the
Pacific from Panama to the Orient,
carrying traffic which will Guido
that now crossing the Atlantic. Ho-
nolulu lies midway exactly in the path
of that colossal traffic route which is
nearly 10000 miles from Panama to
Hongkong. I1any large freight steam
ers daily must call here to replenish
their fuel supply. Both Pearl Han Dor
and Honolulu will become crowded
with those freighters and fuel supply
ships. They will in a few years be-
come large commercial cities
The immense commerce thus Great
ed here will call for food supplies
from teeming back country of busy
and prosperous farmers. The agricul-
tural resources, not only If Oahu, but
of all the islands, will be heavily
drawn upon, and capable American
farmers will flock here 1oc profitable
employment. One may well anticipate
that not many years hence the twenty
five thousand acres of crow led cane
fields along our Oahu shores will have
disappeared and given place to produce
farms. And the mighty pumps which
drive two hundred million gallols of
artesian water daily over the broad
fields will nourish the tillage of a
thousand produce farmers instead.
Hawaii may, therefore, well be re-
garded as now only in embryo. A popu-
lous, busy and wealthy State looms up
in front of us as dwelling here in an
other generation. This new and giant
future of Hawaii needs to be well pro-
vided for now, economically, socially
and spiritually. America should at once
diligently fortify Hawaii, not only
strategically, but in all respects. Ha-
walls early destiny is to be the great
Headlight of Americanism and Chris
tianity in the d-Pacific."
From some hundreds of testimonies in
favor of diversified agriculture here
given by DR.. Jared G.. Smith, Director
of the U. S. Agricultural Experiment
Station in Hawaii, we take this most
recent one touching specific farm
crop.
People have said tobacco could not
be grown in Hawaii, just as they have
said about pineapples, and good
many other products which have now
come to be important crops in only
few years, said DR.. Smith. That old
idea that there is an Intangible and
mysterious something in the soil or
climate which no one knew about. and
would defeat all efforts to produce GER
tain crops is slowly being exploded.
There is absolutely no reason why to-
bacco, If grown under proper condi-
lions, and properly handled, should not
be very profitable crop in these is
lands.
These are some of the men-.Iudge
Dole, the members of the Hawaiian
Planters Association, the Rev. Dr..
Bishop and Director j. G. Smith, who
are apparently referred to MS follows
in local paper called the Bulletin:
"The edict of the President which
in itself is Il very good edict-has
been the cause of the sudden CONVEX.
sion of certain sycophantic element
within the Territory, the same ele-
ment that during the earlier history
of the Territory was busily engaged
in attacking Americans who came to
the islands, calling them carpetbag.
gers and labor agitators, and which
also preached early and late that Ha.
waii IS permanent prosperity depended
ON the Oriental laborer, and the great
industrial properties which can be
operated only with large capital and
costly equipment
"To further impress the President
and hoping to curry "A little larger
share of official favor the small farm
and the American farmer have been
pushed to the front by this element
with an ardor worthy cause backed
10y honest conviction,
-.