The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-03-16
| Week With FREAR ON MAUI

per acre and expect to make about two
hundred dollars profit from it. Why
shouldn't we make that, ourselves?
Then besides, they at once go into our
fields and take our Japs. We can't
prevent it. They may promise not to,
and probably do not do it, themselves,
but they have to have laborers and it
comes at our expense. 1t takes more
work per acre to raise pineapples than
it does cane. One man can cultivate
seven acres of cane while five acres OF
pines will keep one man busy.
mo, I'm not at all opposed to diver
styling the products of the country.
On the contrary, I'm most heartily in
sympathy with it. If anything happens
to sugar, we've got to have something
else TO fall back upon. We already
have considerable invested in rub
Der. We recently experimental some
in sisal but did not have much success
with it. At present, we are expert
menting with camphor. We have just
started this and are not able to say
what our results will be. Pineapples
have been proven a success. There is
more money in them than in sugar"
The reference of Mr.. Baldwin to the
labor supply shows one of the reasons
why the, sugar interests do not utilize
their pineapple and other lands, and
at the same time one of the reasons
why they do not favor leasing. With
the Chinese excluded and the Japanese
supply of immigration greatly restrict
ed, the labor problem is a serious one.
Even with the possibility of a modif-
cation of the contract labor law as re-
lates to European immigrants in favor
of Hawaii, the expense of bringing
such labor here is formidable
Governor Frear's chief object in Wis
iting Maui relates to the land situa-
ton. The Hawaiian Commercial &
Sugar Company has been anxious for
some time, to secure some three hun
dred and fifty acres of government land
in Omeopio which is first class cane
land and lies in a wedge shape between
property of the company. In order to
work their own lands to advantage it
is highly desirable that they should
have this piece also. The Haleakala
Ranch Company, another Baldwin in
terest, also wants tract of between
one and two thousand acres in Maka-
wac, known as school lands. This
tract lies on the northwest slope OF
of n al ~
about thirty-five hundred feet. It is
comparatively smooth, and at a lower
level would be considered excellent ag-
ricultural lands. Owing to its eleva-
ton, however, and a heavy rainfall
and sweeping winds to which it is sub
ject, it is considered to be good for
nothing but pasture purposes.
Farther around on the west slope
the Territory also owns various pieces
of land. This forms practically all OF
the land owned by the Territory in
this part of Maui not included in for
est reserves. The proposition is to ex-
change these government lands which
are not at present, at least, suitable
for small farming, for lands of the cor
porations, adapted to pineapple Gull
ture. Much Of the governors time is
being spent in making a personal ex-
animation of the lands of the Terri
tory and that which the companies
would like to exchange for it. The
matter is being very infinitely gone in.
to. The governor does not want any
lands on which an American farmer
would not be practically sure of maxi
ing a success III pineapples or other
product which has been proven of
commercial possibility.
Pineapples seem to offer the greatest