The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-03-08
PORTO RIcAN SUGAR INDUSTRY.

SAN JUAN, Porto Rico-Trrigation
is to change the economic character of
the southern section of Porto Rico, be-
tween the Patillas river and Ponce, and
the American administration has taken
up the project, which was launched by
the Spanish authorities, and which is
set forth in the annual report of the
treasurer of the island, inst now en-
bodied in the report of Gov. Regis H
Post. y,
The American government in 1907 set
aside $4,000 for preliminary work and a
study of the situation was made. In
1905 $4,000 was appropriated for ex-
pert study and report, and based upon
the findings of the engineers bond
issue of $3,000,O00 was authorized and
plan of construction determined upon.
The land to be benefited lies in dis
trict having teeming population, with
seaports, macadamized roads, villages,
: towns, railroads, livestock and large
sugar factories. In 1908 there were
under cultivation in this district %, s55
acres of sugar cane, this land being
valued at $3,592,26s This land, with
plenty of water and with-attention to
modern methods of cultivation should
produce easily 80 tons OF cane to the
acre, or about twice the amount pro-
duced at present. Further, irrigation,
it is estimated, will bring under Gull
| tivation 5000 acres now partly arid
United States reclamation service engi-
neers are in charge OF the work.
For the most part, around the island
there is narrow coastal plain. This,
| where water can be obtained, and many
| of the valleys, are well adapted to the
culture of cane, although, because of
the long continued use of the land for
this purpose, it does not grow as lux
uriantly as in Cuba.
| The lands suited to sugar cane cul-
ture are rapidly passing under the con-
F., troll of wealthy corporations, by pur-
chase or by contracting for term of
years the cane of the '"colonos," or
farmers. Formerly the manufacture of
sugar from the cane was the work of
small amount of capital. Today con.
ditions have changed. The old system
| was wasteful. The aim of the modern
central is to waste as little as pos.
sible. With complex machinery, often
including three pairs of giant triple
rollers to crush the cane, this is secured
Such a mill, with the accompanying
railroad, and land TO insure an ade-
| quate supply of cane, costs a great deal
and is the work of corporations. Some
colonos are furnished capital at lower
than current rates with which to grow
/, their cane.
! The cane is supplied in two ways
either through cultivation by the "cen.
| tral'' OF by contract with colonos at a
stipulated percentage of the sugar pro
duced from the cane they grow. This
percentage is usually little, if any
above half what the cane produces. II
is safe to say that it does not cost
more than half as much to manufacture
the sugar from the cane as it does the
colonos to grow it, the insular treas
urer SAYS, and it is the opinion of
many close observers that the colonos
and the poems who do the field work are
not getting their share of the product
The "centrals,' where favorably sit
mated, make large profits. Much of the
stock of these centrals' is not owned
in Porto Rico, and the stockholders. for
the most part, are well pleased, and dc
not desire change.