The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-08-31
SMALL FARMING
AND CAPITALISM

Diversified agriculture for Hawaii is
usually discussed as if the term meant
the same thing as small farming. This
is no doubt because the main indus
try, that of sugar raising, has almost
from the beginning been conducted on
a large scale by corporation. So great
has sugar grown that it has come to
be taken for granted that general
farming must not be promoted at the
exI ense of reduction of sugar cane
area. Hence the popular impression
that anything but sugar raising here is
small farming.
Yet the course Of development of the
soil of Hawaii outside of sugar reveals
the ascendancy of incorporated capt.
tai as the power behind progress in
various agricultural lines.
In most cases the individual culu-
vaJor has been the pioneer, as in cof-
fee, pineapple, cotton and tobacco
growing, but the corporation has ever
been and now is at his heels to make
the particular industry a factor worth
,wnile in the prosperity of the Islands.
This situation must always prevail in
such branches of agriculture as re-
quire large installations of processes
for preparing the product for market
ing in most profitable form.
Thus, while the raising of pineap-
pies contemI lated marketing the crop
in it's fresh state, the individual
grower only needed cheap enough ia
cilities of quick transportation, after
the admission of the Territory abol-
ished the virtually prohibitive tariff, to
enable him to cultivate pineapples
with profit upon a few acres. When,
: however, it was found that the indus
= try would yield best results by pro
ducing the various preserved articles
of pineaLples, comparatively large cap.
ital was necessary to erect preserving
factories and, so far as this branch of
the industry was concerned, all that
was left for the small grower was the
making of as good a bargain as he
could with the corporation owning the
factory for disposal of his crop. AS
matter of course, too, he was at a
disadvantage with the corporation
, with its large resources, in proftably
marketing the raw fruit for consump
J ton
: Information that outside capitalists
/ are inquiring for large acreages in this
Territory for tropical fruit raising sug.
? gests the possibility of an entirely
i new situation arising with respect to
S the status and prospects of the small
= farmer Is he going to be overshad
r owed by corporate enterprise in diver
} sified industries, the same as he has
= been all along by the giant sugar in
: dustry? Should the further develop.
? ment of varied agricultural industries
; be dominated by associated capital
there will remain one door of hope to
) the homesteaders and small farmers
7 whereby they may avoid submergence
This is cooperation. 1t has awaited
, for all kinds of agricultural producers
: on the mainland, in the West Indies
and elsewhere, to save the independ
: ent farmer. Now is the Opportune
= time for the small farmers of Hawai-
to get together-by neighborhoods, by
: counties, and, through local organiza
l tions, in Territorial concert The ap
? pointment of marketing suLerintend
] ent for the Territory, under progress
5 sive legislation just enacted, makes
2 now the accepted time and the day o.
/. salvation.