Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-09-19
LETTERS ON TIMELY
TOPICS
a VIEW OF HoMEsTEADING.

and this is not due to the greed of
the planters, or Of the larger interests
SO much as to. the impraetibility OF
the scheme. = al. ) >
1t must be remembered that il has
taken over fifty years or, study ana
experiment to bring the mills ana
plantations up to the present high
state of efficiency, and how, | would
like to ask, can men with small Eo:1
iEgs, and with little, OF no knowledge
| of this industry hope to compete with
such men and make success of their
| undertaking?
II must also be remembered that
| with all the systematic, economic and
scientific methods now in use, many OF
the plantations have taken over TWEEN
| ty years to get ont of debt, and GnIs
without any development to speak Of
Ion enlargement of the plantation, or
plant.
There are also many plantations that
ere not out of debt at the present time
and probably some of them never will
become success
This is an unfortunate state of af-
fairs so far. as the demonstrating of
cane land goes, but it is true, unless
they eanFget better terms tnan they
have so far been unabled to do, and
ey an then it would BE doubtful if tLey
could succeed particularly when we
consider the many difficulties of plant
ing, harvesting cultivation. irrigation,
and scientific fertilization of the suns
| cane. q. -. -
Next to demonstrating, and the pri-
vate ownership of land comes eoopera-
tinn, and there seems no reason why
the planters cannot formulate a plan
of cooperation whereby the laborers
without owning a share of stock, or
having word to, say in the manage
ment, could participate in the profits
or dividends of the plantation.
And as this method can be adopted
without loss to the share holders,
there seems no reason for delay in
putting it into operation. {. >...= i, T. T..
1t can be done. in my opinion, with
cut any loss to the plantation. because.
when the men find that the amount
Of money that they receive does not
depend so much upon the time they
work, as upon the amount OF work
that they do. they will naturally take
more interest in this work - Fl.
AS a matter of fact, this method, or
what is called giving a bonus is. In
practice already on. some of the plan
tations, and with good results, and
there seems no reason why 1t shoEf1
rot be adopted on all OF, the planta-
ton. - =. h. .59zt,l.... ..... !
There has also been another plan
proposed, and that is totpay Certain
amount of money to parents who have
children under fourteen years of age,
cay 50 for each child. This is a good
idea and it has already been tried
and proved success hi the case of
European families and should be- eE-
tended to the American lahorers fami-
lies. si< H. n .sl.- ! J..
l am believer in small farming,
Though my own experience, along this
line, has been most disastrous, having
lost about everything put into the
undertaking. & E.. - + =. ]
But this was before the advent of
the pineapple and when tie coffee was
supposed. to be the idealgcrol.s ~,
The Failure of the coffee industry
was due mainly to the low price O.
cnffee, and partly to inexper1ence, high
transportation charges, and poor
roads. 1t has Leen found that only
those places that are highly favored
by climate, soil, and location have
been able to succeed. and its been
constant struggle for even them,
To bring into use all of the land
of the coffee belt, and which is some
thing very much to be desired, a duty
on coffee is required and it is ernestly
hoped that something will be done
about securing it. ( s.. 8 ~. 8
The coffee industry is an Ideal oc-
cupation, is not difficult to learn and
it is well suited to the American
farmer. IL
A coffee plantation, with its iymet
rical and beautiful trees. is somefn:n~
worth seeing and when the berries are
ripe forms one of the most beautiful
sights in the world. T.: !,
Now, if the coffee industry could be
made a success here, it would sow
the problem of demonstrating more
than anything / know OF, for most o
pu6 uuOCCupl6Q loIluS HOW dfditdDiS ar
in the coffee belt, and ali that is 'net
essary to do to make 1t a success is tt
put duty on this berry. T
1t is the opinion of: the wri,er thai
a part of the thirty-f1ye thousan,
acres Of the public lands now IN CAN;
should be set aside for homesteaGin
in case it could he used for other pur
poses than growing cane. And mos
people would hike to- see it all Sc
aside for that purpose were it not TO
the almost certain fact that it woul
all eventually fall into the h2nus
the planters. 4 sY@r
In regard to renting. these lands.
is the opinion of a great many pc.
sons that in place of paying rent TO
them, certain part of the crop, sa'
five per cent of 1t, houlde be give
to the government
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