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


the planters, or of the larger interests
the scheme. 4
1t must be remembered that it has
taken over fifty years of study and
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 ko1-
legs, and with little, or no knowledge
of this industry hope to compete with
such men and make a success of their
undertaking?
It must also be remembered that
with all the systematic, economic AMI
scientific methods now in use, many Of
the plantations have taken over TWEEN
ty years 70 get out of debt, and LnIs
without any development to speak OF
OF 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 a success.
This is an unfortunate state of af-
fairs SO far as the demonstrating of
cane land goes, but 1t is true, unless
they can get better terms tnan they
have so far been funabled to do, and
el en- then 1t would be doubtful if they
could succeed particularly when we,
consider the many difficulties of plant
Ing, harvesting, cultivation. irrigation.
and scientific fertilization of the sugar
cane u. g.. ;
I Next to demonstrating, and the pri-
vate ownership of land comes coopera-
tian, and there seems no reason why
the planters cannot formulate plan
of cooperation whereby the laborers
without owning 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,
rutting it into operation. -.... .
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. 49,.
AS matter of fact this method, or,
what Is called giving a bonus Is In
practice already on some of the plan
ttations. and with good results, and
there seems no reason, why 1t shoutd
rot be adopted on all of the planta-i
ton. s.- w.. 49,. =. ..--s-s :;
There has also been another plan
proposed, and that is to pay certain
amount of money to parents who have
children under fourteen years of age,
say 81 for each child. This is a good
idea and it has already been tried
and proved success in the case of
European families and should be ex-.
tended to the American laborers fami.
lies. .,o r, 20. :. -.=..z~,
/ am a believer in small farming,
Though my own experience, along this
line, has been most disastrous. having
lost about everything put into the
undertaking. a. a.,~... ...
But this was before the advent of
the pineapple and, when the coffee was
supposed to be the ideal crop.
The failure of the coffee industry
was due mainly to the low price Of
euffee, and partly to inexperience, high
transportation charges, and. poor
roads. It has teen 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 lands
of the coffee belt, and which is some
thing very much to be desired, duty
OH coffee Is required and it is ernestly
hoped that something will be done
about securing it.
The coffee industry is an ideal oc-
cupation, Is not difficult to learn and
1t is we'll suited to the American
farmer.
A coffee plantation with its tymet-
rical and beautiful trees is something
worth seeing and when the berries are
ripe forms one of the most beautiful
sights in the world.
Now, if the coffee industry could~be
made a success here, it would solve
the problem of demonstrating more
than anything l know of, for most Of
the unoccupied lands now available are
in the coffee belt, and ali that is nee
essary to do to make 1t a success is to
put a duty on this berry.
1t is the opinion of the wri.er that
a part of the thirty-tive thousand
acres of the public lands now IN Gale
should be set aside for homesteaGing
in case it could lie us ed for other pur-
poses than growing cane. And most
people would like to see it all set
aside for that purpose were it not for
the almost certain fact that it would
all eventually. fall into the hanus OF
the planters.
In regard to renting these lands. j.
is the opinion of a great many per
sons that in place of paying rent for
them, a certain part of the crop, say
five per cent of it, &houlde be given
to the government