The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1912-09-27
FISHER RECEIVES
WARM DOCUMENT
Ado .ss Cenounces Plantation
Methods in Language That
Is hebuked.
trrom wendne.dny AdvertIserl

y
Ono o. the rather startling documents
subm ittd 10 Secretary Walter l.. Fisher
upon has arrival at lhlo on Monday
was an address by y. g. Curtis, post
master at OiGa plantation and one OF
the original homesteade-s there. Mr..
Curtis upholds the administration of
Governor Fr ar, but denounces in terms
when called forth IA rebuke from the
Secretary, the methods of the planta-
tions.
Under discrimination the testl-
mony of Mr. Curtis was practically
torn to pieces by Secretary Fisher, who
conducted the examination. The writ
ten address is as follows:
According to the testimony offered
you, Mr.. Secretary, in Honolulu, the
homesteader and small farmer on Ha-
wall doesn t amount to much, and as
a grower of sugar cane successfully,
he is hopeless. That S true and always
will be so. until the stranglehold of
the sugar people upon the little fellow
and the few thousand acres of good
arabic land, not absolutely controlled
by the interests, is loosened, and the
coercion and bull-dozing tactics of the
managers of the different estates is re-
placed by fair and equitable treatment,
which is due anyone who is wrestling
with the soil for living. Secure this
for us, Mr.. Secretary, and you III make
demonstrating and small farming in the
Territory of Hawaii successful. am
very positive on this point.
Where in the world will you find
the opportunities for getting a com
petence as right on this island. Rich
soil bountiful rains-a destructive
drought in this district is unknown
and no frosts You can raise two crops
of potatoes, beans, corn and small
fruits annually. Bananas and papaias
grow all the year round. Honey is an
other product easily secured, as the bees
find natural food all the year round.
Good butter with an unlimited demand
at fifty and sixty cents per pound
Eight forage crops can be grown in a
year-eggs, fifty cents dozen all the
wear round-chicken sells at forty cents
per pound, and best of all-sugar-
now selling at $50 per ton. 1t is prob
able the price of sugar will fall to 500
per ton; if this does happen, there is
still a good living for the farmer who
owns fifty acres of land and is able
to market his crop upon fifty per cent
basis, i. e., one-half the value of the
crop to be given to the mill for harv
esting, manufacturing and marketing
the farmer receiving the other half.
A number of men of wealth have
told you that conditions on Hawaii are
different, unusual, peculiar, ETC. Yes
more's the pity, its too true. On the
mainland with a country one-half az
rich as that which surrounds Hilo, YOU
will find the town filled with happy
farmers selling their produce and buy
ing supplies. We have one store II
Hilo that hasn't its hooks into suga
and the business is for sale. Kuhit
said truly, "Hawaii's population i
made up of poor men and rich men. ;
Mr.. Faxon Bishop, president of Brewe
& Co.. has designated the sugar inter
ests as the ''goat -" octopus" Mr.
Bishop, fits better. Let me give you
Mr.. Secretary, some illustrations o
swinish greed and brazen effrontery
that to the animated, would be hard t.
believe. Some of this testimony come
from no less an authority than Governo
Frear and the balance 1 offer from jus
as reliable sources.
Large Land Holdings.
For the past twenty-four years, Wal
akea Mill Company have had from tn
Hawaiian government $4,000 acres o
land for $1,000 year-a few acres o
this vast area has been subleased TO
three thousand odd which means tina
this close corporation has this vas
estate, which belongs to the people
rent free for thirty years! Their effort
90 further-nOt content to have reaI
ed an enormous fortune under this yer
generous lease, we find them still wisf
a L., Abn
have secured the mill site and probabl
water privileges-thei next move,
find them applying for permanent
right-of-way and camp sites upon thi
tract of government land. Their poN
erty for an adequate excuse must hav
been very great when they offered-t
put their camps in sanitary conditio
for this additional neckhold on thi
valuable estate and payment of 5000
Quoting Governor Frear, "The plant;
ton camps are the chief danger point
for contagious Diseases" and furthe
<'the president of the territorial boar
of health and the chief sanitary Office
at Hilo were much disturbed over tn
action of the land board, etc"
Place the little fellow in the shot
of the powerful sugar man and instea
III IHt poNtIhoi piNauihS tA"t ~
given valuable rights, the board {
health would have yanked him off
Jail, quick, as a serious menace to Il
health of the Territory.
The power Of the sugar interests mu
be apparent to the most casual obser
er when we find the land and healt
boards dominated by it as well as OF
Governor.
Please understand me, do not wiz
TO criticize the Governor too harshl
] think he leaned little too far on Il
side of sugar in this case; on the 9th
hand, he has handled that difficult pro
osition, homestead, in a mnsterful ma
ner and deserves unqualified praise 4
IT, / have heard the Governor taxi
10 task for applying the words " fal
homesteaders 20 some of the app
eants for titles 20 land. The wor
were well applied, / think, DO 10 my @
perienee in this district whore the
should bo more homesteader than
any other place on the Islands, ! a
not eHaggeraiing when ! say fully
per ccut are fakes, pure aud simple ~
/ affaal MANN la tlIa al vim A.