Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-09-10


had 4 good deal 10 do with the failure,
as the road facilities were poor. The
lands are rather high lp IN the woods
and no roads up to the different lots.
Fisher: Now you spoke OF the cost
of picking did IL cost so much
ito pick the coffeef
Aiken: Well laobr could not be OBJ
tanned for less than a dollar O day,
and picking Is q slow process.
Fisher: Did the settlers themselves
pick the coffee?
Aiken: They worked themselves:
most of them were Portugueses; but
had to hire additional help -wilen the
coffee needed to be picked, ard the
expense was. what made It ufprofit.
able.
Fisher: Then they subsequently
tried sugar cane on these lands and
this turned out badly? sa.sss =
Aiken: Yes.
Fisher: Was this due to the china.
tic conditions, or to transportation
facilities in getting the cane to the
milf
Aiken: The failure was purely due
to the character OF the soil and china
tic conditions: They never got to the
point of gettiAg to mill
Fisher. With what other home
stealing venture are you acquainted?
Aiken: There has been very sue
cessful demonstrating little further
along, in the nature of opening up
small holdings in staro lands in the
Hawaiian community. They were CIV
en- house lots OF two or three acres
each and from one-half to one acre of
taro land. So. far they have been
very successful and are doing very
well. 81
Fisher: Now where do these pe0-
pie work: do they confine their slaobr
exclusively to their own taro patch,
OF do they work in the neighboring
plantations? Tra
Work On Roads.
Aiken: There is no plantation In
that vicinity; but they get work on
the roads and trails being built In
that locality
Fisher: Suppose this road work
should cease or largely diminish, then
they would have to depend upon iiy-i
Ing upon the produce that they raise.
Do you think they could make . liv-
ing on their own products II this work
were taken away from them?
Aiken: Yes, / think they raise sui
,ficient food for themselves there. A
good many go down to the i Kahului
Railroad Company and work; some
90 to Hama and work on the pianta-
ton.
8 Fisher: How faraare these planta-
lions from the homesteads?
Aiken: Hama Is about % miles;
some plantations are 40 or SO miles.
Fisher. Do the families stay on
the homestead, or do they take them
with them? II J.
Aiken. They usually stay on the
homesteads.
Fisher: This taro land -would #
be adatped to sugar cane If these peo-
Die were not living on 1t?
i. Aiken: Yes, hut mot a great deal
of II; but .part ,of, It would undcubt-
edly grow very good sugar cane.
Fisher: Was 1t government land IN
the beginning?
Aiken: Yes Sir. e S.
Fisher: what other experiments
have been made IN demonstrating!
Other Exneffments.
Aiken: az number OF experiments
have been made A tract was opened
ND in the early days in Kahakuioa.
But It was opened up In lots OF too;
large an area. OMst OF the people
who applied for the lots were Hawaii.
ans. The lands were also too Dry
There are some very choice taro lands,
however, IN Kahaknloa. So that each
man received q lot Of dry land ana
in addition got his taro land. It PROV
ed an entire failure as far as the up
ner lands were concerned. One or the.
requirements was that the lands
should be fenced. 1t was an absolute
impossibiiity to fence, some OF the
lands. The Hawaiiaris cultivated the
taro lands and paid no attention y
the upper lands; the consequence was
that III time all the holdings Were
cancelled.
cluded in the holdings, were they, ana
cancelled too?
Aiken: Yes sir. The taro land
was part Of the lot.
Fisher: Have these higher lands
ever been susceptible to Improvement
by anybody?
Aiken. They are only good for sec
ond class pasture land.
Are they now being used for any
thing?
They are still being used by Ha-
vaiians for taro lands; the upper
ands are now under lease.
To whom are they leased?
They were originally leased In four
OTIS to four Portuguese parties. They
re now leased to two white men,
believe. E,.=e = =, -.
what did they try to do with it?
Raise taro. sv-z d
what are the present holders try
ng to do with it? ,ss:apt5l 4
Raise taro. By combining the
whole four lots and being cable to
;hift back and forth they hope 70
make something out Of 1t.
Then you don't think that land il
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