Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-03-10
THE KAPAA CANNERl SITE

Editor Honolulu Star Bulletin.
Sir:-In the Star Bulletin issue of
March appears statement from Al
bert Horner. president OF the Hawaii
an Canneries Company. in which he
gives his version OF the incidents lead
ing up TO the formation CT the Ha-
Waiian CannerieS Company. and which
is prominently before the public at
present on account of a dispute re-
'garding a canneTy site at Kappa, AS
my efforts in promoting tie company
have been Purposely withheld from
Mr. HOrner's statement. | feel called
upon in justice 10 myself TO submit the
facts in the case, as am very famil
lar with the matter. and antedate Mr..
Horner'S statement by at least one
year. Possibly a statement from me
will be a little more accurate and
help 10 place this controversy before
the public just as it occurred.
About July, 1912, | called on Gov
ernor Frear and made him a PROPOSE
ton that, provided he would allow me
to option up the homesteaders at Ma
paa to grow pines on 10 years con-
tract, | thought ] could take these
contracts to the Coast and interest
capital to build canlery at kapaa,
ensuring the homesteaders a market
for their pines and incidentally work
for their families and he OF general
benefit to the community at large. He
was pleased with my proposition and
a few days later handed me an option
10 - n
sign. procured the signatures OF
part of the homesteaders, covering
about $50 acres; the territory had
about $50 acres which could be leased
for growing pines, but as | considered
the acreage not sufficient to justify a
cannery, the governor agreed to have
1000 acres surveyed for demonstrating,
which would ensure ample acreage
: for cannery. The governor entrust-
ed me to look up canneTy site of
about eight acres. government land,
on the be zach at Kapaa, but positively
declined to donate the site without
compensation to the territory. The
survey work was started on the 1000
acres, second series Kapaa home
steads, in March, 1912. left for the
Coast in March. 1912. and when | re-
turned in June. 1912. the survey had
been completed. ! carried letters
from the governor and others strong
| ly commencing and endorsing my
pineapple proposition, the governor
agreeing to aid and assist me all he
could reasonably and legally TO carry
the project through ~--
a,1loI NJ, Ic;Jo, Ioorh,
Guiding many other laf9e firms, but
was obliged to return to, Honolulu on
account of an injury TO nay leg, which
temporarily held up the proposition.
Several months later Mr. Jacobs came
to Honolulu. We called on Governor
Frear. who received Mr. Jacobs very
cordially and furnished all the infor-
nation he desired Mr. Jacobs visited
Kauai and the other islands, but after
careful Investigation decided on Ka-
paa as being the, best lGqproposition.
Mr.. James L. Coke was engaged to
take over the legal end The stock
was quickly subscribed. Mr.. Jacobs
taking large block and securing the
agency for the cannery pack.
Right here is where Mr.. Horner and
others became interested in the COM
pany as stockholders. The 390-acre
! lease was bought by Mr.. James Coke
flor the company, who also incOrpor-
ated the company.
| wish to say this proposition will
be a great benefit to Kauai and right
in line with Governor Pinkham's eX-
pressed wish to work for the prosper
lily of Hawaii, and has not cost the
territory one cent
The prospects of success are most
tflattering. Plenty of water, good soil,
good shipping facilities. plenty of SUI
gar furnished by the homesteaders
and the village of kapaa. In a short
time there. will be about 600 acres
available for demonstrating and for
growing more pines and building
more canneries, thereby through COM
petition safeguarding the interests of
the hOmeSteaderS
J. OSWALD LETTED.