Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-11-14
COMMITTEE NOT
FAvORABLEID
SlLkNDUSfRY
Report Gives Numerous Almost
lnsurmountabie Objects In
lcs,.Paih Of Enterprises n


The BRssing teport from COM
mittee that has had the matter OF
SILK industry under investigation
was read at the meeting Of the Cham
bertof Commerce Wednesdays, Z Il lss.
a. HcnoInlu.l Hawaii. Now d., lSl4,st
To the Beard sof Directors OF the
Chamber OF Commerce. fi Honolulu,
,Hon0Nlu.srB If fasF:tffrk II the
Gentlemen; Honolulu, has no Eeputa-
ti0n As q manufacturing center, and
anything manufactured here would
hare 10 60 through that long, and cost.
ly introductinR period which confroRts
every new iRauStry4ifsE h.As. : f4 %tfat
If the prpppsition to establish "a silk
industry in Hawaii came from some
one with, capital who intended 10, come
here and start such m, enterprise, sor
IL some, OF our own people had already
made a beginning 1t producing raw
silk,.,it might be we'll within, the
province Of the Chamber of Commerce
tok request Professor. Cherringtonis
ceopRratisn tand that Of his GROUP, OF
students In Investigating the difficult
problems to be oFercome:e but lack
ing these contingencies your eommit-
tsekdees notheonsider, it likely that
anything would come Of such an tinyes-
tieati9ns nta ef'fiaisrf Hssgt sB4f
,ln.thQee countries where silk manu-
fapture and production are now estab-
lished Il has developed that silk manu-,
factNre isanow ion ID strong qcompeti-
tive, basis; PROFITS On frnanufactuFe are
not large; skilled labor To- requisite.
and wages paid are low ], II I'll ti,s W.
The industry fthrpnghout Is II gov
etned By changes of fashion and style;
andh II ia4 en- the same basis as any
other textile Industry Ei,if,h saf, ID
While Il might heapossible to pro-
'duce raw silk in Hawaii. It would
probably not become a profitable in
dnstry for MANY years. Hawaii can
net compete with Japan and China in
the low cost of production OF raw silk.
or with; established factories in low
cost OF manufacture.
We would hove to offer special In.
ducements in the way of cheap water
power. low priced fuel. low rents. and
a large surplus of chronically unem.
ployed labor to- attract silk manufac,
turers to the islands. The great
american factories are all located in
the districts where these advantages
are lat hand. such as In the vicinity of
New York. New Jersey. city OF Phila.
delptia and in the coal centers Of
PENNSYLVANIA.
q On the. Island Of Kauai about 1872
1850 AN attempt. vas made to raise
silh worms but this enterprise even
tually failed. y q 8s 81 - Fl
That cocoons can Be produced was
proved by various experiments at
United States experiment station, Ma
Xxi, in 1905, 1906 and 1907. and the
silk spun was of fine quality, but the.
production Of silk was not considered
BIZ the experiment station authorities
as commercially practicable.
Raw silk can only be grown profit
ably where there is abundant and
very cheap labor. This has been
shown In the past by, the fact that
the principal silk producing countries
hare been China, Japan, portions of
Italy and the Levant where these con-
ditions Of 1abor obtain.
q Hawaii In its present labor eondi-
tions can not compete with such coun-
tries. .i.ss
Respectfully submitted.
i! fSignedI G. P. WILDER.
S .lst l,...s,. 8 q. Chairman.
lSignedl ]. L. YOUNG.
fCfrnnAa fAt5un q CaETr,rr