Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-07-02
HAWAIIL LOSES
MILLIONS BY
SUGAR TARIFF
Such Is Statement of "Sunny
linn McCandiesS in Reno,
Nevada

Another cut in the tariff on sugar
OF one cent, as provided for in the
| Democratic tariff bill of last year
! placing sugar On the free list, viii
kill the sugar industry of the Hawai-
ian Islands in which millions are in
vested, according to James S. Nc
| CandlesS who, with his brothers, il
interested in several large sugar plan
tations. Mr.. McCandless is in Reno
as a guest of Kerak Temple Shriners
! who held a ceremonial session last
night, says the Reno Gazette.
Great Drop in Production.
About the only thing that would
save the industry under free sugar
Mr.. McCandless says. is to have free
labor. In one year, largely because
of the tariff cut, which was expected
and partly because OF dry season.
| the output of sugar from Hawaii
dropped from 100000 tons to 5000
tons in 1913. In 1914 the output
/ was Sc, 900 tons. Further decrease will
be expected as the plantation manag
ers are cutting out the poorer produc.
ing fields of cane in order to offset
the loss from the cuts in the tariff
Give us three cents pound for
sugar and most of us will survive, -
said Mr.. McCandless today. Cut the
price TO 2.75 cents a pound and every
plantation will take loss, Even at
3.39 cents. a pound the price at this
time. some plantations not so favor,
ably located as others, are losing
| money" 49,. II. ....
Sugar has only recently increased
in price from $2.75 hundred, the
level to which it fell under the tariff
cuts, Mr.. MeCandless says The Ha-
waiian sugar plantation owners ex-
pect to go the way of the Louisiana
producers where costly plants have
been di3mantled unless the one cent
, tariff on sugar is retained. There
have already be In two tariff cuts
from the former figure of 1.56 cents.
: Results of Tariff Cut. p. ....
IF left alone at l cent" said Mr..
McCandless, 1--WE could work out our
salvation, although it would be hard
shedding. II not left alone we would
have to go out of bushes like Louisi-
ana. and Nevada and like California
and Colorado are doing. An Alameda
company, which bought 10000 acres
on the Sacramento to plant to sugar
beet3. is, subdividing the land to sell
i to farmers. Oxnard says he is going
to 60 ahead, but he is cutting the
price of beets to the farmers to do
it, and, it is a question whether the
farmers will stand it. This is the ra-
suit of tariff cut after beet sugar
producers enjoyed a bounty for come
years. Under the former conditions,
the price of sugar to the consumers
dropped per cent in 10 years and
was the only product to go down when
products generally were going up.
Production of sugar in the territory
of Hawaii as we'll as in the United
States beet fields, must inevitably di,
minish greatly il the next tariff cut
goes into effect"
In Hawaii, Mr.. McCandless says,
growers tried starting the cotton In
dustry to offset the loss to sugar pro-
ducers, but unfortunately they intro
duced the boil weeVil with the seed
and the attempt failed. The next
most promising industry is pineapple
culture. Last year 100000 cases of
pineapples were sent out. In this in
dustry, which is only 10 years old,
the growers have had the lack of mar
ket to compete with and the industry
grows only as the market grows. Ad-
vertising the product is the means
used to develop the market.
Difficulties to Growers.
The Hawaiian sugar plantations are
said by Mr. McCandless to give crops
of four tons of sugar to the acre,
about the same as Java. but a little
more than Cuba. Java pays 10 cents
day Tor labor; Formosa pays 20
cents a day for labor and Hawaii and
Cuba pays 81 a day for labor. Cuba,
however, has every advantage. Cuba
does not have to fertilize or irrigate
or strip the lower leaves of the cane,
and pays no attention to the crop
after it is in Hawaii has to do all
these things and in addition gets a
crop only every IS months while Cuba
gets crop eyefy II months. In Ha-
wall the 1916 crop is being planted
now and three crops are in the groun
at once :.... r..
1 In addition to all these difficulties.
the Hawaiian producers furnish every
laborer who has family with a
house with running water and fuel
and enough ground to grow vageta-
bles. Each camp of a group of la
+borers has cook and every planta-
3tion maintains a hospital with free
medical services and nurses. .
Millions Involved. 49,.
. The cost of irrigation may be judg,
ed from the record last year on the
Oahu plantation which spent for
pumping and water. half a million
dollars on plantation of 10000 acres
yielding $4,000 tons of sugar. This
plantation is capitalized al $5.O0G,00O
and has bonds out of 81, 100000 AMI
at cost of $1,000.O00 is driving
fiye-mile tunnel through the noun
tain to the opposite of the hill to get
water for irrigating by gravity. On
the windward side of the island the
rain average Is LOO inches yearly, nut.
on the leward side. where the plan