The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1914-03-20
NEWINDUSTRY
. LAUNCHED IN
HONOLULU
Pacific Fiber Company with Facil.
tiles for Manufacturing Mats,
Mattresses and Brushes from
coccanut Husks, Starts Opera!
tons Today " viii Give EN-
ployment to Dozen or More
Persons.

The Pacific Fibor Company will begin
operations turning out coir fiber in is
new factory on Idliha street, near Vine
yard, today. This company, under this
management Of A. O. Rothschild, has
been preparing to get under way for
about six weeks, building erushers and
decorticating machinery and accumulat,
ing stock of cocoanut husks from
which the eoir fiber used in brush aud
mat making is obtained.
Manager Rothschild stated vest lay
that this factory, when fully establ.
ished, win be the only coir iber-ex-
tracing plant In the United States
There are ten or twelve mat and brush
factories and fiber curling factories in
the Eastern States, but all Of the raw
fiber which they use, he stated, is inns
pOrted from Germany. The latter
country has had almost monopoly on
this part Of the business, Lecause the
cocoanut husks are imported into Hans
burg rs ''fillerp to take up the spaces
between casks of sugar and rum in the
holds of vessels. Hence the raw ma
terial to supply the fiber factories is
landed at German ports practically as
ballast or waste at very low cost. This
German coir is baled and shipped ali
over the world.
Freight Rates Favorable.
There is freight preferential in
favor OF Hawaii Of from twenty-five
10 thirty dollars per ton, Rothschild
stated, on fiber landed at Pacific Coast
ports from Hawaii against fiber shipped
from Europe. !
Mr.. ,Rothschild has also obtained the
American patent rights for the German
fiher-making machinery. The company,
viii not only turn out large amount
of the straight fiber for brush making
and the eurled fiber for mattress manu-
facture and, upholstering, but as soon as
1t can he obtained will install door
mat making machine This latter,
which costs nearly $4,000, will have a
capacity Of about forty doormats pet
hour. The .fBer machines have a ca.
paeity Of about 500 pounds per day,
Fifty pounds of fiber makes one dozen
doormats, so that 10 run full time on
the mat machine there will have to be
ten or more of the fiber extraetors. ]
Method OF Treatment.
In extracting the eoir the husk is
first crushed fiat between powerful
hnted rolls. 1t passes to haekle and
then to a beaten and screener. which de II
liyers tho fiber perfectly straight in al
thick layer. For mats the straiSht 4 er
Wis used. For uphoistering the eoir goes
through a curling machine, and after
driving is baled for shipment
The manager stated that there Isl
large demand for the eoir fiher and for,
the doormats, and that there is every
indication of prosperous future for
this new industry. El
Supplies From Kauai and Molokai.
Until the plant gets into full opera.
ton Mr. Rothschild does not know how
large a force will be employed in this
new industry. At the beginning. how,
ever, about one dozen will BIZ needed.
There are number of COcuanut
groves on the Islands of Kauai and
Molokai, and at the start these will
be drawn upon to furnish the material
for the new factory. Mr.. Rothschild
SAYS the supply in the Territory will
be sufficient to meet the demand for
some time to come. It is understood,
however, that negotiations are under
way with Judge Cooper to ship husks
from his Palmyra eocoanut groves.
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