Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-04-24
SOME FEATURES OF 1915
CONDITIONS CRITICISED
Committee Thinks Present
0Iaa Contract Could Be Re-
adjusted So That Independ-
ent Planter Might Get More
For Cane When Price is High
Method of Handling In
-terest Charges InequitabIe


-terest Charges lnequitabIe
The committee on agriculture Of the
house Of representatives today report
ed against the Holstein resolution to
petition Congress for an Investigation
into the contractual relations between
small cane planters and the sugar
mills and plantations OF Hawaii. On
motion OF the introducer, Speaker Hol-
stein, action on the report was defer
red until Monday.
ut Is the opinion OF your committee
that, while as demonstrated by the in
vestigation held, there may exist indi-
vidual causes for friction between the
small planters and the sugar mill cor
porations, no general cause for dis
satisfaction exists such as TO warrant
the passage of House Concurrent Res
olution No. g." the repor states in
closing and continues:
"A commission appointed by the
president for the purpose indicated by
the resolution could, IN the opinion of
your committee, serve no useful end.
Your committee therefore recon-
mends that the resolution be tabled"
II was signed by all the members of
the committee and was offered by
Chairman d. P. r. Isenberg.
The report, which covers ten type
written pages, says:
"The preamble to Resolution No. 6
recites that complaints are made by
the small farmers that the price paid
for sugar cane by the sugar mill cor
porations Is not an adequate one, and
results IN an unfair division Of the
profits, the price paid being SO low
that. at the average price OF raw
sugar, the price paid for cane barely,
IL at all. covers the cost of production.
The resolution also recites that the
mill owners claim that they are pay.
ing a fair price for cane purchased
from the small planters.
Few Complaints Made.
Notwithstanding the publicity tsiv-
en- of the sittings of the committee
who had complaints, to state their
grievances, only five small planters
personally appeared before the COM
mittee, viz: Messrs. NJ. J. Sylvester,
A. c. McAulton, A. G. Curtis, S. L.
Desha and ]. E. Gamalielson. OF
these the first, Mr.. M. J. Sylvester,
who raises cane which he sells to Ka-
huku plantation, had no complaint to
make as to the price paid him for
cane, his only complaint being against
the Koolau railway which hauls his
an Nhn 81, ortTfn
per ton freight, which he asserts is
exhorbitant. Another of the above
d. five persons, Mr.. S. L. Desha. is not
himself a planter. He owns about
nine acres Of land in Olaa, which he
rents on shares to a Japanese, who
raises and sells cane for the Olaa
plantation, Mr.. Desha receiving as
rent one-half of the net profits. Three
crops have been raised under this ar
rangement. Mr.. Desha's~ share from
the first crop was $410, for the sec
ond crop $557, and from the third
crop, on account of the low price of
sugar at the time of harvesting, $27S.
II is difficult to see where DR.. Desha
has any cause for complaint, for, TAX
ing the lowest year as basis, he re-
ceived $278 for two years rent of nine
acres, or over SIS per acre per an.
mum. ns
u. z. Gamalielson testified that
about four years age, after raising and
selling cane for about IL years to the
Hilo Sugar Company, he failed. He
had been backed financially by the
Hilo Mercantile Company, who fore
closed their mortgage. He had had
litigation with the Hilo Mercantile
Company. also with the Hilo Sugar
Company. His chief complaint was
that the price paid him for cane was
too low.
"Messrs. Curtis and McAulton tes-
titled that they raise cane at Olaa
which they sell to 0laa Sugar Compa.
ny under contract, Their chief com.
plant is that they are paid too low
prices for their cane, and that the mill
makes an unproportionate profit.
The Curtis Complaint.
'Mr Curtis Is operating under
contract entered into in 1904, which
expired last year. A crop remaining
on the land is to be handled under
the 1904 contract but, although Mr..
Curtis is willing to continue under a
similar contract, the plantation con.
CONTINUED on page eight