The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-11-21
'lF III Il, HAWAIIAN CIAZE.TTE
soDR T TovHsr sosS .s
TUESDAY MORNING
NOVEMBER ii, 1916.
HODsRek o aAIHEsON EnlruR
LOOKING Ahead

AfVDkyJlg AnRdQ ..
4 Al the last meeting Of the Hawaiian sugar
chemists association the suggestion was
made IN the course Of one III the debates that there
is need Iof more research study and investigation
in fiiahy lines 9The chemistry OF juice manipula-
tioe y fairly wellfunderstood in what might be
called -'practicsI" way in as much as reasonably
definite results are usually obtained by following
certain processes but not always
However clearly the chemists themselves sec
the need of deeper research investigation, salts
factory work can not be done until their employers
also believe in It. TO the extent of giving the work.
ers freer hand. The late Prof Robert K Dun
can, foremost industrial chemist Of his time wrote
ninety five per cent Of the so-called factory re-
search is worse than loss because of the failure to
understand. the advantage OF applied science"
Continuing on this theme he said;
The normal failure that attends factory is
due TO ignorance In choosing chemists iuexperence
in dealing with them, and general lack of knowi
edge.of the facilities with which IL is necessary to
furnish then, -laLoratOry, library and living fnei
u ! have tragic instances Of chemists possessed
Of high training creative and practical charuc
ter, working under the most shameful conditions bur
dened with routine drudgery subjected to the inter
ference, and orders even, of factory fOremen; and
what Is even orse-tworking under entire mis-
apprehension and ignorance the part Of the officials
Of the company as to their possibilities aud value.
have seen them working under every circumstance of
discOuragsmeut inadequate facilities and bad treat,
ment. n q .':'''' 40 d -I''r a.. - 49,.
In comparing the Hawaiian sugar industry with
that Of Java, an authority who knows both coun-
tries well not long ago made the statenent that Java
exces in the purely technical scientific understand
ing Of mill practise This authority stated on the
e
at least three high class research chemists to Ha-
waits one; and he stated his belief that the low
cost Of sugar production in Java is in some meas
ure due to this development
This generalization does not apply to the ex-
pertinent station, but to the charlottesville su-
gar factories All agree, without being unduly
pessimstic, that after the European ends. per-
haps in one year. or II may be FIVE, period Of
much lower prices and closer competition is sure
to follow, and the sugar producing country best
able TO weather that period of depression will be
the land where cost Of production can be lowered
without at the same time abandoning the stand
ard of civilization to which its citizens have be-
come accustomed. So
Hawaii is not going. to be forced down to the
level OF. barbarism simply because world wide ov-
reproduction reduces the selling value of the pro-
duct below the present cost of productions We
have the benefit of scientific knowledge lacking in
many lands, and have got to commence now to get
ready for the crisis There are several ways of
meeting difficulties which even the optmist must
recognize as almost certain to occur; by discon-
tinuing the cultivation of cane-a remedy which
few seriously consider by letting down the bar
against Oriental Immigration remedy not in
consonance with American Ideals by protective
tariffs4a remedy in which this community thor
oughly believes but which may some day be de
MED us.
There remains the remedy from and on which
the sugar planters of Hawaii have already achiev-
ed high reputation among their competitors in
this field-the, employment of more technically
trained scientists These experts needed on
every plantation in Hawaii, and this is not said in
Disagreement of the large body of scientists now
employed, for what is needed is not replacement
or substitution, but the broadening of the lines
where scientific investigation may open many
closed doors.