The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-12-28
GroiU Cotton

MOTION prices have reached higher level than
- at any time since 1869 because the war has
trebled the consumption of this staple. Produc-
ton has been utterly unable to keep pace and it
is becoming problem to know whence the sup
plies needed in the prosecution of war are to come
during the next eighteen months.
That the cotton shortage is due to the war in
more ways than through lack Of vessels to trans
port the staple to foreign markets may be readily
understood. II one hundred thousand shells are
fired by the big guns of the allied armies, it will
take one hundred thousand bales of cotton trans.
formed into high explosive to form the motive
power to carry these iron votes OF democracy
across No Mans-Land into the Hun ranks, 1t
takes a bale of cotton behind every twelve-inch
she'll while, if the weapon is a machine gum bale
Of cotton is consumed every three minutes that
the gun is discharged at rapid fire.
King Cotton, the monarch of the textile mills,
now rules over a more important principality To
win the war, the Allies must have ten bales OF cot
ton at their disposal during 1918 for every bale
converted into gun-cotton during the preceding
period Of this great struggle
Hawaii has had two cotton eras, the first during
and Immediately after the Civil War; the second
FIVE years or so ago when number OF small plan
tations made futile efforts to establish themselves,
only to abandon the effort before the difficulties
always attendant on new industries Enough ex-
periments were then made to show that the obsta-
cles in the way of cotton production not in
herent to plant or soil -. -. '.s.. 3D..
An insect pest known the pink boll-worm,"
firmly established here in Civil War times before
there were entomologists and quarantine stations,
had something to do with the death Of the indus
try but had the cotton growers been determined
10 proceed and succeed, this pest need not have
been a serious menace. Fumgation of the prod
net removes all danger of cotton grown here be-
coming the vehicle to transport and transplant the
pest to other cotton growing lands. Gun-cotton
makers are anxious to get any and all kinds OF
cotton and after the staple has passed through its
nitric acid bath it would take more than ento-
mologist to find pink any other colored boil, or
fud worms in the fibre. '',
The matter of possible profits from growing cot
ton may be put aside The point of immediate in
terest is that Hawaii is well suited to grow cotton,
and this staple is much needed to help win the
war. There cannot be too much cotton as long as
the war continues After it ends, the whole world
will need to recothe itself, and the first textile
needed TO reestablish the export trade OF all manu-
featuring countries is going to be this self-same
staple fibre. ',
Every sugar plantation in Hawaii can make cot
ton fit into it's rotation, thus establishing dversif-
cation There need be no new companies formed.
There are so many arguments in favor of making
Hawaii ten-crop country instead OF two-crop
one as it comes near being now, that it is not nee
sssary to enumerate them. 1t is of the first i'm
portance that every capable Of being used to
produce some needed product be SO used, and it
would seem that Hawaii ought to grow cotton if
Tor other than the patriotic one, because
'he Allies must have more cotton