The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-12-14
next YEARS CROP
WILL DISAPPO|NT
SUGAR PRODUCERS
Preliminary Estimates For Ship
ping Purposes Made At Bad
Time Indicate Shortage
ADVERSE CONDITIONS
OF SUMMER REFLECTED
Probably the Smallest 0utturn
Islands Have Known In Past
Six Years of Sugar

Next years sugar crop viii be ma
terially smaller than this year 5, and II
is probable that II will be the smallest
since 1910. This has been forecast for
the past few months, ever since the
drought became serious on Maui and
Hawaii, but other influences have also
been at work and il is certain that the
crop, as a whole, is TO be a disappoint.
.ment. The shortage has been variously
estimated, sometimes being placed at a
hundred thousand tons below the 1917
crop, and IL is even likely that il will
be even smaller than that. In 1910 the
outturn was 5l7 900 tons, and IL is not
believed that the production for the
comiHg year will fall below that figure.
Early shipping Estimates a#..E
Preliminary estimates, made tenta-
,tiEely for the purpose of determining
how much shipping space will be re-
quired by the various plantations, are
being sent in to the various agencies by
the managers. These show in various
instances crops fur below those that
have just been ground. In the in
stances that viii be here cited the estis
mates were made at an especially bad
time, toward the end of October and be-
fore the drought was really broken on
Hawaii and Maui. 1t is probable,
therefore, that the managers have lean
ed toward the side of conservatism and
Il is likely that in a number Of in.
stances, providing conditions continue
favorable from now on, that these early
estimates will be considerably sur
passed. ts ~. rt-
wailulxu Loss Not Big
Reports have been current for weeks
past that Waikiki was heavily hit by
the drought. The damage there was
variously estimated and generally over
estimated, for the manager gives pre-
liminary figures of 1880 tons, about
$500 tons below 1917. H...r. ..,
Hawaii Is Hard Hit ,,s..
On Hawaii nearly all the estimates
show smaller crops to be expected, in
the list that was secured yesterday
from Brewer 4 Co. 0nomea is put at
~ 900 for these preliminary shipping
arrangements, about 1000 tons under
the last crop. Pepeekeo shows a fall
ing OF of 1000 tons to $500; Honomu Of
1900 TO ZOO tons; Hawaii Mill, HOO to
2500; Hutchinson, 1000 to 5000 tons !;
Paauhau, adjacent to the severely af-
flieted drought districts, falls $500 tons
to 600; Hakalau, 2700 tons to l5,400,
and Hilo, 1900 tons to $4,000. er. IN
On Kauai there is an estimated fall
ing off at Kailua of 1000 tons to a total
Of Ago. r.. 81. ...@.f
On Maui, Olowalu is reduced 246 to
a total of 100, and on Oahu, Wanna
nalo is cut 200 tons to 1000. ."
Two Hold Their Own ~
Two plantations give the 1917 crop
as a 1918 estimate--Hawaiian Agrieul-
tural Company and Honolulu Planta-
tion--l7, 900 and 10000 tons respect
lively. ...
These plantations give a fairly good
idea of what may be expected in the
way of estimates on next years crop
on plantations in the same districts,
and if the others run along the same
line an estimated reduction of a hun
bred thousand tons will be too small.
Here are fourteen plantations which
hast year produced l55,500 tons of
sugar and are expected, on the possibly
too conservative basis given above, to
produce in the coming season 23,35O
tons less than last year.
Others Lose Likewise
There are other plantations that have
been more seriously affected by bad
conditions than have these. HonOkaa
and Pacific Mill are instances Of this,
aud in the three upper districts of Ha-
wall most Of the plantations have been
as seriously or more seriously damaged
than the plantations on Hawaii men.
toned above in this article. ~ +
Put in dollars and cents the loss that
has occurred by reason of the adverse
conditions of the past season can be
more clearly seen, At six cent sugar il
will mean return of $l2,000,000 less
than last years crop would have
brought at the same price.
... u