The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-08-10
MORE LAND TODE
PLANTED TO RICE
Kauai Business Men Gather
Statistics On Production Of
Crop On That island

Cooperating with the territorial food
eommissibp, the businessmen of Kauai
have gathered valuable. statistics on
the pf6duetien. Of rleg IN the Garden
Island, showing that county expects to
harvest this year, from 1870 acres, n
crop Of about Il sos bags, and that for
the 1918 crop an additional area OF
l55 acres Of now land will be available.
The vhiuc Of the report is TO be
judged from the fact that rice is the
second largest fool crop grown in Ha.
waii, and that despite this fact the
great bulk OF the cereal eaten here is
imported. Tho bost estimate avail
able, that submitted TO the food com.
mission recently by j. f.. Child, who
now ~ executive officer, gives Ha-
waits rice production as approximate.
" 100000 bags a year. II
News Of the Kauai statistics, which
was gathered by the planter, the board
of supervisors. and the Chamber Of
Commerce, came this week from A. II.
Case, the commission 8 agent.
Acreage Has Fallen OF
In the last few years the rice acre
age there has fallen away to almost
half its former size. Case writes that
some years ago there were 5000 acres
under rice cultivation.
The businessmen nave not stopped
Of the mere gathering of statistics;
they took up with land owners the
question Of rentals, urging them to
give planters better terms as induce
ment to the latter to utilize land not
under cultivation. In several in.
stances, the agent writes, the business
men were met more than half way by
the land owners, who have already
given over certain good acreage rent
| free. go. =
THE proposition also was taken
up Case says, cot having the com.
mittee--of Kauai businessmen make
definite guarantee of FIVE dollars a
bag for rice produced, so that the
planters would be sure Of some price
] for their investment.
1 ''As to this idea, nothing has been
done yet, probably because the pres.
ent high price of rice has made it I'M
necessary. AZ
~ thought the data here given
would be OF interest because OF the
| general investigation Of this subject in
the Territory and because SO many
kicks have been registered about IL.
II seems only right that the grow
or should receive fair margin of
/ profit since he has been almost forced
to, give up the business in the past,
when rice dropped to about three dol
lars. Even at six dollars bag the
profit IL very small compared TO that
received from sugar cane"
Crop Estimstes
! The acreage and crop estimate for
1917 and 1918 on Kauai is given rs
follows:
! Hamlet District--s25 acres planted
H., 1876 bags for 1917; additional acre.
age for 1918 crop, 265.
! HAWAIIAN District--l75 acres plant.
cd in 1917, $500 bags for 1917, add.
tionai acreage for 1918 crop, forty.
lihue District--2i5 acres planted;
400 bags for 1917 crop; additional
acreage Tor 1918 crop, twenty-five.
Koloa District--5 acres planted in
1917 crop; 100 bags for 1917 crop;
additional acreage for 1918 crop, Ave
Waimea District--500 acres planted
in 1917 crop; l2,500 bags for 1917
additional acreage for 1918, 100.
Total, 1870 ceres planted in 1917
crop; 4l,595 bags for 1917 crop; add
tional acreage FOR 1918, 485.
More Labor Needed ns
The agent writes that the ass acre.
Of new land available cannot be plant
cd unless more laborcrs are to be OBJ
tanned at a wage not exceeding $40 !
month and board, the latter item esti
mated at about $l4 month.
He says further that only the yer,
old Chinese seem available as ric,
field laborers; they cannot work hare
and this complieates the rice problem
= further. II appears also that most q
lower rentals are vitality necessary I,
the success Of the industry, he writes
He thinks 80 bag is not too higl
price for the cereal IL the business i
to continue in the Islands on larg,
scale, and that less than IS ba,
would be impossible for the majorit,
Of the growers. In such case, the rie,
from Japan and the United States be
q