The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-10-19
CANE MAYBE GROWN
IN WA|P|O VALLEY
HiIo Paper Seems Exercised Over
Possible Experiment of Ho- .
~ nokaa Sugar Company

Under the head of New Land to
Be Devoted to Cane Culture" the Ha-
waii Post recently ran an article on
the subject of putting certain land in
the Waipio Valley into cane culture by
the Honokaa Sugar Company. 1t as.
serted that the land was about a mile
in width and five miles in length and
was now devoted to rice and taro cul.
ture and termed the land some of the
richest in the Islands. 1t said that the
residents of the valley were much ex-
ercised over the danger of losing rice
and taro patches. This article was re-
printed by at least one Honoluu pa
per.
of Honokaa Sugar Company here
quickly brought an explanation Of the
true state of affairs. It seems that the
Hawaiian Irrigation Company has
lease of Waipio Valley land from the
Bishop Museum for which it has been
paying about $4,000 and losing about
$4,000 a year on the proposition. This
| ~ a subsidiary of the HOnokaa Com
pany and the manager of the latter
company asked permission of the di-
rPctors to experiment with cane on this
! leased land and it is possible that the
permission will be given. The directors
had not heard that any objection to the
proposal had been voiced and the Ha-
wall Post article was the first intina
ton they had that any public interest
had attached to it. The directors had
not considered it matter of any great
moment, apparently, until il was
brought to their attention by the man
ager. Co.,.
The following is the article which
appeared in the Post: 49,.
| "That new area for cane raising,
and one which>is said to be composed
of the very best soil, and which is
situated in Waipio Valley, is about to
he opened up, is the report of Hill"
business man who returned from that
district yesterday. There is strip Of
land about a mile in width by five
miles in length in the tract. 1t il well
watered, and at present much of IL is
planted to rice and taro. ~ .i
1.-THE land is at present said TO be
under lease to the HonOkaa Sugar
Plantation and the talk of planting it
to cane is causing feeling among those
residing there that they are likely to
be dispOssessed through such proceed
ings There are a number of owners
Of kuleanas among the present resi-
dents, but those cannot be affected by
the contemplated change. The speaker
stated that the soil is of such a nature
as to not require replanting as is the
I case on most of the plantations, rat
toons being supported for any number
of years, as the result of the rich, deep
loan which has been formed through
the land having been washed from the
mountain top. ~u
"The place referred to, is one Of
the greatest tarO producing districts on
the island and in ease the growers OF
this popular native food are forced
from the land, it will have much to
do with the supply of taro for com
mcrriaI purposes. r',Bhnse t,who Gown
their land will be the Oniy, ioneso who
can Vow the staple food and as con
sequence, the supply grown will neees
sarIy he less than the demand. The
HonOkaa plantation in case the land is
planted to cane, will probably haul the
: product to its mill which is q distance
Of about twelve miles from the valley.
! "llowever, there is some talk that a
separate mill may be erected in the
4 valley, az the hundreds Of acres of
excellent cane land are of such a
productive nature us to insure an ex'
| trnOrdInary crOp.'