The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1918-07-30
PROPOSEDTERMSON
HOMESTEAD LANDS
FAIL TO SATISFY.
Ph1tatlons Feel That Ten Per-
Hcent Of Gross Receipts IS
Too High Rental
PLANTERS WOULD GROW
ALE SUGAR POSSIBLE
Shortage Of Labor May Affect
Homestead Lands Equally
With Own Holdings

y
Contrary to he understanding that
o satisfactory contract between the
government and plantation companies
had been tentatively drafted, IL is
learned that there are objections to
the proposed contract and the proposals
of the government are considered by
| some of tho companies as unreason-
able and unacceptable. Even il an ac-
/, eeptable contract be arranged and
| drafted, it is doubtful IL all OF the
| hOmesteading lands will be cultivated,
! because of the labor shortage.
Denials of any concerted agreement
to stay away from the meeting which
was to have been held Thursday were
forthcoming from representatives Of
plantations that are interested in the
demonstrating lands recently under :
lease to such Plantations. They say
that when they met, before the Gov
ernOr went to Kauai, they did not un-
! derst0nd that definite meeting date
had been set. They though that the
| Governor might be in Kauai for ten
days and afterwards were awaiting
some notification to attend meeting
after his return. 1t is pointed out
that this misunderstanding was general
and had it not been there could have
been no other explanation than con-
ceTted action. .e
Insist Land Wanted ss
"The sugar plantation owners are as
/ patriotic as any and want to raise as
much sugar as possible - said Alonzo
Gartley of Brewer. & Company, one Of
the concerns interested In the plan.
eve want the government lands and
vie want satisfactory contract so
that we can use those lands and produce
as large an acreage and consequently
as large an Outturn as circumstances
will permit. There was no concerted
staying away from the meeting. did
not know there was to be meeting
/ Thursday, had NOT noticed in the papers
J that an Adjournment was taken to a
certain day and my understanding was
, the adjournment was indefinite, to
a time after the return of the Governor.
am confident it is the same way with
the others, and we shall all want to at
tend the meeting that isheld."
Matter Of Cultivation
Homestead lands and plantation
oRRad lands 'mayylalike, have to suffer
from the acute labor shortage. With
$500 men now actually needed and with
the probability OF 500 or perhaps
thousand more being taken soon by the
draft, the companies will hesitate to
cultivate all OF their own lands.
f'There Is no Disgusting the fact
that the labor shortage is acute" said
f, D. TenneY, president of the Hawaii
an sugar Planters Association, when
asked his apipionSRs to tn .elikelihood
I Of plantation companies failing to cul-
tiy9ter lands that are to be, homestead
cd, abeeause of labor conditions pre-
Guiding such cultivation.
All Feel Shortage
"Our firm, Castle & Cooke, is not in
terested in the lahds in question: he
continued, "but our plantations, like
the others, are affected by the serious
I labor shortage resulting from the call
Of the guard and the draft. II more
labocers are taken it will be impossible
TO cultivate all Of our own lands and
| have been advising others that, UNI
less we have adequate labor in sight,
we cultivate the more productive areas
and leave uncuitiVated, for lack Of the
! necessary labor, the less fertile areas.
ct would seem to be the same way
with the government lands that have
been under lease and are TO be cul-
tivated. Sugar productions is needed
and the most fertile acres should be
cultivated" NJ
Thus Mr.. Tenney indicated an opin-
ion that the government lands might
suffer lack of cultivation similarly and
in the same proportion as the private
ly owned lands, though the plantations
would do their best with the labor
that is or may be made available.
I'll
the draft made it evident there was Il
be an acute labor shortage to the eff
feet that the less fertile acres might not
be cultivated. "A, al
But there is yet another hitch TO be
reckoned with. 1t is said that the pro-
Posal of the government is unsatisfae-
tory 10 that The rental is to be ten
percent on the gross returnS Of sugar,
This is looked upon as being equivalent
not only TO turning over one-tenth for
the crop but paying for the marketing
and sale Of that-tenth for the govern
mSnt; II k CLAIMED that such a rental
is more thAR Twice what would have
lar lands Here the maximum pro-
ant thing eppears 70 be forgotten and
the hIsiness end appears to have at
]" So far as the labor shortage is con.
eefned IL Sc a different matter II is
admitted that properly to cultivate a
part Of the acreage would probably
bring n larger crop than to attempt to
cultivate vi without the necessary
labor and thiS situation may bring up
ths ipoh5bl ~ Akasing only the most fer
tile land fro@ tho government. "
GREAT ,WlREL ESS PLANT
TOXIC, July 26-(Special Cable to
the Hawaii Shihpo) The largest wire
less station in Japan is to be estab.
lishel at ,HAranO.machi in the prefec.