Template:1134-1135 - Revision history

Jere Krischel at 09:10, 11 February 2006

2006-02-11T09:10:52Z

Ken Conklin at 10:45, 10 February 2006

2006-02-10T10:45:23Z

Ken Conklin at 09:00, 10 February 2006

2006-02-10T09:00:58Z

Show changes

Jere Krischel at 05:18, 12 December 2005

2005-12-12T05:18:32Z

New page

1134 HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
chants established trading houses to gather in this important industry.
The whaling trade continued to be the chief source of income to the
islands for a number of years. In 1845 there were 500 whaling ships
arrived there. In 1878 the whaling trade practically died out. Experiments
were made in growing commodities, such as silk, cotton, wheat,
sugar, coffee, but nothing of particular value was accomplished, except
in raising coffee and sugar. The coffee culture increased rapidly and
promised well until there came a drought in the years 1851-'52, which
it was said caused a blight. That for a time ended the advancement
of this industry.
The CHAIRMAN. Coffee, like the other plants you have been speaking
of, was not indigenous ?
Mr. SIMPSON. NO. They have experimented in coffee for a number
of years down there, and the trouble has been that the people who have
been engaged in experimenting do not understand their business.
They would start their trees at too low an altitude. Whenever they
got above 2,000 or 2,500 feet they have had the best results. Now they
are going into the matter to a greater extent than they have ever done
before. They grow a splendid quality of coffee.
Senator GRAY. Have they sufficient area at that altitude and higher
to make it an important matter?
Mr. SIMPSON. Yes. Their area to a certain extent is limited, but
there is a vast area that it will take a good many years to set out,
especially the island of Hawaii, which has 4,500 square miles, and the
greater portion of it is above 1,500 feet. The other islands are not, of
course, so large.
Senator ORAY. On what island is Honolulu ?
Mr. SIMPSON. Oahu.
Senator GRAY. DO you know what the area of that island is?
Mr. SIMPSON. Six hundred square miles.
Senator GRAY. IS that all?
Mr. SIMPSON. It is next to the largest inhabited island in the group.
There are five principal islands.
Senator GRAY. The city of Honolulu has the greater portion of the
population ?
Mr. SIMPSON. Yes. Coffee that they raise there has a splendid
flavor, and in time is going to become a very profitable commodity. It
is known as the Koua coffee on account of its being raised in a district
by the name of Kona, and it has a flavor that resembles a mixture
of Mocha and Java. It has never been gone into systematically,
but they are going ahead with it now, and they will undoubtedly build
up a great business there.
Senator GRAY. Mr. Spalding, who was before us, expressed the
opinion that it would not be a success there.
Mr. SIMPSON. That is the opinion of nearly everybody who lives
there, but it is not borne out in experiments which have been made by
men who understand coffee culture. It is a peculiar industry, and
must be given careful attention, and the knowledge of years must be
brought to it. The merchants of Honolulu net more money for the
coffee that they sell in the San Francisco market grown on the island
of Hawaii than for any coffee sold in the San Francisco market, and in
spite of the fact that it is not prepared for market in what would be
ordinarily termed a marketable condition; it is not separated. The
good and the bad are all dumj>ed into the same sack, and while I was
there one house in Honolulu had quite a little stock of it, some 1,200
or 1,500 bags, and the proprietor had refused at Honolulu 25
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 1135
cents a pound for that coffee. Anyone who is posted in green coffees
knows that that is a pretty good price placed at shipment.
The CHAIRMAN. Your inquiries into the industries of Hawaii were
stimulated by the trade you were trying to establish between those
islands and Puget Sound.
Mr. SIMPSON. I took up each article to see whether we could handle
it, and also took up articles that promised well. In fact, when I
returned to Tacoma I completed a good size coffee company to go into
the culture of coffee there, but it was killed by the revolution. The
sugar business is completely controlled by the American Sugar Eefining
Company.
The CHAIRMAN. YOU mean in San Francisco?
Mr. SIMPSON. NO; I mean the sugar trust in the United States. The
sugar trust now controls all the sugar refineries in San Francisco.
Do you want me to give you some sugar data?
The CHAIRMAN. IXot just now; you may proceed with your statement.
Mr. SIMPSON. The first plantation for sugar purposes was established
in 1835 by Ladd & Co., Americans, and cane was raised in a
small way for a number of years. They got quite a valuable charter
from the Hawaiian Government. They claimed at that time it was
procured for the purpose of selling the charter. It gave them the
selection of a vast quantity of land for a nominal consideration. When
gold was discovered in California a new market was opened up, and
the trade of the islands had greatly increased up to theyear 1893. When
the gold fever was on in California they had very few supplies there,
and the people of the Sandwich Islands went into the raising of commodities
to a greater extent than they had before or since. For
instance, they started flour mills and went into the raising of wheat on
the islands. I do not believe any is raised now. In the fifties sugar
sold up to 20 cents a pound in California, and later the acreage was
considerably increased in the hope that a reciprocity treaty would be
successfully negotiated with the United States. When the reciprocity
treaty was finally signed and ratified in 1875-'76 the raising of sugar
cane became the chief product of the island. The first commercial
treaty that was ever negotiated with the United States was in 1826;
the steam navigation between the islands in the group was first
started in 1853; the first steamship line between San Francisco and
the islands was established in 1870, a line running through to Australia.
The CHAIRMAN. Where do they get their coal for the operation of
that steam intercommunication between the islands? I want to know
whether it is imported.
Mr. SIMPSON. It is all imported.
The CHAIRMAN. And from what part of the earth particularly? .
Mr. SIMPSON. Altogether you may say with one or two shipments of
coal it has come from Newcastle in Australia.
The CHAIRMAN. Sydney?
Mr. SIMPSON. New South Wales. It is from the Newcastle mines
of Australia. They call it Newcastle coal. It is a bituminous coal,
and it costs them in Honolulu from $6.75 to $7.50, according to the
cost of shipping from Australia.
The CHAIRMAN. IS there any wood or other substance in Hawaii
that will be of use in steam navigation hereafter!
Mr. SIMPSON. NO.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{p|1134}}
 established trading houses to gather in this
 important industry.  The
@@ Line 19: / Line 18: @@
 time ended the advancement of this industry.
-The CHAIRMAN.  Coffee, like the other plants you have
+The {{sc|Chairman.}} Coffee, like the other plants you have
 been speaking of, was
 not indigenous?
-Mr. SIMPSON.  No.  They have experimented in coffee
+Mr. {{sc|Simpson.}} No.  They have experimented in coffee
 for a number of years
 down there, and the trouble has been that the people
@@ Line 37: / Line 36: @@
 quality of coffee.
-Senator GRAY.  Have they sufficient area at that
+Senator {{sc|Gray.}} Have they sufficient area at that
 altitude and higher to make
 it an important matter?
-Mr. SIMPSON.  Yes.  Their area to a certain extent is
+Mr. {{sc|Simpson.}} Yes.  Their area to a certain extent is
 limited, but there is
 a vast area that it will take a good many years to set
@@ Line 50: / Line 49: @@
 course, so large.
-Senator GRAY.  On what island is Honolulu?
+Senator {{sc|Gray.}} On what island is Honolulu?
-Mr. SIMPSON.  Oahu.
+Mr. {{sc|Simpson.}} Oahu.
-Senator GRAY.  Do you know what the area of that
+Senator {{sc|Gray.}} Do you know what the area of that
 island is?
-Mr. SIMPSON.  Six hundred square miles.
+Mr. {{sc|Simpson.}} Six hundred square miles.
-Senator GRAY.  Is that all?
+Senator {{sc|Gray.}} Is that all?
-Mr. SIMPSON.  It is next to the largest inhabited
+Mr. {{sc|Simpson.}} It is next to the largest inhabited
 island in the group.
 There are five principal islands.
-Senator GRAY.  The city of Honolulu has the greater
+Senator {{sc|Gray.}} The city of Honolulu has the greater
 portion of the
 population?
-Mr. SIMPSON.  Yes.  Coffee that they raise there has a
+Mr. {{sc|Simpson.}} Yes.  Coffee that they raise there has a
 splendid flavor, and
 in time is going to become a very profitable
@@ Line 82: / Line 81: @@
 business there.
-Senator GRAY.  Mr. Spalding, who was before us,
+Senator {{sc|Gray.}} Mr. Spalding, who was before us,
 expressed the opinion that
 it would not be a success there.
-Mr. SIMPSON.  That is the opinion of nearly everybody
+Mr. {{sc|Simpson.}} That is the opinion of nearly everybody
 who lives there, but
 it is not borne out in experiments which have been
@@ Line 111: / Line 110: @@
 {{p|1135}}
 cents a pound for that coffee.  Anyone who is posted
 in green coffees knows
 that that is a pretty good price placed at shipment.
-The CHAIRMAN.  Your inquiries into the industries of
+The {{sc|Chairman.}} Your inquiries into the industries of
 Hawaii were stimulated
 by the trade you were trying to establish between
@@ Line 122: / Line 120: @@
 Sound.
-Mr. SIMPSON.  I took up each article to see whether we
+Mr. {{sc|Simpson.}} I took up each article to see whether we
 could handle it, and
 also took up articles that promised well.  In fact,
@@ Line 133: / Line 131: @@
 Company.
-The CHAIRMAN.  You mean in San Francisco?
+The {{sc|Chairman.}} You mean in San Francisco?
-Mr. SIMPSON.  No;   I mean the sugar trust in the
+Mr. {{sc|Simpson.}} No;   I mean the sugar trust in the
 United States.  The sugar
 trust now controls all the sugar refineries in San
@@ Line 141: / Line 139: @@
 me to give you some sugar data?
-The CHAIRMAN.   Not just now; you may proceed with
+The {{sc|Chairman.}} Not just now; you may proceed with
 your statement.
-Mr. SIMPSON.  The first plantation for sugar purposes
+Mr. {{sc|Simpson.}} The first plantation for sugar purposes
 was established in
 by Ladd & Co., Americans, and cane was raised in
@@ Line 186: / Line 184: @@
 Australia.
-The CHAIRMAN.  Where do they get their coal for the
+The {{sc|Chairman.}} Where do they get their coal for the
 operation of that steam
 intercommunication between the islands?  I want to
@@ Line 192: / Line 190: @@
 imported.
-Mr. SIMPSON.  It is all imported.
+Mr. {{sc|Simpson.}} It is all imported.
-The CHAIRMAN. And from what part of the earth
+The {{sc|Chairman.}} And from what part of the earth
 particularly?
-Mr. SIMPSON.  Altogether you may say with one or two
+Mr. {{sc|Simpson.}} Altogether you may say with one or two
 shipments of coal it
 has come from Newcastle in Australia.
-The CHAIRMAN.  Sydney?
+The {{sc|Chairman.}} Sydney?
-Mr. SIMPSON.  New South Wales.  It is from the
+Mr. {{sc|Simpson.}} New South Wales.  It is from the
 Newcastle mines of Australia.
 They call it Newcastle coal.  It is a bituminous coal,
@@ Line 211: / Line 209: @@
 Australia.
-The CHAIRMAN.  Is there any wood or other substance in
+The {{sc|Chairman.}} Is there any wood or other substance in
 Hawaii that will be
 of use in steam navigation hereafter?
-Mr. SIMPSON. No.
+Mr. {{sc|Simpson.}} No.