79 
LOCAL  RUBBER  OUTLOOK. 
At  the  present  time,  when  the  development  of  the  Hawaiian 
Rubber  industry  is  nearing  that  point  when  the  product  may 
be  expected  to  figure  among  our  exports,  any  information  con- 
cerning our  local  conditions  and  prospects  is  cordially  wel- 
come. The  presence  of  Mr.  F.  G.  Wallace,  who  is  not  only 
conversant  with  the  conditions  of  rubber  cultivation  generally, 
but  is  the  manager  of  a plantation  in  the  Malay  Peninsula,  has 
afforded  an  opportunity  of  comparison  between  our  own  plan- 
tations and  those  which  have  set  the  standard  of  success  to 
the  rubber  world.  In  the  quotation  from  Mr.  Wallace  that 
follows,  it  will  be  seen  that  together  with  many  of  our  own  local 
agriculturists,  he,  too,  expresses  some  doubt  as  to  the  suitability 
of  the  Nahiku  district  for  the  purpose.  However  those  who 
have  seen  the  Nahiku  trees,  are  agreed  that  even  if  the  local 
climatic  and  other  factors  which  go  to  the  perfection  of  rubber 
growing  condition,  are  somewhat  at  variance  with  established 
ideals,  there  must  be  some  other  subtle  beneficial  influence  at 
work  which  more  than  offsets  the  more  apparent  qualities  which 
are  lacking.  After  all  the  evident  agricultural  factors  usually 
takencognisanceof,such  as  rainfall, soil  constituents  and  climate, 
there  is  evidently  yet  to  be  considered  a certain  elusive  local 
equation,  which  at  Nahiku  must  be  a very  beneficial  one  for 
the  development  of  the  rubber  tree.  The  recent  remark  of 
Mr.  Dillingham  at  a meeting  of  local  rubber  men,  that  it  has 
been  his  experience  that  those  crops  which  can  be  grown  in 
Hawaii  are  generally  not  only  up  to  market  standard,  but  even 
a little  better,  will  be  recalled  in  this  connection,  and  would 
appear  to  give  support  to  the  idea  that  there  is  a local  quality 
to  be  reckoned  with,  even  after  the  statistician  has  tabulated 
our  qualities  and  reduced  us  to  exactly  fit  the  niche  to  which 
book  lore  would  relegate  us. 
This  is  not  written  in  any  way  to  detract  from  the  remarks  of 
Mr.  Wallace,  but  rather  as  a comment  on  what  has  so  often 
been  said  of  Nahiku  and  of  the  whole  islands.  The  sugges- 
tions and  advice  which  follow  are  well  worth  serious  considera- 
tion and  there  is  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  the  best  Hawaiian 
rubber  plantation  would  greatly  benefit  by  carrying  them  out. 
Mr.  Wallace  said  substantially  as  follows: 
“I  certainly  think  that  the  rubber  industry  in  Hawaii  can 
be  made  to  pay  if  it  is  carried  on  in  the  same  way  as  it  is  in  the 
Malay  Peninsula,  even  with  the  high  price  you  have  to  pay  for 
labor,  but  I am  positive  that  the  plantations  will  not  pay  the 
dividends  that  we  would  like  to  see  unless  they  are  put  into 
thorough  cultivation  right  away. 
“As  regards  the  situations  of  the  plantations  I have  visited, 
although  I have  not  seen  much  of  the  country  apart  from  the 
Nahiku  district,!  think  that  more  suitable  land  for  rubber  plant- 
