Economy | Page 175 | Images of Old Hawaiʻi

November 21, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kaiwiki Milling Company

“Hilo district is to have an Independent sugar mill. Capital sufficient to establish a company, which is to be known as the Kaiwiki Milling Company, has already been paid in, and the promoters expect to begin operations in March, 1916. The 150 stockholders holders are all Portuguese.”

“More than 500 acres of cane are now being cultivated by Hilo ranchers for the first crop. The factory is to be located on the old Correa property in Kaiwiki, several miles from the town. The corporation will not cultivate any cane of its own at the present time.”

“The mill will be able to produce 12 tons of sugar daily and will cost, with complete equipment, $50,000. The Honolulu Iron Works is to be the builder.” (Star-Bulletin, August 4, 1915)

“Work on the erection of the sugar mill now being constructed by the Kaiwiki Milling Company, just adjacent to Hilo, is proceeding apace and within another six weeks the mill should be grinding cane.”

“This is the mill which is being built by the home-steaders, who have heretofore sent their cane to the Hilo Sugar Company’s plant, and the progress which has been made is considered very satisfactory considering the weather conditions which have prevailed.”

“Almost all of the foundations are now in; the two boilers are installed and a great deal of the milling equipment is up at the mill site. This site is approximately one thousand feet above sea level and considerable difficulty is experienced in hauling the material up, everything having to be brought up in an auto truck and placed into position by manual labor.”

“For the past five months the erection of the mill has been slowly progressing, but better progress is now being made. The mill is situated close to the head of the spring which supplies the surrounding land with water and in this respect there should be nothing wanting in future, as there is a plentiful supply of water at all times.”

“When the mill is operating, which is expected to be by the end of June, it is hoped to crush approximately one hundred and fifteen tons of cane per day of twelve hours.”

“For the season it is expected to derive between three hundred and fifty and four hundred tons of sugar, which, at the present price of sugar, will go a long way towards recompensing the homesteaders for the amount expended in the erection of the mill.”

“Peter Silva, president of the Kaiwiki Milling Company, is in personal charge of the erection of the mill.” (Planter and Sugar Manufacturer, June 17, 1916)

However, the opening of the mill ended is disaster … “This company had erected a mill … for the purpose of manufacturing sugar from cane to be grown by the homesteaders and independent land-holders in the vicinity of the mill.”

“The mill had just been completed, and … the mill machinery was to be started up for the first time and it was decided by the manager, after consultation with several of the directors of the company, who approved of the plan, that this occasion, which was of great interest to the company as well as to the community, should be duly celebrated.”

“On the day mentioned the mill machinery was started in operation, a bottle of champagne was broken over the rollers, speeches were made and a general feast was indulged in.” (Supreme Court)

“As so many Japanese were taking part in the celebration it was determined to have one part of the ceremonies devoted to them and for this purpose a small platform had been built upon the top of the mill tower … who would throw small ceremonial (rice) cakes to the crowd.”

“Before the eyes of two or three hundred men, women and children, four men tumbled from a lofty platform on the top of the tower of the Kaiwiki Sugar mill … falling forty or more feet to a shed roof and thence to the ground.”

“All four were rushed to the Hilo Hospital, where it was thought at first that two at least were fatally injured”. (Hawaiian Gazette, July 21, 1916)

Later, the future of the company looked promising, “According to the estimate of AM Cabrinha, president and manager of the Kaiwiki Milling Company, of Hawaii, this season crop of cane ground at the mill will amount to 1000 tons of raw sugar. … ‘The prospects of the company are very good.’” (Hawaiian Gazette, March 6, 1917)

Then, bad news, “A Kaiwiki Milling Company warehouse was destroyed by fire last night.” (Folks were on alert for arson.) (Star-Bulletin, March 20, 1917) Kaiwiki Milling eventually was absorbed into Hilo Sugar, then Mauna Kea Sugar/Hilo Coast Processing.

Kaiwiki Milling Company should not be confused with Kaiwiki Sugar Company; the latter started in the 1860s and later became O‘okala Sugar (1869,) then owned by the Hitchcock brothers (1875.)

The latter declared bankruptcy in 1909 and the plantation was bought out by Theo H Davies & Co (and renamed Kaiwiki Sugar Company,) then it merged with Laupāhoehoe Sugar Co. in 1957 and then ended up as part of Hāmākua Sugar. (HSPA)

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November 18, 2017 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Have Nots, Can Nots and Will Nots

A hundred years ago, “The need of a home for small children was emphasized yesterday as never before. Early in the day Sheriff Iaukea was notified that there were four youngsters down in the John block in Kaka‘ako who had no one to look out for them.”

“Investigation showed that the father had gone to San Francisco several months ago and had not been heard from. The mother, who has had a struggle to make both ends meet, is now in the hospital seriously ill.”

“Since Saturday these little ones have been alone and their condition was pitiable when the police took them to the station-house.”

“The Sheriff then made enquiries about the town, trying to find a place where they could be taken in. The Salvation Army Home was crowded, but after a consultation with the matron it was decided that the home would take them temporarily.”

“The eldest child, Manuel Delgado, a bright boy of ten years, had done his little best to take care of Puration, a girl of six; little Censio, aged four, and the wee little baby, Anita, aged seventeen months …”

“… but he looked very much relieved when the motherly matron of the Salvation Army Home gathered them all in and started for the home in a carriage.” (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, May 26, 1908)

Today, at all levels of government, homelessness (houselessness) remains an issue.

I have been fortunate to work in the private sector for most of my career, but I also worked in senior administrative positions in County and State government (and worked closely with our federal partners).

When I worked with the County, a homeless service provider helped me better understand the homeless situation.

She noted there are generally three types of homeless – the Have Nots, the Can Nots and the Will Nots.

She didn’t mean these references to be derogatory descriptors, rather a way to better understand the diversity and complexity of the problem.

The people without the financial means (Have Nots) or with some kind of disability (mental or physical) (Can Nots) are generally the ones who eventually seek and benefit from services provided by the many service providers across the State.

Regrettably, it is the Will Nots, those that can but don’t seek help, that sometimes get the limelight and many times shed a bad light on the rest.

Some refuse to enter a shelter because they aren’t willing to follow the rules, have alcohol/drug dependency or simply would rather live on the beach.

An unfortunate stigma is cast over all, because of the actions of a few.

Another component of homelessness are the Hidden Homeless (the ones, night by night, that are staying at someone else’s house – rotating between others, sleeping on a couch with family or friends).

Likewise, there are many At Risk families, who have limited savings (no more than 3-months savings), where some kind of event (loss of job, accident, illness, etc) could put them on the streets.

When we read about the ‘Homeless’, or related statistics, we tend to hear more about the Will Nots; the latter two, Hidden Homeless and At Risk, are typically not included in the statistics.

I believe the real homeless numbers are significantly higher than present County and State administrations are willing to admit, or report.

As an example, when I was Deputy Managing Director of Hawai‘i County, the estimate was that 700- people were homeless – however, the estimated Hidden Homeless was 10,000 and 24,300-people were considered At Risk.

When speaking of the homeless, I believe we need to be more open and honest with ourselves and others.

Hawai‘i has many in need. I appreciate the good work of the many homeless service providers; they are an important and special group of folks.

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Homeless Shelter

November 17, 2017 by Peter T Young 6 Comments

Flagpole

Actually, this is a about a family that ended up in Kailua. We’ll get to the ‘flagpole’ portion of their adventures at the end of the summary. This is about Lloyd and Joanie Osborne; they married in 1938.

Lloyd was born in Newtonville, Massachusetts, on March 14, 1909; he graduated from Phillips-Exeter Academy and Yale University, where he was captain of the swimming team.

He led an all-star US swimming team on a Pacific and Japan tour in 1931, but passed up 1932 Olympic tryouts in order to enlist as a Naval Aviator, after earning his mechanical engineering degree.

Joan (Joanie) Dowsett Osborne, born July 26, 1916, was the daughter of Herbert and Laura Dowsett; she was a descendant of Gerrit Parmele Judd, a missionary physician in the Third Company of American Protestant missionaries to the Islands. Judd later resigned from the mission and became an advisor and translator to King Kamehameha III.

Joanie was a member of the Punahou School class of 1933, attended the Schools at Dobbs Ferry in Westchester, NY and Tufts University of Occupational Therapy.

Although Joanie was a swimmer from an early age, marriage and childrearing interrupted her swimming until her mid-fifties. It was as senior swimmers that inspired Joanie to join competitive swimming with Lloyd in the Masters Swim events.

In 1984, at the age of 75, Lloyd set two national records, the 200-meter butterfly in 4:51:77 and the 200-meter individual medley in 4:01:34. He has numerous other accolades in swimming (from the 1970s to 1990s.) His last, in 1992, was 1st Place in 400 freestyle (8:08:40;) he was 82.

He swam competitively, he told a reporter in 1985, because he wanted to stay healthy enough to make one particular financial transaction: “I’d like to write a check dated Jan. 2, 2000.” (He made it.)

During 14 years of competition, Joanie was listed in the US Masters National Top Ten Times in 174 events: ranking first in 53 events; second in 29; third in 20; and fourth in 22. She has held 28 pool event USMS National Records, one Long Distance National Record and four Master’s Age Group World Records.

Back to Lloyd’s aviation experience … After earning his wings in 1933 at Pensacola, Florida, Lloyd piloted landings and take offs from the world’s first aircraft carrier, the US Langley, a converted Navy oiler.

Following a stint in the engineering design department at Martin Aircraft, he joined Pan American Airways as a pilot, flying throughout the Caribbean and South America; one of his passengers was President Franklin D Roosevelt.

His WWII duty included command of an air control unit during amphibious operations at Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima, for which he earned two combat Bronze Star medals. He later served on the staff of Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet.

After WWII, a unique type of air service called ‘flight seeing’ came into being. On April 2, 1946, Osborne started Hawaiian Air Transport Service Ltd, “a deluxe charter and tour service.”

It provided non-scheduled service to all Territorial airports and provided special tourist sight-seeing flights to the Neighbor Islands, and charter services as required. (hawaii-gov)

After operating for about 4-years, Hans Mueller took over the certificate and expanded that operation into Hawaiian Air Tour Service (HATS,) a full-fledged flight-seeing operation. (Allen)

The accomplishment that Joanie is most proud of is not her swimming, but the role she played in establishing Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park in Kona. Joanie lived in Kailua-Kona in the 1950s. During this period, she served on the Governor’s commission to save historical sites. Through her efforts, and others, the park was eventually created.

On August 13, 1959, over a thousand people gathered near the Sears’ end for the grand opening of Ala Moana Center. Lloyd Osborne was there, he was the center’s first general manager.

OK, the flagpole …

The Osbornes had a house on Kailua Beach. Most folks who surf or walk the beach will recall a flagpole standing proud and tall near the edge of the beach. The surf spot “Flagpoles” is right off shore.

That was the home of Lloyd and Joanie Osborne and their family. On July 4, 1969, to honor both his nation and his state, and to salute other states and countries he had visited, Lloyd put up the 30-foot flagpole himself.

Lloyd died April 19, 2001 at the age of 92; Joanie, his wife of 63 years, died July 20, 2014, missing her 98th birthday by six days. (Lots of information here is from Advertiser, Star-Advertiser and Punahou.)

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USS Langley (CV 1)-1st Aircraft Carrier

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Long one-quarter front left side aerial view from above of two Hawaiian Air Tour Service (HATS) Cessna T-50 “Bamboo Bombers” in flight over Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, circa 1955. In the foreground is the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, with the Waikiki Theater behind; at far right is the Matson Moana Hotel. Believed to be the cover of a Hawaiian Air Tour Service (HATS) brochure.

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Ala Moana-1960

November 15, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Huilua Fishpond

Aquacultural fishpond technology allowed the ancient Hawaiians to move beyond mere harvesting of fish and other marine products (i.e. crustaceans, shellfish, and seaweed) to intensive fish production and husbandry.

Reportedly, a total of 449 ponds that were constructed prior to A.D. 1830, most during the prehistoric period. They were built on all the major islands.

Broad shallow reef flats or natural embayments provided an environment where ponds could be constructed easily in sweeping semicircular arcs out from the shoreline.

Along the shoreline were ponds with (kuapa, or pa) and sluice gates (mākāhā). The distinctive feature of the kuapa ponds was the sluice gates.

The mākāhā was stationary with no moveable parts. This was the technological innovation, probably an adaptation from an earlier form used in irrigation agriculture (taro), that enabled the Hawaiians to progress from tide-dependent fishtraps to artificial fishponds which could be controlled at all times of the tide.

Ponds varied in form, construction, methods of operation, and in the species of fish raised. Ponds or loko, were divided into two major categories: shore and inland ponds.

Huilua Fishpond at Kahana Valley in Koʻolauloa on the Island of Oʻahu has been traditionally classified as a loko kuapa pond. It was a working fishpond (with modifications) until the late-1960s.

Huilua Fishpond is one of only six remaining fishponds out of an estimated ninety-seven such structures that once existed on
coastal Oahu and one of the few ancient Hawaiian fishponds that were still operational well into this century.

It is also one of only ten ponds left in the Hawaiian Islands which have not been denuded of their archeological sites during the course of historic coastal development. A large majority of ponds throughout the Islands have also been destroyed by natural agencies such as tsunamis (tidal waves) and sea storms.

Huilua is a shallow, brackish water enclosure of approximately 4 ½-acres that is roughly shaped as a right triangle with the right angle of the base forming the northwest or seaward corner of the pond.

The base or western wall abuts and partially deflects the effluent from the Kahana estuary as it discharges into Kahana Bay. This wall, approximately 500 feet in length.

At the extreme south end of the western wall are located two parallel mākāhā or sluice gates. The makai gate is longer by approximately 10 feet than the mauka gates.

Huilua Pond has been an important element in the long-term habitation of Kahana Valley and is expressive of that habitation. It was an important part of the valley’s cooperative subsistence economy from the late 19th Century until the late-1960s.

At that latter time, the konohiki fishing rights for Kahana Bay were condemned and acquired by the State of Hawaiʻʻi to allow public access to the bay.

Huilua Pond became a part of Kahana Valley Cultural Park, a ‘living park’ concept developed by the Hawaii Department of Lands and Natural Resources whereby approximately 150 persons, many of whom grew up there, reside in the Park.

The ancient Hawaiians believed that walled fishponds of the loko kuapa type were inhabited by moʻo (water spirits) who were also akua (gods) and kiaʻi (guardians) and relied upon them to protect the ponds in order to assure an abundance of fish.

Ritual pollution included the violation of kapu (taboos, i.e., women could not fish nor be involved in the work of the pond), neglect of ritual obligations associated with the pond, poaching, and so on.

Informants on the Kahana Valley oral history project related: ‘Huilua Fishpond has a moʻo that lives in a deep hole at the northwest corner of the fishpond where the western wall meets the northern.’

When the moʻo leaves the pond and then later returns ‘there are always dried leaves floating on the top of the water to indicate its presence’.

Oral history informants from Kahana Valley also related that their elders and grandparents propitiated the traditional fish god Kuʻula, otherwise the fish might disappear from the pond.

While the koʻa was not used within living memory, they reported that a fish stone (pohaku kuʻula) required prayers and proper care in order to keep the fish in the pond. The location of the sacred stone is not clear. (Lots of information from NPS and DLNR.)

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November 8, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Punahou Dairy

“Here you may be fanned by the breeze from the highlands – here you may look off upon the plains and the harbor of Honolulu and gaze with admiration upon the waves as they break over the coral reefs and upon the floating ship as she approaches …”

“… especially when she spreads the banner of your nation. Having refreshed yourself here a day or two you may return to your field invigorated.” (Lorenzo Lyons, speaking of Punahou)

The gift of land to Hiram Bingham, that later became Punahou School, had additional property beyond the large lot with the spring and kalo patches where the school is situated (Ka Punahou) – the land was an ʻili lele.

Punahou included a lot on the beach near the Kakaʻako Salt Works (‘Ili of Kukuluāeʻo;) the large lot with the spring and kalo patches where the school is situated (Kapunahou) and apparently a forest patch on the side of Mānoa Valley (ʻIli of Kolowalu, now known commonly referred to as Woodlawn.) (Congressional Record, 1893-94)

“The school was opened at Punahou, July 11th, 1842, with fifteen scholars in attendance that day. During the first year there were thirty-four pupils, of whom fifteen were boarders, their ages varying from seven to twelve.” (Punahou Jubilee, 1891)

“In the summer of 1844 the faculty was increased by Mr and Mrs (William Harrison) Rice, who were transferred from Hana Maui, to assist the school, where they remained till 1854, Mr Rice having special charge of financial matters and of the out-of-door work.” (Punahou Jubilee, 1891)

Mānoa was first a supplier of wetland taro and then, as the population in its vicinity grew, became a major dairy and vegetable growing center for urban Honolulu.

O‘ahu College (later known as Punahou School,) was the site of the first recorded dairy in the valley (and possibly the first in the Islands,) started in 1844 by William Harrison Rice. (DeLeon)

Back then, there were two pastures – Upper Pasture (above Rocky Hill) and Lower Pasture, makai of the school. “Mr. Rice built the wall around the upper pasture, surrounding Rocky Hill, and Mr. Spooner the wall enclosing the lower pasture.” (Punahou Catalogue, 1866)

“All cattle belonging to Punahou and the various missionaries were pastured in Mānoa. Each missionary had a herd and a milking pen and every morning and afternoon the cows were driven to their respective pens.” (Wm Hyde Rice; The Friend, March 1924)

“We had a dairy, the Punahou dairy, over on the other side of Rocky Hill. That was all pasture. We had beautiful, delicious milk, all the milk you wanted. The cows roamed from there clear over to the stone wall on Mānoa hill.”

“There were a few gates and those gates caused me trouble because the bulls wanted to get out or some boys would leave a bar down and I would get off the streetcar at the top of the hill and have to walk along the gravel road, 500 miles it seemed to me, to get to the house. …”

“Occasionally, just often enough to keep me alert, there would be a bull wandering around across the road and down the hill onto Alexander Field or just where I wanted to go.” (Eleanor Griffiths ’25 Shaw, the first child raised in the President’s House (Punahou))

All was not always good … “RA Duncan, Food Commissioner and Analyst, in his report for May to the Board of Health says one hundred and twenty milk samples were examined … The list of those supplying milk of inferior quality, other than samples submitted by private parties, (included) Punahou Dairy”. (Pacific Commercial Advertiser, June 9, 1904)

The ‘Punahou Pasture’ was not only for cattle or horses, over the years the National Guard fought ‘sham battle’ training exercises and drills (as did the local Police,) as well as the football and baseball games – even golf.

“In 1880 the ‘lower pasture,’ containing 31.3 acres, was divided into building lots, and streets laid out in it. The sale of these lots has added twenty-one thousand four hundred ($21,400.00) to the endowment.” (Alexander, 1907)

“(A)cross Punahou Street in the Punahou lower pasture, Dole, Beckwith, Alexander, and Bingham streets were laid out in 1880 by the Punahou School trustees.”

“All were named for prominent men: the first three were, in order, (principals and) presidents of the school (Daniel Dole, Edward G Beckwith and William DeWitt Alexander;) it was to the fourth, Hiram Bingham, that Governor Boki made the original Punahou land grant in behalf of the mission.” (Clark, 1939)

“During the year 1900, the ‘upper pasture, now known as ‘College Hills,’ was divided into building lots, (most of which have since been sold), and has now become the most attractive suburb of Honolulu.” (Alexander 1907)

Then, in January 1925, Punahou School bought the Honolulu Military Academy property – it had about 90-acres of land and a half-dozen buildings on the back side of Diamond Head.

It served as the “Punahou Farm” to carry on the school’s work and courses in agriculture. “We were picked up and taken to the Punahou Farm School, which was also the boarding school for boys. The girls boarded at Castle Hall on campus.” (Kneubuhl, Punahou) The farm school was in Kaimukī between 18th and 22nd Avenues.

In addition to offices and living quarters, the Farm School supplied Punahou with most of its food supplies. The compound included a big pasture for milk cows, a large vegetable garden, pigs, chickens, beehives, and sorghum and alfalfa fields that provided feed for the cows. Hired hands who tended the farm pasteurized the milk in a small dairy, bottled the honey and crated the eggs. (Kneubuhl, Punahou)

The Punahou dairy herd was cared for by the students as part of their course of studies – the boys boarded there. However, disciplinary troubles, enrollment concerns (not enough boys signing up for agricultural classes) and financial deficits led to its closure in 1929.

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