HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0258.012 1996-1998 ~
pRECEIVED
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Date--';--- ~.~rl~..Z
unfy Council
Councilman John Ray
County Building, Hilo, Hawaii July 12, 1997
Dear John,
Just a note to tell you Gene and I are against Oji's
grandiose plan to plant/harvest eucalyptus forests on Hamakua
coastland.
John, the towns here are tryiing like mad to keep "the quiet
and charm" of Hig Island towns, and the prospect of some day
having fourteen 25-ton trucks (Oji's estimate NOW...) going from
the tree plantation to Kawaihae once the logging starts and the
chipping on-site starts, DAILY, all yearlong, is unthinkable,
don't you think? That's not the kind of Hawaii
to leave our kids and grandkids. And will they be joining
other logging trucks on their daily runs, too?
Also, I envision Chefs from the Kohala Resort Hotels and
other aware chefs ordering produce DAILY from "The Salad Bowl"
(the Hamakua Farmers Co-Op, that is...). Diversified farming, of
needed, desirable crops which could be planted-to-order, would
put the land to logical, good use for many more "soil-oriented"
workers than Oji can hire. A lot of them are learning scientific
farming right now in order to be more successful and competitive
when they can lease the land there.
Now there's an inheritance to proudly hand down. True, we
can't stop progress, but independent farmers doing modern
diversified farming on former sugar lands IS PROGRESSIVE in
anyone's book. From grassy sugar cane to baby won bok and red
peppers is the way to go:
Anyway, the ratios of projected income (are these first
estimated figures higher than the later actual figures will be?)
from Oji and the projected number of plantation workers (will
that number diminish as the planned machine-planting, etc., is ZS~.~
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implemented to the values and principles contained in "The
Salad Bowl" project just don't seem right nor fair nor
well-thought-out.
Can I throw a little sweet corn (no pun intended) into this
note to point out that there are hearts and souls we're talking
about, too.....
Thanks for reading this, John. I send you and Denise my
warmest aloha,
~~L~ U
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Connie ErgerJ and Gene