The Saint Paul globe., 1902-01-25
BANANAS ARE
HARD TO BUY
COMMISSION MEN TIRED OF LOSING
ON TRUST AND RE-
TAILERS
PRICE GOES TO 81 A BUNCH
Wholesale Dealers Have Refused to
Buy Any More SuppIies-De-
mand Is Brisk and Fam
inc Imminent

The Twin Cities are now confronted
with a banana famine of large propor-
tons, and those who have them can get
almost any price they see TIT to ask.
Commission men estimate that there are
not twenty-five punches of bananas in the
two towns, and this condition Of affairs
will not be relieved for a week. Bananas
yesterday were quoted at $3.50 and $4 a
bunch, and there were none to be had
at that price.
The ordinary price of bananas at TINS
season of the year is from 81 to $2.25 a
bunch, and the commission men admit
that they are not worth the price now
asked, except that they cannot be had
at any price. The winter banana con-
sumption in St. Paul and Minneapolis
usually averages about five car loads a
week.
The reason for this lack of the sue
culent banan lies back with the banana
trust which controls the sale of all the
fruit of this character in the country
The trust has an option on the entire
yield of ali the large banana plantations
in South and Central America, and they
own their own steamship lines which lay
them down in New Orleans. The bananas
cost the trust about 5 cents a punch on
board their boats, and they are able to
charge whatever they see fit.
The bananas are taken out about 100
miles from New Orleans and are kept
there waiting for orders. Most of the
time they remain there a week, and when
they arrive in he Twin Cities they are
in very poor condition. The grocerym IN
and retail fruit dealers refuse to pay a
price that will give the commission man
any profit over the price charged by the
trust, and the result IS that the commits
sion man is the loser.
This was the general CT fa Of ;vc .
week ago. When the cars of bananas ar
rived they were black, and the retail
dealers refused to take them at the price
asked. The banana trust has a rule that
II commission man refuses to accent
consignment he is in the future barred.
and cannot get the fruit at any price. SO
that he is forced to accept the carload.
no matter what their condition is and to
pay the price asked without any rebate
Last week the commission men claim
they all lost money on their banana spec-
ulations, so they did not order anv for
this week. In each wholesale store room
there were a few poor bananas, and as
soon as the retail dealers found that
there were no bananas to be had. the
price took jump skyward.
Up to the Retail Men.
The scarcity is merely local, as the
fruit is selling at the usual price in Chi
cago and other large cities. The demand
for bananas in the commission houses Of
the Twin Cities is very insistent. and the
commission men are beginning to feel that
the retail dealers will be willing to take
their share of the trusts drastic meas
ures in the future. The commission men
claim they are getting tired Of receiving
the worst of the bargain from both ends.
and their failure to order any cars last
week has shown the retail dealers where
they stand.
There is but one carload of bananas
billed out from New Orleans for the 1,1.in
Cities UP to date, and this one will NOT
arrive here before Wednesday at the
latest and it is expected that the price
will be lowered by it's arrival.
prominent commission man speal1ine o
to Gl b e yesterday, said:
Bananas are selling at 81 bunch now,
and that is the highest 1 have known for
twelve or fifteen years. 1t is all a ques-
Continued On Fifth Pare