The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-11-29
IMPORTING OF FRUITS
 AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY

grocery stores. The cheapened banana has found its way not only to the rail- road towns and cities but even to the little rural towns that have to be reached by express or mail.
 The United Fruit Company has done more to cheapen the banana than any single thing, person ot corporation. The United Fruit Company has been called the Standard Oil Company of the fruit trade. It Is described as being as pre-eminent in the fruit business as is the Standard oil Company in the oil business. It is its supremacy in the fruit business which fits 1t for com parison with the Standard Oil Com- pany and not Its methods of dealing with competition. So far as Is known the big fruit concern has never been charged with throttling competition by unfair means or with any other form of business brigandage.
 On the other hand the United Fruit Company has cheapened the handling and the growing of the banana. so that it may be placed side by side and sold in the country groceries with the cove oyster.
 The swift. certain ways of American business have been introduced in the indolent lethargic countries of Central America. so that a big banana planta- talon is run with the same care. thoroughness and industry as an Amer ican factory or department store.
 The company has investments way up in the millions, just how much the enormous total will foot up has not made up. The company has wharves. piers, dock and once forces at Boston, New York, Galveston, New Orleans. Mobile and Savannah. Between each of these ports and the Central Ameri- can ports constant stream of steam vessels is going and coming. In Mobile during the last fiscal year the United Fruit Company handled 260 fruit cargoes. These cargoes represented in round figures a value of $2,00O.000.
 The vessels which brought these cargoes into port were the Belvernon, Mount Vernon, Taunton. Manogua, Colombia. Harold, Hispania. George Du- Mois. These vessels in the main ply the Norwegian flag only a few of them crarying the British colors. They ply between Mobile and the Central Ameri- can ports in Costa Rica, Colombia, Spanish and British America and the new republic of Panama.
 They are handsome vessels. One would think from their shining white and glistening brass and mahogany finish that they were built exclusively for the passenger trade.
 These fruiters have a carrying capa- city of between 14,000 and 24,000 punches of bananas. In late years fruit carrying vessels larger and larger. The largest fruiter which comes into the port of Mobile carries 24,0O0 punches of bananas.
 The head of the big fruit concern is Marion Keith of Boston. many times q millionaire. The company's head quarters are in Boston. W. ]. Mont- gomery Is local manager of the com pany's business at Mobile. The com pany receives in Mobile on an average of four and five cargoes of fruit a week.
 Central America" said Charles Cherry, n Mobile newspaper man, who was for many months an employe of the big company at Port Limon. is practi- cally owned by the United Fruit Com- pany. It Is the largest business in- terest in the countries south of Mexico and along the Isthmus. The wide ex- tensive plantations of the company are everywhere in that section. The com pany has wharves. barges tugs, rail- roads. locomotives and cars. Railroad trains are sent out from Port Limon, Bocas del Toro, Balize and other coast tOWIS, lOI d stay SOmGtlTneS or TWO and three days. among the banana planta- tinos. Here the open cars are piled high with the gathered friuts to be brought to the coast"
 On the wharves at the port towns the punches are piled much as wood Is piled in this country waiting transpo- tatfon. There they wait to bs trans fered to the hold of the vessels. Oth- CT cargoes are brought from smaller towns on barges, pulled by pufing steam tugs.
 The superintendents of the big plan tations. the wharf business, the rail- road transportation is done by Ameri- cans. although their are some English men in responsible positions. Much of the labor is done by natives, but for some of the heavy work, many Jamaica negroes hava been impor- ted.
 There is a popular. but erronous idea that bananas are gathered by the bunch, that the banana gatherer goes along under the trees and cuts the punches down with a knife. On the other hand when the bananas are to be gathered the entire tree is cut down close to the ground. The bun ches are then gathered from the fal- len trees"
 You will note that there is a sup- ply of bananas all the year around. This is especially provided for. The big banana plantations are so arrang- ed that a portion of the trees are bear ing at every season of the year. This is made possible by the ever hot tenn perature of the tropics throughout the entire year.
 There are other fruit importing firms doing business in Mobile in ad- dition to the big concern. Other firms which bring fruit into Alabama are the Orr-Lowbenhcitrer company. Cefalu Brothers, and ramors Mcconnell and Company These firms on a smaller scale do the same sort of business as the United Fruit Company. Nor are bannas the only sort of fruit imported. Bananas are, however. the biggest part ot Mobiles fruit business. Some of the most valuable fruit car goes that come into Mobile. come in. in the shape of cocoa-nuts. Pineapples are also largely imported and many plantains, a coarser form of the ba. mana are brought in.
 It is not to be considered that all of Mobiles fruit business is done with Central American ports. Vessels carry ins fruit to Mobile sail from Cuban, Jamaican and sea coast towns of oth- CT of the island of the West Indies. And these vessels returning, do not go empty. They carry lumber, rails, general merchandise and what not to supply the demands of the tropical countries
 All of which contributes to Mobiles prosperity, and less 1t be overlooked to Alabama's prosperity.
 
 Five women at Washington, D. C., .,t4N INa vfysur ofA