The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-01-23
BIC MONEY
IN BANANAS
Some Figures Showing
Relative Profits Of
Various Crops.

! A corporation engaged in the banana
| business in Honduras, as far by sea
from the United States as Hawaii is
from the mainland, has sent out a cir
| cular seeking to interest investors in
| its enterprise. Naturally, in a circular
| like that, there is little said of the
drawbacks of the business, neverthe-
less there is much in the circular that
might furnish food for thought to Ha-
waiians. What is done in Honduras
with success can without doubt be bet
ter done in this Territory, where the
climate is incomparabIy better. The
circular says:
Very few people, outside of the fruit
trade, realize how easily bananas are
grown and how large a profit they
yield. Not many years ago the banana
itself was almost unknown in the
United States. Three or four years ago
the banana was a rarity in Europe;
and even now, the consumption in Doth
countries is a trifie compared with
what it will be in a few years.
A small number of punches We're
shipped to Europe as an experiment in
1880 Their delicious taste was appre-
ciated, they were eagerly bought and
larger shipments were soon made. To-
day fleet of more than one hundred
and fifty steamers is engaged in car
rying bananas from Central America
to the United States and Europe, ard
recently refrigerator service has been
installed on the steamers, to insure
better fruit and avoid over-ripening in
transit
The following from a recent Issue of
the Newcastle (England) Chronicle,
shows consumption of bananas in Eu-
rope:
within the last few days there has
been such run in the markets upon
the banana that one firm OF importers
has been enabled to make a recorI IN
prices by selling Canary fruit at as
high a. twenty shillings (about $5.G?l a
bunch. Notwithstanding the increased
arrivals during recent years the de-
mand for best fruit still exceeds the
supply, and there is every prospect of
choice grades of Canary bananas, max
ing even 25s. (about 1929 ana SOS.
(about $3.50 a bunch. Such prices AS
rule to-day would have been consi1-
cred impossible by the most expert
enced dealers five years ago. 1d0anas
are surprising tomatoes in popui lcity.
Prices will not decline when the liz
ports are doubled and trebled. Fiftee
years ago we did not import 10000
punches from all sources. In 1900 the
arrivals were 1,2S7, 422 punches; in 1902
they had increased to 2,S04,700; in 1903
they were represented by 3,0S7,516
punches.
We now get quantities of bananas.
The planters export over 100000
lunches of these fruits a year. The
bulk of them, however, goes to the
United States. During the past week
over 10000 punches arrived at Man
chester. Bananas are very popular in
the Midland and Northern cities. That
is evident for the United Fruit Com
pany sent it's first cargo to Bristol in
1902, and it sold so wen that monthly
service was established, and this was
in 1903 by a fortnightIy ser
vice. Now that the new fleet of spe-
cial fruit ships are to ply between the
ports on the West of England and the
West Indies the banana supplies of the
present year may we'll be expected to
surpass all previous records. 1t looks
as if the total imports will by the close
Of the year amount to 6,000,0 900 punches,
exceeding the imports of fifteen years
ago by 100000 punches.
Shippers colonists, wholesd q r1er-
chants, retail fruiterers, and street
hawkers alike benefit through the de-
of the tropical import fruit
-rade. The business in which they are
engaged is one that tends to the gen.
eraI good of the community. Fruit eat
ng can hardly be INDUCED in too much.
To the miner and the factory operative
heap supplies of fresh fruit are un-
loubtedIy of the greatest Importance.
rhe retail fruiterer has done more than
my one to popularize the banana with
he million. We are paying between
20 900. 600 and ESQ 900, 900 yearly for
resh fruit imports. OF all the varied
Iainty fruits which reach our ports
zone surpass the banana from diet
tie standpoint. 1t is highly nutritious
nd in this respect has no competitor"
Aside from the foreign market, ii is
aid that sixty million punches year
re sold in America alone and yet this
is still in its infancy. The de-
1and increases with enormous rapid
v. but nowhere is the supply equal.
, the demand. 1t is a food productx
{ nearly every home, which is rapid y
? coming to be cIassed among necessi-
es. on account of it's great nutTitive
IaIities.
Bananas are the most profitable and
,e most easily raised of all crops.
Here are some statistics which show
10 profits on crops of bananas raised
Honduras compared with the profits
ON various crops raised in the United
ates:
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