The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-12-03
GROWING COTTON
IN THE PACIFIC
DR.. JULIUS D. DREHER TELLS
OF THE EFFORTS.
Other Interesting Matters-The Con,
sui at Tahiti is a Native of Lex
ington County.

ington County.
The State.
DR.. julius D. Dreher Of Selwood,
Lexington county, brother Of Super
intendent E. S. Dreher Of Columbia,
is now engaged upon his duties as
consul at Tahiti. in the Society Is
lands. The following extracts from
one of Dr.. Dreher's reports have
been published by the department. at
Washington and will be Of great in
terest generality: ..
1.-The growing Of long staple cot
ton was introduced into Tahiti,'' he
writes, "scon after the end Of the
Civil war in the United States, when
unusually hioh prices were paid for
cotton. Up TO 1885 the average quail
eitv prodHced here annually was l.
070.63l pounds, but from that year
until 1900 the average was reduced
to 355,3S pounds, and then for sew
eral years the production was al
most nothing. Owing to the advance
in the price Of cotton attention has
again been directed to the growing
Of this staple.
SIN 1905 the president Of the Pa
peete chamber Of commerce made an
experiment with sea island cotton
seed obtained from the United States
department of agriculture! On less
than three acres he produced 2,400
pounds Of lint cotton, which was sold
at a net profit Of 80 per cent, but
owing to his losses during the cyclone
in February, 1906, he has not been
able to grow cotton since 1905"
American Canned Beef.
On this subject, DR.. Dreher writes
as follows:
"Before the steamship line be-
tween Auckland, New Zealand, and
Tahiti was established, in 1885, con-
siderable quantities Of canned meats
were imported annually from the
United States ty The merchants Of
Papeete 20 supply the trade Of Tahiti
and contiguous islands. Since that
time, however, the quantity Of such
meat imported nas greatly decreased,
its place being taken by New Zea-
land products. Such meats as are
not packed in tin cans in New Zea-
land are imported from the United
States-dried Clipped beef, veal
loaf, lunch tongue, deviled ham, and
sliced bacon.
IA matter of no small import
ance is the difference in weight be-
tween american canned meats and
those from New Zealand, American
one-half to two-pound cans contain
ing less meat than similar New Zea-
land packages. The two to five pound
cans OF lard also show a considerab! :
net difference in favor Of the New
Zealand product. 1t should be men
toned that cans of meat and lard
from both New Zealand and the
United States bear no labels show
ing the weight. but the boxes in
which goods are shipped are mark
eL as containing So many cans OF
certain weights and the goods are
. billed to the importers accordingly.
No complaint prevails concerning
the weight Of American canned fruits
and vegetables, Of which large guam
titles are imported in Tahiti.
"'The merchants in 'Papeete are
,agreed on the foregoing facts. hence
st would seem necessary for Ameri-
can packers who wish TO increase
their business in the Society Islands
to increase the several sizes Of cans
used and also to improve the quality
of their meats, so as to compete on
equal terms with the New Zealand
packers. -
American Trade.
Under the general head Of "Amer-
lean Trade in the Paciie," DR.. Dre-
her reports:
'Of the total imports into the So
ciety Islands in 1906-S53O,O32-
the imports from the United States
amounted to s255, ,545; and of the
total exports during the same year
$717 ,;3'422--the exports to the United
States amounted to $3l6,S07. Al
though the trade with the United
States in 1906 was somewhat less
than in 1905, in both imports and
exports, IS per cent Of the total i'm