The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-08-18
FRUIT BOYCOTT
STRONGLY DENIED

gust l has the following:
"HAWAIIAN SHIPPERS NEEDLESS
LY EXCITED.
Recently California Fruit Grower
received from the Hawaiian Promotion
Committee, Honolulu marked copies Of
the Pacific Commercial Advertiser,
published at Honolulu. One Of these
called attention to scare mead news
article, asking in large capitalse us
California Hostile to Our Pineapples,
and a second copy of the paper has
a double-leaded editorial discretion on
The Fumigation Conspiracy as the
editor calls it, written on the strength
of the pineapple story. Both articles
are full of inexcusab1e errors, and
false statements which might easily
have been verified, and as they were
printed are bordering on the ridicu-
lous. However, Hawaiians evidently
are taking the matter seriously and
as is possible that some others un-in-
formed in regard to the real conditions
might be prone to do likewise, so we
are taking occasion to call attention
to the errors made in the articles re-
| ferred to.
1.-The foundation for the whole mat
ter was in the fact that the California
State commissioner of horticulture in
commendable zeal to prevent the in
PRODUCTION of fruit pests of any kind
into this State and in obedience to the
law on the matter, through his quar-
antine deputy at San Francisco, refus-
ed to release at that port a consign-
ment of pineapples which had been
insufficiently fumigated at point OF
shipment, and were found to contain
living pests. With this small germ
of fact some reporter probably anxious
to make a name for himself evolved
nearly column and a half story in
which it was stated that the Califor-
mia board of horticulture is acting in
a high handed and unjust manner, and
that The plan of fumigating pineap-
pies before shipping them to San
Francisco, instead of having them flu
migated after their arrival there, is
not working out as satisfactorily to
the pineapple growers as was expect
ed, that pineapples found in
| effectively fumigated on their arrival
at San Francisco, are to be rejected,
and not to be fumigated by the board
of horticulture, nor to be allowed to
be fumigated there by agents Of the
| shippers, are to be &.
turned back to the transportation COM
pany to be re-shipped to Honolulu.
. Within the past few months
there has been a complete reversal Of
policy in a number of respects in the
There have been indications,
| too, of a policy of active hostility to
| fresh fruits from other countries. The
bananas from Central America have
been antagonized in various ways on
the theory, APPARENTLY, that being a
fresh fruit, they come into injurious
competition with the fresh fruits OF
California. The suggestion has been
made that perhaps the same spirit is
at work against the pineapples of Ha-
wall, as being fresh fruit that inter-
feres with the fresh fruit products OF
California
Without, it is plainly evident, TAX
ing pains TO ascertain how much truth
there might be in the statements in
the news article in his editorial the
editor asks: Are we not justified in
calling this a conspiracy to smut out
Hawaiian fresh fruit?' and suggests
that it is time for patriotic merchants
and planters of these islands to con-
slider whether the millions which are
annually spent by them in the San
Francisco market for natural and ma
nufactured products, cannot be diver
ted, in large part, 20 the markets of
the Northwest
Now for the facts of the matter
in reference to fumigation of pineap-
pies from Hawaii. The following rul-
ing was passed by the quarantine de-
partment fthis State and sent to all
steamship companies and growers in
the Hawaiian Islands:
'"After June 1, 1908, all shipments
of pineapples from the Hawaiian ISL
ands destined for California consump-
ton and which are infested with
Meaiy bugs (Pseudococcus species) and
Scale Insects (Diaspis bromeliae) must
be fumigated with hydrocyanic acid
gas or some other effective means must
be employed to destroy the pests be-