The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-12-30


PRESENT LAW.
During the period when the Hawai-
ian pineapple indutrsy was chiefly
built up the Treasury Department pro-
perly construed the last clause of para
graph 263 or the Dingley Act, Pine
apples in their own Juice" to include
only canned pineappes to which no
sugar had been added (see Treasury
Decisions 1925, 13767, 23207 247S1,
Z449l and 25577)
! Recent court decisions have prac-
tically held that all canned pineapples
may be entered at the ower rates IT.
respective of the quantity of sugar add
ed; canned pineapp,es containing 80
per cent of sugar have been held duti-
able as preserved in their own juice.
In order to correct what the customs
appraisers agree is a misconstruction OF
the present law, we ask that in the last
c ause of paragraph 263, after pine
apples preserved in their own juice
you add the words, without sugar or
spirits added thereo."
In canning pineapp es sugar is added
to the extent of from to a. per cent.
In Hawaii 81 per cent of the pack con
tains added sugar and only 8 per cent
is actually preserved in its own juice.
There is no sound reason why canned
pineapples containing added sugar
should not pay the same tariff rate as
other canned fruits similarly packed.
While the Hawaiian pineapple grow
ers do not strenuously object to the
special rate of % per cent ad valOrem
for canned pineapples when contained
in their own juice alone, we do say that
the special rate under present court
decisions, would greatly threaten the
entire industry. The last clause of
paragraph 263 should either be amend
ed as above or else be eliminated
COST OF LABOR.
In the Hawaiian pineapple industry
the average wage for a ten-hour day
is SO cents the average labor cost in
competing tropical countries is from
one-ffth to two-fifths of that sum.
COST OF TRANSPORTATION TO
MARKET.
The average cost of marketing Ha-
waiian pineapples is found to be 5S
cents per case, or, say, S14. so per ton.
Under the existing laws these products
must be carried in American vessels.
1t will be found that the difference be-
tween the cost of marketing the West
Indian pines and Hawaiian pines will
represent a large proportion of the
present duty.
FRESH PINEAPPLES.
Paragraph 26S of the Dingley Act
provides a duty of Z cents per cubic
, foot on pineapples in packages and 81
per thousand in bulk The rate per
? cubic foot was supposed to be the equi-
valent of the bulk rate; in practice it
has proven to be one-third less than
I the bulk rate. The result is that near
p, ly all the fresh pineapples imported
come in packages, and pay only no
2 minal duty or about mills each.
7 Nearly 100000 crates of pineapples
: were imported from Cuba alone this
past year. The cost per ton of produc-
ing fresh pineapples in Hawaii is a
! little more than double the cost in
Cuba and the West Indies; the cost in
q Florida is three times that of the for
l eign producer.
D These fresh pineapples from Cuba
and the West Indies, coming in under
\ the present insufficient duties, not only
= crowd out the fresh fruit from Floridf
= and Hawaii, but also will tend to drive
4 out the canned pineapple of domestic
- origin. In other words, the insufficient
\ duty on the fresh fruit will make in
f effective the higher duty on canned
= pineapple.
/, With reasonable protection, Hawai-
y and Florida can supply the United
n States with fresh pineapples OF a quail
= ity admittedly superior to the imported
fruit.
/ For the above reasons we ask tina
the duty on fresh pineapples be in
. creased to S15 per thousand. AS tn
II number of pineapples in each crate il
I, stamped on the outside, there is NJ
5 reason why they should not all b.
t, entered at the bulk rate. Even a
t these rates, pineapples will have mucl
e less protection than the citrus ant
n deciduous fruits.
) QUALITY OF THE FRUIT.
IS Hawaiian pineapples are admittedl
Il suDerior to any of the imported fruit
either fresh or canned.
e For this reason we have not aske
II a rate of duty that fully covers tn
n difference in cost of production.
d But without a reasonably protectiv
Is schedule the inferior imported frui
lie will destroy the market for the su
Of perior domestic pineapples, both fires
)e and canned.
A N moi