The sun., 1909-06-30
BLUEFlELDS TROUBLE ACUTE

FRUIT CONVEYANCE MONOPOLY
REVIVED ny A TRICK.
-v--
United Fruit Co, Sspds Vessel TO the re-
lief Of tho Bluef,eids steawship People
Fake Competition TO Crowd Out the
Reai-A Brief Spell Of Prosperity
BLuEYIELps. June 2o.-The outlook FOR
q settlement OF the difference existing
between the BlueHelds Steamship Conf
pany and tho independent planters along
the Esoondido or pluehelds River soems
to DO more remote than ever. The steam-
ship company which operates between
New Orleans snd Eioarasusu ports en-
joys . monopoly conoession granted BY
the Nloaraguan Government for the navi-
CATION OF the Blueaelds River and It's
tributaries. The company IL compelled,
however, to load vessels Of an opposition
or competitive line every ten days. pro-
vided deposit covering the amount OF
tho charge for loading an average cargo
OF bananas is frat deposited With the
company The minimum charge paade
ny the Bluehelds Steamship Company
for this loading Is eight oonts United
States currency a bunch. The part that
the United Fruit Company plays In this
affair Is not known, but the big corpora
ton owns 81 per cont Of the stock Of both
companies.
Bananas are. grown very extensively
along the banks Of the Escondido River.
the'nearest plantations to Bluefelds boing
distant about twenty miles. These lower
plantations are for the greater part owned
by tho Bluefields Steamship Company. or
their owners have contracts with the
company. which amounts to the same
thing. as 1t nullihes the changes for a COM
peting line to secure fruit from the most
convenient farms. When you take into
consideration the fact that the Blusfelds
Steamship Company owns and operates
the only tugs and barges in the country
the disadvantages under which a competi-
tor must labor are apparent.
A few weeks ago a steamer under
charter to tho Lalla -Ferreras- Cangelosi
Company Of New Orleans called at Blue
fields and carried to New Orleans a very
cargo OF about II 200 stems.
The new vessel arrived IN BlueAelds
supplied with cash sufficient 10 pay for
its entire cargo on. tho river banks. an
action which benefited tho planters indi-
and the town generally, ~ II
temporarily relieved the tsnsenen Of the
situation. A return OF this vessel was
eagerly looked forward to, for 1t seemed
to presage another era OF prosperity for
Blu .fields. q condition not enjoyed since
the granting Of the banana concession
in 1904.
A cablegram was received from New
Orleans by the representa- tivs OF the
opposition line during the last week
which conveyed tho belief that the Blue
felds Steamship Company had resorted
the Hubbard -aemuIray Company, a New
Orleans banana company said TO be
to the United Fruit Com.
pany. which owns 81 per oent. Of the
Bluefeids Steamship Company. The be-
lisf 10 that the BlusAelds Steamship
Company has formed an odensive and
defensive alliance with tho Hubbard
iasssrs ships o 70 BIa:a.ids In S he suiss s
Of a competitor so that the plantos must
directly or indirectly soil TO them or allow
their fruit 70 rot on their plantatioua.
Whether this 10 absolutely the fact
is not known. but certainly there In reason
TO believe that It - . correct view OF
the situation. That the Lalla- Ferreras-
ship TO Blusfelds is nrobabie for the
reason that the Offer to deposit Ito guar
antee was refused by the Blue6sids
Company. which alleged that
i had completed arrangements with the
Hubbard 4 Zemurray Company before
The of1er was made.
Ncxt the steamship A9nella. under
charter TO the Hubbard -Zsmurray COM
pany. arrived in Bluehslds early this
ostensibly with the purpose OF
with the Bluehelds StsaInship |
COMPANY In picking up fruit from the |
River and its tributaries. |
Now Il 10 assumed that pretended |
weasel Of the Hubbard |
company will have its steamers |
mere regularly to load out at the ten day |
The company, II this view Is correct, |
will secure the fruit now held from its |
own vessels by the planters on the para |
mount issae OF the strike by foisting on !
hem q pretended competitive ship which |
s really its own.
Should this assertion be true, Blue
ields will be a great sufferer. for II 10
probable that the bogus opposition line |
will continue TO run Ia here Tor no other
reason than TO preclude the possibility
)f the striking planters finding an tnde-
pendent carrier for their fruit. which
hey have refused to give TO the Blue
fields Steamship Company Or any Of lts
1ranches. 1t IL accepted by every ono
hat the feeling against the company 10
of such intensity that the strikefs will
lot at this time have anything further
o do with the BIuefields Steamship
company and naturally with mono OF its
riends or business associates.
The benefits which have accrued to
3luefelds and to the merchants and
planters up river from composition were
eadily seen when tho river boat Hendy
anded in Blusflelds last Thursday and
ack after sack Of solAs was carried
nto the local stores. Opposition ships
lad produced this gratifying change for
he better. II the report which 10 being
Expressed everywhere Is true, then Blue
ields will reassume her mantle Of lethArKy
nd stagnation, which was hardly Oh
ong enough to shake the wrinkles out.
BY an easy process OF elimination the
factor remains, the granting
4 the concession. In securing the con-
ession the Bluefelds Steamship Company
lid not commit 30 great a fault as did the
government when II granted q monopoly I
o unfair and detrimental TO every in
crest on this coast. This 10 where the
'lams properly lies, and II is quite safe
o point toward Managus and say -Zelaya,
hou art the mani without fear OF accusing
ny one wrongfully.