The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-11-29
SCHEME WOULD
HELP HILO GROW
II Plan Of United Fruit Company
Goes Through II viii Mean
Much to Hawaii.
AEON Monday 8 Advertiser. }


al believe that the development of
the banana industry as proposed by
Captain Clark, the representative of the
United Fruit Company who was in Hilo
last week, is one of the most important
matters which could possibly be i'm.
agined," said L. A. Thnrston, in an in.
terview in Hilo last week. ''The ex.
tent to which this matter will be car.
ried and the enormous amount of money
which it viii bring to Hilo, if the plans
go through, are far greater than the or
binary individual has any idea.
"while Captain Clark did not stat,
any definite price to me during his con
versation, understand that he men
toned the fact to Others here that
better price would be expected her
than in the West Indies and that tn
figure might approximate 40 cents pc
bunch. This would be cash, paid on de
livery at the wharf and there woul
be no red ink returns from San Fran
cisco to look forward to, as there hav
been before in this trade.
Captain Clark 'se proposition is t
start at once making contracts wit
all those who are interested in tn
business and to begin shipping anime
diately by the local steamers, provide
that the business shows that it can b
built up to the degree desired. BY thi
he means that the United Fruit Com
pany does not want TO ship by othe
than their own steamers any longe
than necessary and they are willing t
go into the business provided that tn
prospect will warrant the belief that i
two years time they will be able to pu
on steamer of their own, of 5000 ton
register, which is about the size of tn
Hilonian. For this they want 5000
banches of bananas every twenty day
If the supply here will keep up aftt
that they want to put on a secon
steamer of their own, which will hand
the same amount of the fruit and mea
steamer every ten days.
In Passenger Trade.
81 asked Captain Clark about til
steamer having accommodations f.
passengers and he stated that til
steamers which they had and wishe
to use for this work had accommodi
ton for 10 passengers and that the
expected to go into that business ais
He stated that the company had tw
steamers which had been taken off IL
run from Jamaica to New York whe
five new vessels had been put on al
that they were anxious to develop Il
banana trade between Hawaii and Il
Coast to such an extent that they cou
use both of these vessels here.
SIN speaking further on the san
line he made an important stateme'
in saying that he did not wish to ha'
fruit shipped by other than their ov
vessels any longer than it could
helped on account of the fact that SUI
fruit would have to be wrapped, viii
with their own vessel, no wrappil
would be needed. AS the covering u.s.
on bananas and the labor needed f
this work, amounts to a good deal,
may be seen that this is somethil
strongly in favor of the grower.
Big Thing for Hilo.
"To see what this means to Hi
if the matter is taken up and push,
ahead, one must do little figuring.
the rate of 10000 punches of banan
every ten days, at 40 cents per bunc
there would be $4,000 paid out in til
city every ten days for the fruit aloT
This would amount to practically $50
900 per year and would be distribut
among the people, who would spel
every cent of it here. In addition
this the money which would be broug
here by the fact of a passenger stea
err arriving from the Coast every t
days, bringing in tourists by the hu
dred, would be the greatest possit
thing for Hilo.
"The plan as / understand it, won
be to make Los Angeles the distribl
ing point on the Coast and Capita
2 Clark told me that the company wor
be willing to make three stops in t
Islands to pick up bananas, probat
D in Honolulu, certainly at Hilo, and p,
sibly at either Kona or Maui pc
2 The matter is certainly one of t
greatest Importance and the fact tn
the United Fruit Company is willing
t make contracts Immediately should
t considered seriously by anyone W
r has an opportunity to go into this Ii
either on large or small scale. -