The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-06-20


X as much a menace to the main X
X land as it would if stricken with +
= the worst form of the black \
X plague.
X Justification exists now, If it X
i. ever did, for a call upon the X
* national government for assist r
X ance in stamping out the pest X
\ in its incipiency.
0#*** #** r #** go
''The Advertiser is certainly on the
right track in its advocacy of the axe
as means of fighting the fruit fly, -
said J. E. Higgins, hortieulturalist at
the federal experiment station, in talk
ing over the situation last night "But
L would say that instead OF the axe we
should use the saw, and instead of lay
ing it at the roots of the fruit trees, we
should apply it to the branches. In my
opinion, the only way possible to fight
the fruit fy is by war OF extermina-
ton, and the only way to exterminate
the pest now is TO eur of its chance to
breed, by pruning back all the fruit
trees of the island and having no fruit
for at least a year or two.
"Tbe situation is serious, more
serious than many suppose. We stand
TODAY a constant menace to the great
fruit industry of the whole United
States. with the millions and millions
involved.
Three Alternatives.
"There are three things we can do.
"a IL ,nHh
one of the three possibilities, but this
is really unworthy OF suggestion. Ger
tainly we could not sit down and meek
" surrender everything to the invader.
Sanitation and Inspection
"The second alternative is the one
which is being talked about the most,
that OF beginning an active campaign
to keep the fly in check through sani-
tation and inspection. We could en-
ploy a corps Of inspectors, pass rules
regarding the disposition of infected
fruit, keep a strict quarantine to pro-
teet the other Islands and fight the
pest in this way. But, in nv opinion,
this would be only going half way and
would not help. The work would never
end and would cost more than all our
fruit. under the conditions, would be
worth.
~ have the greatest confidence in
Mr.. Ehrhorn, and believe that any
quarantine established by him would
be as effective a quarantine as could
be possible, but if the fruit fiy was
able to get past the strict quarantine
we have had against Australia for
years, with only one ship month, how
much more probable IS it that IL would
eli - h.
boats sailing every other day, with
sampans and sailing vessels going in
and ont of the harbor and with scores
of places TO be watched on every Is
landf Sooner or later the pest would
appear IN the other Islands and the
whole Territory would become a breed
ing ground for the flies.
Industry Gone.
''In the second place, unless the flies
be exterminated, the fruit industry of
Oahu Is gone. California. wheh IS our
only market, Is never gong TO relax its
quarantine against aay community in
which the fruit nv Is only held in cheek.
Already our citrus crop Is ruined, our
peaches are wiped out, our mangOes are
attacked our peppers are gone No one
now viii ever attempt to 90 INTO fruit
while msnaeed by the pest and without
a market 10 ship to.
Again, the day a pineapple arrives
in San Francisco, bruised, from which
an inspector squeezes 3 magg0t-
whether that maggOt be of fruit Nv
or not-that day goes into force a
quarantine against our pineapples
There is no assurance that California
viii take chances with orr bananas for
any length Of time. No one ean blame
Californians for refusing 70 take the
slightest chance They have miIIioni
al stake The same with the apple uel
Of Washington and Oregon Thsy are
menaeed and would Be Tuined If the
fruit hy once appeared II the fy ever
reached The zninla1s r u1ull travel
from California 70 Naiss sni there
would be ~ nay % step :. ssy uorl
than q has BEEN possible 70 sep 4 10
AuEtfalE
III the a. ever Ee1E "a Hawaii j saE
never - eradieatad TheFe are aiiss
Of glasas On he Big Island bsyanl
reaeh, HhsTs sac a. foul1 breed izls1
nitsly.
EEtaEziEIta a. PaL
Iht thiFl ~ = fgls a. A., ali