Omaha daily bee., 1912-09-15

A%u ihCHVb o. Stdlt anu Tue pdHdud tAee
will not grow with its feet in the water
In some other banana plantations the
land is so dry that irrigation Is needed,
but here the rainfall Is Just right. In
planning the plantations roads and rail-
roads were built, Farmhouses and homes
for the men were put up at every few
miles. and bIacksmith's shops, stores and
offices erected.
Altogether 1t takes about 5000 men to
work these plantations, and the conmun-
ity has to be housed, cared for and ruled
How the Labor Is Handled.
The most Of the men who work on this
banana estate are Jamaica negroes, who
were brought here for the purpose. They
live in little shacks scattered here and
there along the railroad and they go out
from Them to their labor. The officials
and foreman are whites. and the responi-
ihle parts Of the work are done by
Americans sent here from the United
States. These men are the best of their
kind and they receive excellent wages.
The negroes are paid about the same
that the Janlaeians receive on the Pan
anna canal. and their labor is about as
efficient.
A great deal of work is done by the
piece. and the man gets SO much for
clearing, 50 much for planting and clean
ing and so much for picking the fruit
AS 1t is now, 1t costs about $40 per acre
to clear the land, and the managers can
tell you just how much every plant costs
They have cost sheets like those Of d
great factory and can tell to the tenth
OF cent the outlay spent on each bunch
of bsnapas and where every cent goes
1t is only by such methods that bananas
can be sold at the prices they bring In
the states and still give a profit. The
whole business is on the petty economies,
which in the aggregate mean a saving
of hundreds Of thousands Of dollars.
Not a WhittIine! Business.
As ] walked through the fields and
watched the great green punches being
cut by the hundreds and carried off to
the cars ! asked one of the forenen IL
there would not be big money for an
American to come here and start a rival
fruit trust, and whether a man with
small amount Of money could not en-
gage in the business at profit. He re-
piled:
1t might seem so ii you did not know
the facts, The truth is this is no whit
Ting business. You have got to have
big capital, and enough to take care
Of all kinds Of accidents. Sometimes a
disease will wipe out a plantation, and
again a storm blows UP and we lose the
whole crop. Just a few months ago we
had hurricane here which destroyed
$4,000 punches of bananas in the space of
five minutes. That happens every nov
and then, and If the property was that
OF small farmer 1t would mean total
ruin. A big concern like this can stand
II on account OF the profit 1t receives
from its other plantations. AS It Is now,
there are many small plantations, but
they sell their bananas to US. We pay
them 2S cents a bunch, and at that they
can do very we'll Nevertheless the total
P'ou1St Va 5uSi Hioh opout more IL only
2,Coo bunches week. which is a bagateile
in comparison with the 10000 punches we
ship during that time. As to a rival
trust that might succeed. but it needs
good lands and a fleet of ships, and also
good marketing facilities in the United
States"
Our Big Banana Business.
One hundred thousand punches a week.
The men utter these words as though
they meant nothing. Nevertheless, they
were astounding to me. Have you any
idea what 10000 punches a weak means?
II means 5,2oooo0 punches Of bananas a
year, for the banana business goes on all
the year through. A single bunch con-
tains $50 bananas and from this place