The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1912-07-12
BANANA WAR ON
IN COSTA RIGA
Rival Fruit Companies Steal and
Destroy Each Others Crops
Government Busy.

NEW YORK, June 30.-with the ar
rival yesterday of the Prinz Joachim,
of the Hamburg American Atlas Ser
vice, there came to New York the first
cargo Of bananas which has come out
of Port Limon, Costa Rica, in ten years
consigned TO other than the United
Fruit Company. While the destination
of cargo of bananas is not in itself
important, the arrival of this lot
brought with it an echo of the banana
war which is being waged in Costa
Rica. On board the Prinz Joachim was
copy of an extra edition of the Port
Limon Times, which contained an ac-
count of the destruction of bananas by
rowing bands of negroes.
The trouble in Costa Rica arose from
the entrance into the field of new
fruit company, the Atlantic Fruit Com
pany, which has as its president Joseph
Di Giorgio. When the Atlantic Fruit
Company first went into Costa Rica, in
1911, Mr.. Di Giorgio bought large
banana plantation from Undo Brothers
4 Co., who were under contract to
deliver all fruit grown to the company
then controlling the market.
Mr.. Di Giorgi refused to sell his fruit
to this company and the litigation
which followed was stopped only when
the Lindo Brothers bought back their
plantation. As soon as this move was
made Mr.. Di Giorgi, according TO his
statement, offered to buy bananas from
all the small planters and the natives.
This move met with a decided check
and the situation became acute. The
/ Northern Railroad, which runs through
the heart of the plantation country and
hauls practically every banana grown
4 to Port Limon, has sided with one
/ company and the Atlantic Fruit Com
pany is having its troubles. When it
found that its consignments of bananas
were sidetracked and, it is asserted, left
to spoil, automobiles took the place of
ears, but this did not stop alleged at
| tempts to destroy the fruit.
In the extra of the Port Limon
Times is cited an instance of two hun
dred stems of bananas which had been
placed near the railroad tracks and
which were spirited away in the night
and identified ON the rival company Is
piers the next day. The Atlantic Fruit
Company then took the precaution of
not piling the punches within the fifty
foot right of way of the railroad
Guards we're placed beside each pile
as if was made up from the deliveries
of the small planters.
At Squirres five white men and six
negroes attacked the guard of large
pile of bananas, drove them off and
with machetes hacked and cut every
bunch. At Sixteen Miles Alfredo
Volio, a native planter, reported to the
Times that he had seen five white men
armed with rifles and revolvers. Al
Puita, way station, $50 stems were
cut to pieces.
The government is taking active
measures to stop this destruction, and
the Governor of the province has is
sued orders that arrests shall be made
as soon as any one can swear to the
identity of the marauders. The Allan
tic Fruit Company is Offering fifty-fvc
cents bunch for bananas and the
small growers are carrying them to the
company IS pier in wagons on horse
back and any other way that they can
The bananas which arrived on boart
the Prinz Joachim will be taken to the
markets where the small dealers trade
and sold direct to them.