Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-02-10
Fight IS MADE
. ON PINEAPPLE
TARIFF

A hard fight is being made on the
pineapple tariff. according to recent
reports from Washington. The Star
Bulletin recently published the state
ment on behalf of the tariff made be-
fore the house ways and means COM
mittee by A. w. Eames, of this is
land. On January goth the opponents
CT the present tariff had their innings,
one of them advocating a rate Of
twenty per cent A dispatch from
Washington brings the following news
of this and the he&>ng on rice:
r. Tyner Smith, representing ]. S.
Johnson Company, Of New York, open
ed the hearing by petitioning for re-
duction in the duty on pineapples. He
desired rate of 20 per cent. In the
course of his remarks Mr.. Smith said:
Hawaiian Industry League,
I'm 1904 pineapple canning bust
ness started in the Hawaiian Islands,
and the natural advantages there for
the business were so great that from
10000 cases in 1904 the production
grew to over 100000 cases in 1909,
and have now reached over 1,01O,000
In 1912. Notwithstanding the phe-
Domenal success of their business, the
Hawaiian interests represented to the
Payne ways and means committee
that their business was an infant one
and needed protection for it's de-
ve!opment, thus inducing the commit
tee to amend the rates so that pine
apples to which any sugar was added
should pay IS per cent and ! cent
per pound specific The effect has
been that the Hawaiian packers have
nearly secured, and will soon entirely
secure, practical monopoly Of this
variety CT goods. Our own trade has
been largely decreased, and such
small quantity as We continue to pro
duce in the Bahama Islands are mark.
eted at about cost CIR below it, and
simply for the purpose of keeping our
brand in memory of tie trade, hoping
that the tariff rate which has robbed
US of our business will sooner or later
be amended.
According to the best information
We can secure the Hawaiian packers
have no great an advantage in the
wonderful adapta bility CT these islands
do not really need tariff protection
Whatever as against US, and the only
concern of your committee is to fix a
rate which will permit these goods
to continue to be a source of some
revenue"
Rice.
Representative Broussard, of LOU
:siana, took the stand to introduce the
representatives of the rice growers.
w. B. Dunlap, of Beaumont, Tex, pres
ident Of the Southern Rice Growers
Association, explained to the commit.
tee that his association is composed
of 1885 members in Louisiana, 1929
in Texas and 404 in Arkansas. He
said that at regular meeting of this
association S. L. Breaux. of New or.
leans, had been appointed to make the
argument before Congress.
Mr. BreauX said:
In 1912 the yield of rice was 81
bushels, and the average price 931b
cents per bushel, which means s31.79|
Per acre gross to the farmer. Deduct.
ing the average cost, $2945, it leaves
the margin Of profit reduced to min
imum, and if We take the average
bushel price to the farmer of the past
four years, 50 cents. it eliminates any
profit. so that i, is fair to say that the
present basis of price must maintain
FOR the industry to prosper. The
total acreage divided by the number
of farmers given indicates an average
Of about 40 acres cultivated to the
farmers, Of whom 90 per cent are
white
Rice Growers Ask for Protection.
The continuation OF the present