Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-02-10
:.|I|l! / IS 5 MADE NJ D
PINEAPPLE
TARIFF

A hard fight is being made on the
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. Games, of this is
land. On January Goth the opponents
Of the present tariff had their innings,
one OF them advocating a rate Of
twenty per cent. A dispatch from
Washington brings tho. following news
of this and the hea <.lg on rice:
R. Tyner Smith, representing ]. S.
Johnson Company, OF New York, open
ed the hearing by petitioning for a re-
duction in the duty on pineapples. He
desired a 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 100000
In 1912. Notwithstanding the phe-
nomenal success of their business, the
Hawaiian interests represented to the
Payne ways and means committee
tnat their business was an infant enc,
and needed protection for its de
veiopment, thus inducing the commit
tee to amend the rates 80 that pine
apples to which any sugar was added
should pay IS per cent and / cen.
per pound specific The effect has
been that the Hawaiian packers have
nearly secured, and will soon entirely
secure, practical monopoly OF this
variety Of goods. Our own trade ha3
been largely decreased, and such
small quantity as we continue to pro
duce in the Bahama Islands are mark
eted at about cost or below it, and
simply for the purpose of keeping our
brand in memory of the 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
Eave no great an advantage in the
wonderful adaptabilty Of these islands
to the growth of pineapples that they
do not really need tariff protection
whatever as against US. and the only
concern Of your committee is to fix
rate which will permit these goods
to continue to he a source of some
revenue"
Rice.
Representative BrOusSard. of Lott
:siana, took the stand to introduce the
representatives. of the rice growers.
w. B. Dunlap, of Beaumont, Tex, pres
ldent of the Southern Rice Growers
Association, explained to the commit.
tee that his association is composed
of 1926 members in Louisiana, 1,O2y
in Texas and 4O4 in Arkansas. He
said that at a regular meeting of this
association S. L. Breaux, Of New Or.
leans. had been appointed to make tho
argument before Congress.
Mr. bTeauX said:
"In 1912 the yield Of rice was 81
bushels, and the average price 931l
cents per bushel. which means $31.79
Per acre gross to the farmer. Deduct
ing the average cost, $2945, it leaves
the margin Of profit reduced to a min
imum, and if we take the average
buskel price to the farmer of the past
four years, 80 cents. it eliminates any
LTOflt, so that Ii IS fair to say that the
present basis of price must maintain
Tor 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 SO per cent are
white.
Rice Growers Ask for Protection.
The continuation of the present