Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-04-18

mitted 10 rot IN the fields this year is
the opinion expressed by not a few
local pineapple men at the present
time. And even II all the f~uit offered
can be packed 1t is now quite certain
that there will be little If any profit
FOR the growers, and possibly, in many
Instances, aCtua! loss.
A year ago packers were paying
about $50 per ton for fruit. and the
price in some instances ran up as high
as $22. During the summer cut OF
% cents per dozen was made to the
trade by the agencies on the Coast.
and the price paid for uncontract I'd
fruit dropped to around about SIS A
ton. The additional cut of 25 cents on
No. 21s extra SLICED. reported Monday
In the Star-Bul1etin. means that the
price for fruit Will be somewhere be.
tween so and $I2 per ton for those
homesteaderS AID others who have
contracts with the Gamers. and pos
sibly less for others. And there are
not many contracts now in effect.
The three larger canning companies
will probably not buy very much fruit
this season, unless the cut in prices
of the canned product so stimulates
the demand that larger pack seems
: warranted. The Hawaiian Pineapple
I company, Libby, MeNefIl & Libby. and
the Hawaii Preserving Company all
have their own plantations, and &C.
eording to their managers wifi prob.
! ably have all the fruit they can dis
pose of without buying any. Some of
the smaller canneries, which have de-
pended to a larger extent on buying
their fruit, will, Of course, limit their
purchases according to their ability to
dispose OF their pack --s@ 4
In previous years there has been
more or less competition between the
packers for the supply or outside fruit.
This year there will be little of such
competition. In previous years, with
the demand for canned pineapple
strong and prices fixed fairly we'll, the
packers have been oct early to make
contracts with the small growers Tor
their fruit. This year there are few
contracts. and most of the options
which have been held for some months
past have been allowed to lapse. The
small grower is apparently helpless.
The bulk of his crop will be maturing
within the next two or three months
He has no assurance at present wheth-
er he will be able to sell it at all, and
he has every reason to believe that he
will not more than break even on his
cost, If he does succeed in selling.
Not only will prices be very low for
fruit. but the packers have become
more particular about the quality. Two
years ago three-pound pine was
,classed at No. L. now it must not
weigh less than 3A pounds. Under
weight fruit, classed as No. 2, was
formerly bought at something more
than half of that of firsts. Now it will
bring but half, or less. Until a few
months ago there was no limit placed
upon big fruit, although under the
present system of sizing the fruit to
fit certain-sized can there was more
waste in an overly large fruit than in
a moderate size-say Az or pounds.
Now big pines are penalized.
Hard on Homesteaders.
The holnesteaders on government
land in the Haiku district, Maui, and
to a certain extent on Kauai, are like
1y to be pretty seriously affected by
the cut. Some of these settlers, though
probably less than half, made cor:
tracts for seven years, about two years
ago, by which the canneries will take
their product from a maximum OF
about IL acres at price which varies
with the selling price of the packed
fruit. The Maui homesteaders with
these contracts lose $1.25 per ton for
each five cents per dozen which thu
packed fruit drops. This rate is fixed
on base price, determined from the
average price of the various grades of
the pack, and as all grades have no,
declined in equal ratio, it is not just
certain what the price to these with
contracts will be this year. but it is
said it Will be between Sill and $l2.
These homesteads have not had oppOr.
tunity to market fruit under the high
prices of a year ago. but their first
crop will come off this summer under
the low scale. 1t is doubtful whether
or not many of them will break even,
as they were under unusually heavy
SADClSS III SCIlII6 bhSil III o. NAOI
planted On Maui it is claimed that
some of the expert growers have been
able to produce pineapples for as low
a cost as $40 per ton, but this is not
the case of the homesteaders as yet.
More recent settlers who have planted
have no contracts for tho sale OF their
fruit, and their case is still more un-
pleasant.
A very considerable number of the
have, however, planted
few if any pineapples as yet, and are
thus probably in the better position. !
All the settlers, however, are doing ali .
they can in other lines of agriculture, |
and it is possible that they may be
able to make good independently Of
pineapples.
Is There over-Production?
Has the pineapple business been
overdone in the Islands? A large
of persons here have steadily ;
that such thing is not !
possible; that with proper distribu- !
ton facilities and adequate advertis |
ing. plus price to the consumer that .