Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-05-26
NO SQUARE Deal FOR GROWERS
OF. PINEAPPLES, L0NGLEY CHARGES
Officials of Canneries Retort
They are Doing All They Can
For Honlesteaders ."

1.-The pineapple Gamers on Oahu
are not giving the small homesteaders
/ square deal, in that they are not
giving them what they have reason to
expect In the way of a good price for
their pines" i. Hsl:..s.... ..- -. .. -.
This is the statement of A. T. Long
! ley, superintendent of the territorial
marketing division. > He says his
/ charges are based On complaints
which his office has received from
| homesteaders on this island who are
growing pineapples on a small scale.
The biggest sufferers at present
are the homesteaders at Aiea," con-
tlnues Mr. Longley. THE best price
offered so far. they tell me, is 81
ton, which is conceded by all the can
neries to be far below the cost OF
! production. <aJsst :a;.. 49,.
| Reports have come to me that the
low price at the present time has been
engineered to get rid of the Japanese
pineapple producers. Even If this is
so, why should the small citizen farm
er have to suffer? A pineapple grow
er was in this office the other day and
said that the canneries were offering
q very low price for Aiea-grown fruit,
when the fruit there is the best that
he has seen anywhere this year.
have also heard that on Maui some of
the mesteaders are getting $11.25
/ a ton for Nc fruit, and So ton for
No. 2. Others are getting as high as
$13 ton for No. ], have been told. "
eff the pineapple canneries really
have an over-supply, as they claim. 1t
is not likely that they themselves
would be planting an additios 1000
acres at Wahiawa this year at a cost
CT at least SO a ton," he concluded.
The canneries' end of the story, as
obtained by the Star-Bulletin today, is
to the effect that the purported diff
Guilty doubtless is due to the present
oyer-prcduction.~ In the case of the
Hawaijan Pineapple Company, that or
ganization grows three-fourths of its
own fruit The majority of the other
quarter is secured from the Pupukea
bomesteaders. who have gone into
pineapple growing in businesslike
manner and have long contracts.
As far as the Japanese growers are
concerned, none of the canneries are
inclined to get rid of the Japanese
pineapple producers" 1t was learned
that the japanese planters on Oahu
alone have $4,000 tons of fruit on this
island which they have not contracted
fer. This information was offered by
the acting manager of a large local
eannery.
Regarding their not getting square
deal, one manager said that the home
steaders have been talking this way
for about two years. We have been
doing all we can for them, and win
continue to do so,'' he declared.
The fact also was brought out that
many of the japanese On Oahu, as
well as growers of other nationali-
ties, have no contracts. In the case OF
the japanese. they went in and plant
ed lands as late as two years ago and
made nc contracts for their fruit. At
that time the price of pineapples was
high, and the Japanese took a
chance" as one manager said.
Speaking of control, there is no
control" a cannery official told the
Star-Bulletin. 1t is purely a case of
supply and demand. For the last two
years there has been an over-produc-
ton, and the cause is that many have
planted pineapples without first en-
tering into contract to sell. They
have taken a chance, like a let OF
people would.
Canned pineapples now are selling
at lower price than ever before. The
canneries are trying to keep their work
uniform. Many of the. small plant