Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-07-21
Grower Going Broke, Gamers
Making No Money, or Little,
Yet Consumer Pays Much

.
Canning is now on In full swing at
the local pineapple factories. and the
big machines are at work from early
day TO late at night tsking care OF
the ripe fruit which is coming in and
which demands immediate attention.
There is much talk this year, as
there has been for several years, con:
corning the status OF the pineapple
business. People who use canned
pineapple as a food, who psy from p
cents to 35 cents and higher for their
cans, and who hear this constant talk
OF the miserable condition Of the mar
ket-such people, II they be thoughtful
naturally ask the question why it is
that pines in the cans cost what II
evidently so much more than the pines
in the field, which latter are every
where In Hawaii drug on the market
The pineapple question, when one
begins to inquire into IL, becomes a
scTt of Button, button" game, with
the emphasis on who has the but.
toni
An examination soon shows that the
producer, while in the old days he
used to sell for $40 the raw pines that
had cost him on the average $14 Il
raise, now sells them after the same
production cost for from IS to $3.50
per ton. II is quite evident that the
producer is not getting rich at this
business.
A great many people say that the
Gamer is responsible for this. and so
the Gamer by the major part OF the
populace comes in for a great amount
of hard criticism. The canneries of
ones-hire their lsborers at a small
wage and pay a Small price to the
producer for his pines.
Consider the canner, how he grows;
he hoes not, neither does he pillow.
Every Gamer In town will tell the in
vestigator that he is not getting ex.
ceedingiy rich at his business. Here
are his facts:
The Gamer buys pines either from
the small holder, or he raises them
for himself In either case the final
result is practically the same. Pine
apples. any way that he secures them,
cost him In general the same amount
Of money.
The purchase price or IS to $3.50
has been mentioned In addition to
this there comes series of risks and
expenses that would stagger the small |
man considering going into the bust |
ness. The packer must pay freight |
from Wahiawa, Waipio or Halemanu, /
the chief sources of Oahu pines This |
freight Is paid at 1915 per ton. He |
must also pay freight on return, an /
additional sum Of $3.50 for each hun
dredwsight, the boxes being made /
heavy to stand the strain of handling.
Then there Is the cost Of cans, boxes,
cases, labels, advertising, laborers.
machinery, electricity, and so on.
There Is the risk OF defective fruit,
Of defective cans In which the canned
fruit spoils, and which have to be
made good to the buyer. At the end
OF this time the packer puts his goods
on the market at price this year Of
$50 per dozen or ~ 1-2 cents each
for the No. 2 IL size, and s1.10 per
dozen, or very little over cents, for
the " tall. These cans sell regularly /
for from Is to 35 cents In the states
In addition there is trade discount
which the packer allows, amounting
to IL per cent on the purchase price
and furthermore a cash discount Of
three per cent for immediate payment
A summary Of the respective prices
Of pineapples. peaches and pears for
the past 10 or IL years shows that the
former has gradually decreased, while
The two latter have held practically
the same throughout.
Prominent packers say that the