The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-07-27
.LONCLEY REPORTS
HE is SUCCEEDING
Marketing Superintendent Finds
Coast Trade Hungry For Lus-
cious Hawaiian PineappIes
Extent Of Trade To Be Developed
Depends On Freight Ac-
Communications

fTanGlScOJ TepOFUS JnAl INV shipment VI
pineapples which went up on the Sierra,
July 3, arrived in perfect condition.
When the crates were rcpacked on the
wharf only one Spoiled fruit showed it,
self in the whole shipment
Mr.. Bongley reports that all ship
ments for the last six weeks have been
sold to arrive. The demand is most
active, for large sizes. Fruits weigh
ing up to eight or nine pounds sell to
better advantage than those under five
pounds. The average of shipments thus
ar have been three and n half to six
pounds. The big fruits seem to stand
up better, also. In previous lots there
was more loss among small pines than
among those that are oversize.
Demand Is Growing
L. c. Clark, who is in charge Of the
Honolulu Office during Mr.. Longloy s
absence, stated yesterday that ship!
ments have been steadily increasing.
Last week the division forwarded 1900
crates. This week the orders call for
1900 crates.
Forty to fifty tons a week may not
seem like much of an order, but it is
taking that much out Of the Gamers
market and every little bit helps. Whole
sale dealers on the Coast have already
mentioned eighty to ono hundred tons
of fresh pineapples day as being
their estimate of what the market could
absorb now with trade conditions as
they are and with the fresh fruit market
no means at its best. The trouble is
that there are no steamship accommo-
dations on hand to deliver much over
fifty tons a week, let alone twice that
quantity daily.
Market Wants Pineapples
The market is there, everyone agrees.
The quantity named would not provide
for territory beyond the towns and
cities along the main trunk lines be-
tween San Francisco and Chicago. The
wants of the rade between Puget
Sound ports and Minneapolis were not
considered in this estimate.
One hundred tons "A day is only five
refrigerated carloads, which amounts
to only a drop in the bucket, compared
with the trainloads of other fresh
fruit daily leaving producer markets
for the big distribution points.
Now all this talk is a good deal like
holding out a dream of cooling waters
to one lost in the desert. AS a grower
stated yesterday, the pineapple indus
try needs some one with imagination
and a backbone to help it over tn"
rough places. This is no time for any
professor of mathematics to remind Ho
nOlulu that instead of getting better
steamship service there is a very sure
certainty of getting worse.
81 can get contracts to sell all tn"
fresh pineapples that can be landed
here,' Mr.. LOngIey writes. The whole
question is how many crates of fresh
pines can be shippedf How much &C.
'cOmmodation will belprovidedf
Cooperation Does It
The marketing division now repre-,
sents about fifty growers and the re
suits thus far accomplished by the ser
vice are due to the fact that there has
been cooperation among all shipL"Is
Two years ago pineapplcs could be
bought in San Francisco at a less price
than they were selling for in Hone
lulu. Every man was in it then for
himself and each shipped when ant
what he pleased. The end was that &
good many packers lost a good dea
of money and the trade was badly de
mOraliz2d. Since the marketing divi
sion went into it the cOnsignments arr
practically sold before they leave Ho
nolulu, subject to arrival in good con
ditiOn.
With better shipping accommodation
and ventilated cargo compartments RI
| served especially for this class o
freight there will be greater assurance
of landing all pines in good condition
and when that day comes sales will un
dOubtedly bc at prices f. o. b. Hawaiian
ports. This is the goal towards whicI
the growers are working.
A marketing organization to dis
tribute Hawaiian fruit is necessary
but to be most successful it must hav
affiliations with merchants who are al
ready engaged in the fresh fruit trad
in the territory sought to be covered
If the producers here are strOn
enough to take it up and carry out tn
idea along true cooperative lines
great trade can undoubtedly be dc
velOped in the course of time.