Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-06-15
Dealers Who Expected to Re.
ceiye Concessions Threaten
Legal Investigations

That the output of Hawaiian pine.
apple canneries IS the chief factor for
prices IN the New York market. that
jobbers are objScting strenuously to
the advances that have been made in
prices and even threatening an inYes-
tigation under the Sherman act for al
legged price fixing" is the burden Of a
statement In an article on the pine
apple market published in the New
York Journal OF Commerce of May %.
The article shows tire position in
which the Gamers appear to nave the
jobbers and is of much consequent In.
terest in Hawaii As to the prices
asked, these are fixed on the main.
land and recently, when the matter
of new quotations was the subject of
an article in the Star Bulletin, repre-
sentatiyes of the local canneries stated
that they were then waiting definite
advices from the mainland on the
prices which were being determined
In It's article the Journal Of Com
merce says:
Hawaiian pineapple has assumed an
unusually interesting position n the
IL Friday and Saturday that II might
become q subject Of investigation by
the federal department Of Justice, IN.
der the Sherman and other conspiracy
acts. SO far as could be ascertained,
however. no one knew anything def.
mite In the latter connection, though IL
was admitted in Hudson street that
some OF the larger jobbers were in a
frame OF mind which would make such
action not surprising.
IL appears that the Hawaiian pine
apple packers, of whom there are only
eight or ten and CT whom three or four
pack the bulk of the crop, have taken
drastic positions this year IN the mat
ter of shading" list prices and the
opening prices Of all the companies
were practically identical As mat
ter Of list, this was not perhaps sur.
prising. but the firrnness with which
all packers have refused to listen to
the demands OF jobbers for conces
sions from the list has been something
unique. 81
Depending on the experience of past
years, many OF the larger jobbers have
thus Far refused to place their orders
relying on the probability that such an
attitude would force the packers into
a conc Customary mood, but II does not
appear TO have worked, and report has
It that late buyers are getting wor
ried as to their ability to book orders
for actual needs, fwhile the packers
are sitter THAI when the first prices
were made two weeks ago. Already
advances Of from to 1-2 cents q doz-
en- are reported and other advances
are threatened fhis week.
Small jobbers have generally ac-l
eepted the goods at the opening pri-
.ces, and are disposed TO smile at the
futile efforts of the late corners to Sc
cure combinations at their offers.
Large sums of money are said TO have
been expended IN trauscontfnentai
wiring and telephoning. but thus far
without having developed any weak
ness among the packers. This is SO
unusual that some of the dissatisfied
5obbers are said to have reported
their suspicious to the department of
justice. claiming that a conspiracy"
Is at work to maintain prices Illegally.
Brokers, however, laugh at any such
suggestions and assert that the uni
formity of price is only the natural
operation Of a lot of producers who
have learned the lesson of cutting pri-
ces 20 the bone and losing money, and
are now determined individually to
stand firm. under the protecting UNI
brella OF the larger group Of produc.
ers, without any necessity for collu.
sion.
II is pointed out by brokers that a
number of causes have contributed to
the firTnness in the pineapple market;
ample to preclude recourse TO collu-
sion. First of all. pineapple lis In
strong statistical position. with little
Il any spot stock TO be disposed of,
thanks 20 the intensive work of adyer-.
Using during the past three seasons,
and the. close cleanup. of last year.
Again. the big boom in sugar has en-
couraged many planters to set out