Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-06-07
URGES PEOPLE
To EAT onions
grown IN HAWAII

People OF Hawaii are fond Of onions
but they seem to prefer the imported
to the homegrown variety, with the
result that while nearly 3,OOU,OOC
pounds Of this vegetable were import
ed to the islands last year, many tons
OF Hawaii-grown onions went peg
ging, the farmers even suffering loss
The situation is but little better 10
day, says A. T. Longley, superinten
dent OF the Territorial Marketing d.
vision, in a report submitted to the
Food Commission yesterday.
Longley asks the assistance OF the
commission in helping solve the onion
problem. The commission In turn is
going TO pass the buck" to the con
Of the islands, asking that the
buyers insist hereafter upon the
island product. Home consumption OF
home products Is as much a part OF
the wartime saving campaign as saw
ing on meat and bread consumption,
the commission believes.
In his report, submitted to the Food
Commission today Superintendent
Longley reviews the situation as tot'
lows:
The condition Of the onion mar
ket has improved considerably during
the past two weeks but the situation
is still very bad for the grower. at
tribute the poor condition Of the mar
ket for island onions to the following
causes:
"a. That the dealers have standing
orders with mainland produce firms
or local importers which they will not
cancel, due to the uncertainty OF local
crops.
~. That the retailers will not
handle the island onions on the same
margin OF profit as they do imported
onions, due to the fact that there Is
greater spoilage in the local onions.
"3. That the consumers will not
demand that the retailers supply them
Z with island onions at the price adver'
tised in the papers daily, but buy I'M
ported onions at higher prices.
a. That the varieties Of onions
being grown In the Islands at present.
while conceded to be mild and OF ex,
cellent flavor, are difficult to cure ana
do not stand shipping or storing as
we'll as imported onions.
Practically all of this crop OF Hal
ku onions has been sent, to market.
The division has only o few cases lett
TO dispose Of. Most Of these onions
we're OF the Crystal Wax variety and
the early shipments were not well
Aured. Later shipments were in bet
Der condition but unless this variety
can be more thoroughly cured It Is
recommended that other varieties De
planted. -
There are from Is to 20 tons Of
onion OF the Yellow Bermuda variety
on this island and the crop from
about Is acres Uf the same variety
ir the Kula district yet to be market
ed. The Oahu onions, some OF which
have already been marketed by the
division, are probably the best onions
ever grown in the territory, and as
they are fairly well cured and sound,
should meet q ready sale to retailers
and consumers.
None Of this crop Of Kula onions
has been marketed in Honolulu to
GATE and no samples have been re-
ceiyed. In former years the kula
onions have been much, larger than
JDO6c kTO"u III OSuSA COSSAOAob SNS
generally not we'll cured. Whether
the poor curing has been due to eli
matte conditions or the lack Of In
struction- on the part Of the produc-
ers, / cannot say.
In order to determine the best
varieties OF onions to grow in the ter.
rftory, Mr.. F. G. krauss, of the U.
S Experiment Station, is testing out
20 varieties on a large scale at Haiku.
He intends to plant at different sea-
sons Of the year in order to determine
at what seasons each variety does
best and whether or not more than
che crop can be raised in q year.
During the calendar year 1916 a
total OF 2,S56,000 pounds Of onions
we're imported into the territory at
an average price Of % cents q pound
plus freight from shipping point and
importers profit. In view Of the
above figures it would appear that
.saere should be no trouble for local
oducers to dispose of few tons OF