The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-11-27
MARKET DIVISION
!. QUITS RETAILING
Lack Of Equipment Given As Rea-
son-Bitter Opposition Shown
Wholesalers and Retailers


The Territorial Marketing Division q
retail department will be closed on and
after next Saturday, according to an
nOuncement made yesterday by the
board of agriculture and forestry. un.
der whose direction the division Is op.
! Grated. The reasons given are the Jack
of equipment for retail selling and an
insufficient supply Of wide enough
variety Of Island products 20 satisfy
| customers.
"The retail department was merely
side issue when the market was start.
| ed" said @. =. Judd, head of the
forestry board, in making the announce
ment. ut was only meant to be cor
tinued If there proved to be need
for it, but IL was found that the mark.
et for the products was already estab.
lished without that, so there was no
need Of continuing It.
"The lack Of equipment was also
one reason for disseminating the retail
sales. To go on all the market would
have needed at least $1,000 worth Of
fittings, cases, refrigerators, and so
forth. II was impossible TO get them,
and without them we were in no posi-
ton to carry on a retail trade in a
satisfactory method.n A
j. F. Child had left for Maui by
the. time the announcement was made;
so bis opinion could not be asked. but
A. l.. Castle, executive officer for the
territorial food commission, was out,
spoken in favor Of the discontinuance.
Wholesalers In Opposition tss
+ "It is wise move, as Il will do
away with the antagonism which the
wholesalers and dealers have regarded
the marketing division, - said Mr.. Cas-.
tie. "They have always felt that II
was unfair for the government TO COM
pete with them in the retail field, and
consequently have been unwilling at
times to buy produce from the market.
81 understand II is the intention Of
the division to employ an outside sales
man from now on and push the sale
Of Island produce to the dealers. This
will be of much greater advantage to
the division than the retail department
was Il.
rCIt will also enable the division to
obtain results much more satisfactory |
70 the farmers. They have at times
been very dissatisfied with the manner
in which their produce was handled,
and the prices they got for them. !
With a salesman to push the sales and |
keep the produce moving quickly and |
steadily, the farmers will be, much bet |
ter satisfied with the division and will |
probably get more for their vegetables
and fruit, and in shorter time.
~ am sure the food commission
feels that it is a step forward and |
will result in a much more satisfactory |
operation of the market in every |
way ...'.
viii Hurt Housewives ..,uf
There will be much disappointment
among a number of housewives at the |
adjustment of the retail department |
of the market. They have been in the
habit of depending on the territorial |
division for meats, vegetables and |
fruits at lower prices than in the other |
local markets, but when the retail |
sales end is closed they will not nave |
blows at old H. c.. L., Esq, on mar.
ket day. ~
A. r. Longley, who was in charge Of |
the division since it's establishment IN
til he went to the r. O.. T. c., made |
the statement several months ago that
both departments were necessary in |
efficiently. He said that the grocers |
and butchers would not patronize the |
territorial division If they could help |
il, as they would rather buy their pro.
duee through the regular channels. In |
this way they were sometimes able to |
buy at very low price, which would |
not give the farmer any return on his |
labor, and sell at much higher one.
Kept Retail Prices Down
In order, Longley said, to sell them
the produce it was necessary to main
tain the retail department. When it |
could undersell them at retail on isl |
and products, many of which they |
could not get elsewhere, they were |
forced to buy from the market. The !
retail department also worked the |
other way and kept retail prices down,
as the dealers were prevented from
buying at low price from the whole |
sale department and then selling the |
produce for as much as they could get,
as long. as the marketing division sold |
them Mt retail at reasonable price. |
Longley's opinion was not borne out |
by o. b. Lightfoot, who has been in |
charge of the division for the past |
three months, as he favored the dis. |
continuance of the retail department.
With O. s. Judd and the food commits.
sion also favorable to the step the |
board of agriculture and forestry had
no hesitation in putting the retail de-
partment out of existence after De-
cember J.. The following is the an.
nouneement made by the board: o..
Beginning Saturday December !,
the retail departments of the Terri, |
torial Marketing Division will be dis,
continued by order of the Board of
Commissioners of Agriculture and For.
estry, due to the lack of equipment
and steady supply of a sufficient |
variety of Island products. The divi. |
sion will continue to sell at wholesale
only such Island products as are re-
ceived." =
h. MAUI BELLE TO WE'D !