The Hawaiian gazette., 1918-04-05
BANANA GROWING :.
is PROF|TADLEAT
ONE Cent ABOUND
Fiuures Show Two Hundred DOL
lars An Acre To Be Grow
erS' Net Return
CALIFORNIA GRAPES
GIVE ONLY FIFTY
Member of Food Commission
Makes Suggestions To Those
Drive Benefited

Banana growing may be highly
profitable industry in the Hawaiian Isl
auds and its scope may be largely in
crensetl. as was said In the letter Of w.
A. Anderson to The Advertiser. Fur,
Their, this can be done when bananas
sell for a cent a pound, as Is shown by
figures furnished by W. ii. Hogs Sr.,
who has been giving the question con
siderable study.
An acre Of land win grow and sup
port 1000 banana trees, the figures Civ
on show. One bunch Of fruit to each
tree the average bunch weighing forty
pounds, would give a production for the
acre of 10000 pounds which at one cent
a pound would yield $4O0 an acre. II
il pointed out that now the growers are
receiving from the shippers less than a
cent pound, the present prices rang
ing from AN cents to 65 cents bunch
They do not bny as the marketing divi-
sion.
It is estimated that bananas cost to
grow and to market, on an average, half
a cent a pound. Cost per acre is thus
5000 and profit is 5000 an acre each
year.
In California the average yield Of
grapes il five tons to the acre, the cost
of growing and marketing is $40 a ton,
the grower receives $50 a ton ut the
winery and his profit is $40 a ton or
$50 an acre as compared with a profit
Of 1900 au acre for bananas in Ha.
wall. -.
Paying sixty Ave cents a bunch for
large punches Of bananas, delivered at
the. pier, the shipper must also pay
freight and as TO what he receives at
present, delivered in San Francisco, the
iigares have not been secured. It Is to
be presumed the price Is well over orig
inai cost and freight. On March 20
the quotation on Hawaiian bananas in
the San Francisco market was % to
80 a bunch. The difference between
the price paid here to the growers and
the market price in San Francisco in
chdes the profit of the shipper, freight
from here to the mainland, deliveries
and the profit of the wholesaler there.
Space for Shipments
Allotment of space for the last ship
ments of 5000 punches on the Korea
Maru and the Manoa was as follows:
A. J. Campbell, "a percent.
T.. L. Marshall, 20 percent.
C, Akana, IA percent.
Chock Look, o percent.
Charles Lamb, 3 percent.
Chunc Hoon, 81a percent.
Al XII, ! percent.
NJ. d. VanVales, percent.
Hon Kee, ! percent.
Kwong Sing Wal, ~ percent.
Mrs. ". A. Anderson, 4 percent.
U,o- K.no Thana narnant
,r. II. E. Hoffman, percent.
w. H. Hoogs ST.. has sent the follow
ing letter to The Advertiser:
Editor Advertiser: Through your
persistent efforts, you have caused the
banana growers to recognize the fact
that the public have some rights.
You have settled the question of sup.
ply by having Mr.. Anderson and the
Chinese growers coming to the public 5
rescue with q supply that will be ade-
guate for all needs-bread and other
wise.
would respectfully ask in view Of
the fact that Messrs. Dillingham; and
Campbell received all the benefit Of the
patriotic drive of the Eat a Banana
Campaign":
]. That they send a bunch of ba-
nanas to each person that paid for their
bananas and have not received them.
2. That they make good the follow
lug amounts collected for advertising
the drive of the campaign. 8 10000
The Advertiser and other pub
hcatlOns ................. 2OO.OO
Loves Bakery ........... 10000
Services of every one who took
part iu said drive, including
the Boy Scouts ...-....... 10000
and pay it over to the Red Cross Fund,
In Honolulu.
3. Through your continued publicity,
YOU can prevent the retailers from charg
ing the public exOrbtant prices.
Shipping Control
I. The Food Commission expects
shortly to have authority to issue per
mits for the exporting of bananas, and
Aill issue them only when Honolulu is
amply taken care of both in price anil
supply.
Mr.. Anderson is right where he says
let US get together, but the Public must
always come first, with Private Inter.
ests of secondary consideration.
Yours respectfully,
W. H. HOOGS, SR.
Member. Territorial Food Commission
- W. 3. 8.