The Hawaiian gazette., 1918-09-24
EONERRlCE PRICES
. .E:xPEC'EEDBY CHILD
Food Administrator Gets Cheer
] Ing Eetter4-Beet Price Here
'"' Apparently Eow

There will be no material shortage
or Japanese rice in these Islands was
the burden Of n letter received by Food
Commissioner Child yesterday from X
YamaInoto, president of the Japa nese
chamber OF commerce, who il now In
Yokohama on q miss; on 20 GET the jap
aRese government TO Hft the EMBARGO
on rice needed for the Japanese pOpn
lation of this Territory.
The letter, which. Mr.. Child received
from Mt Yamamoto, confirms cable
sent to Mr. Child recently on this sub
ject.~ In. his letter, Mr.. Yamamoto O
said that the rice riots in Japan were
far more serious than they were re
ported in the news advices received
here. The government has the situa
tiop well in hand, however, and sum
mary action was taken with all pro
fteers in that country. In many eases
severe sentences, carrying penal servi
tude for long terms, were meted out
to these men who tried to take advant
age of the war situation.
Soon after the first part of this
month, 600, tons Of Japanese rire will
arrive, here on n q California bound
steamer. Another shipment of simi
lar Rmount will follow this about ten
days. later. M Yamamoto said that
a. movement is now on foot in Yoko
hama to arrange for a specially char
tered steamer to bring large quan
tity. of Japanese rice and foodstuffs
to, Hawaii and the States.
Distribute PRO Rata
This rice will be distributed pro rata
among the Japanese merchants Of the
Territory. The apportionments will be
based u pom the amount of former i'm
portations of such merchants. Mr.. va.
mamoto further said that he had great
hopes that the ring of freight profit
eers' who have boosted the prices of
overseas freight to unheard Of figures
would soon be broken up. The Jap
anese government has been making a
searching inquiry into, existing freight
conditions in Japan with a view to
Bringing freight rates down to some
where within q reasonable rate again
This is the, most cheerful and re
assuring news regarding the rice situa
tion we haye heard for some time, -
said Mr.. Child, 'Ftand it means that
all, possibility Of q rice shortage here
is a thing. Of the past. I-have hopes
for q material lowering in rice prices
before very long.
Fortunate In Beef
The, food commissioner also received
a bulletin frop the national food com
mission which shows that in the mGt
ter 0f, meat, Hawaii is faring much
better than her heighbors on the main.
land. According to the bulletin, hogs
I on foot in the States, during July,
1911, sold for $500 per hundred
weight. On the corresponding date in
l9lS, hogs, sold Sfor 1888. Beef sold
ON the ,hoof. Ut $428 per hundred
pounds, Or .o42 a pound in 1911 and
is, now selling in the States for ten
cents a pound, an increase Of more
than 600 PERCENT Dressed carcasses
are selling ID the States at twenty
three and one half cents a pound while
Hawaiian dressed beef Is selling at
fifteen cents pound, eight and one
half, cents. o. pound cheaper than it is
on the mainland.
In, April of this year, conference
was held. between the principal ranch
ers of Hawaii and, the food admins
tration of this Territory and the graz
iers voluntarily agreed to lower their
prices, from sixteen, cents to fifteen
cents a pound at which it. now stands.
''The cattle raisPrs of Hawaii have
certainly done their share toward help.
ing America win the war" said Mr..
Child.