The Maui news. [volume] (Wailuku, Maui, H.I.) 1900-current, 1920-09-17
To Foster Banana
Industry Purpose
New Concern Will Work Not Only For
Its Own interests. Advice OF Past
Not Taken By Maui Folks; Profit
Would Have Been Large.

Development of the banana indus
try of Maui and of the territory is the
general purpose of Hawaiian Banana
Plantations, Ltd. Not merely to be
one of the smaller growers but TO be
the leading banana grower of the Is
lands and as such to be able to assist
others, with itself, in securing ade-
quate transportation and good market
ing conditions, to act in the interest
of the small farmer as well as in its
own" So writes w. A. Anderson,
~presendent of the company in a recent
letter.
Going into the matter of transport
alton, Mr.. Anderson shows how there
has been no concerted effort made to
secure adequate cargo space. growers
scrambling to get cargo space and
even offering bonuses for it. With or
ganization shipping companies will
know exactly how much cargo they
al have and when it will be ready,
months in advance. That the new com
pany will undertake to do and Mr..
Anderson believes the matter of trans
%portation will thus be speedily and
satisfactorily solved.
Will Assist Others
In his letter he says in part:
I'VE do not expect to be one small
grower among a number of others.
Our aim is to develop the industry
as it should be developed, knowing
that the general development of the
industry along the right lines will
inure to our benefit. Being the larg-
est single planter of bananas, and
raising more ourselves than all other
planters together, we shall be in a
position TO work for the industry as
a whole in the very important mat
ter of transportation, and, having the
one definite and business like arrange
ment for marketing bananas shall be
able to handle this phase of the in
dustry for individual planters, very
much to their advantage.
There are a number of prospective
planters on Maui among 'Sle so-called
small farmers" and ar. Krauss rec
ognizes somethin of the advantages
to them in industry.
opr funity Not Taken
Some-n-ov a yea ago-very
ne9% w years in fact, l visited Maui
and had considerable correspondence
with Mr.. Krauss concerning Il a inter
esting of the small farmers in growing
bananas for export, Offering to handle
their bananas on the same basis we
propose now to handle bananas, viz:
at the market price less a nominal
brokerage fee for handling. They then
wanted a guarantee of a certain mini
mum marke, price, evidently fearing
that the price might go below n cent
a pound, which has always been con-
sidered a profitable price. Naturally,
/ was unable to guarantee what the
United Fruit Co. might do in the nam
ing of prices on. their bananas, but
told Mr.. Krauss l was willing to take
a chance on two cents a pound. UP
to the present time the price has not
been below foul cents, and has been
as high as six and a half cents. II
they had planted at that time, the ba-
nanas would just about be coming into
bearing now, and they would be get
ting five and a half cents per pound
FOB. Kahului.
Good Profits Today
"At the average yield per acre re-
ported by the U. IS. Experiment Sta
ton, viz: $4,000 pounds per acre, this
would have given them an income of
about 81, 10000 per acre on the dock
at Kahului-not a bad return per acre
at all.
THE transportation has fulfilled my
prediction, and they have plenty of
transportation twice a month now
from Kahului. Thus it goes-nothing
dare, nothing share"