Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1939-05-04


we were all very much pleased with
this industry, because it had all the
factors that a crop needed in Puerto
Rico, uniquely so; it competed with
no crop on the American mainland
or territorial market-it didn't even
compete with the Hawaiian pineapple
which is of different type and used
for canning-Puerto Rico's was crop
of fresh pineapple and sold chiefly
along the Atlantic seaboard. 1t had
the second advantage that it was
hurricane-proof. A crop like coffee
if hurricane hits it, is not merely
lost for that year but for several
years-other crops are also injured
by hurricanes, but pineapples are hur-
ricane proof. It is. small mans
crop. A fellow could 60 out and grow
pineapples on half an acre or on one
and two acres, so that it was desir-
able, both economically and socially
In the Cuban treaty the differential
was so lowered that the Puerto Ricar
pineapple industry is being put Out
of business.
81 appeared before the committee
on Trade Agreements and made ar
emphatic protest against this differ.
entail and appealed to them thai
Puerto Rico's pineapple industry be
protected in the revision of the Cubar
agreement, but apparently they were
determined to consider tropical pro.
ducts from the standpoint of bene.
fitting Cuba. We don't know yet how
this new pending agreement is com.
ing out, but we are very fearful i
will contain further discrimination.
against Puerto Rico.
''The British treaty agreement low.
cred the tariff on cocoanuts from
SOC to Csc hundred. That was no
tremendous thing in appearance
but actually it means that the low.
wage regions such as Jamaica and the
Bahamas, and all the competing Brit.
ish islands in the Caribbean, can senc
in their cocoanuts at price which
the Puerto Ricans cannot meet.
''The Swiss agreement made re.
duction in needlework which very
seriously injured the needlework in.
dustry. That is more or less acad.
emic now, because the wages anc
hours bill has completely flattenec
out the needlework industry. But
it seems to me rather tragic thai
when we were casting about, max.
ing every effort to find some cror
for Puerto Rico that would not be
limited by quota, such as sugar is
not destroyed by hurricane, such as
coffee, not destroyed by some other
factor or by competition which they
could not meet, such as the citrus
fruit competition of Florida and
Texas, which naturally prevents
Puerto Rico citrus fruits from
amounting to much, with the high
cost of transportation-we developed
pineapples and found crop that has
supported and would have increasing
ly supported great many thousands
of people. Now it has been ruined
by the Cuban treaty."
Trade Agreement Harmful.
Coming closer to home let us see
how the Canadian Trade Agreement
has affected us. In northern Pine
county the growing of rutabagas was
fairly profitable until we cut the duty
on that crop so percent. This cut
enabled the Canadian rutabaga grow
ers to come in and take over the
American market along the Eastern
seaboard. It is only a question OF
time until the Canadians will capture
the market.
Under the revised trade agreement
1874 900 head of cattle were shipped
into this country the first two months
of the present year, or double the
number imported in the same period
last year.
Buying from other countries pro-
ducts that we can and should produce
at home means unemployment for
our home people and starvation prices
for the farmers, all the economists in
the world to the contrary notwith-
standing.
You saw il in the American.