Evening star., 1942-08-22
Supply Of Bananas
Here Is Exhausted,
with Prospects Dim
Fruit Needed in Diet
Rushed to Ill Child
After Rodio Appeal

Washington was without single
bunch OF bananas today at this once
common tropical fruit remained a
victim of Nazi submarine raiders.
Nor was there any prospect that
consumers here would find their
favorite fruit available in the near
future.
The banana shortage was brought
into focus here yesterday with the
effort made to locate some of the
fruit TO assist physicians in treating
18-month -old Ronnie Lee Scroggins
Of Piney Point. Md, victim of the
stomach disease celiaca Bananas
are OF value in the diet prescribed
to combat the disease
Before the sub menace, banana
boats stopped regularly at Balti-
more, with Washington among the
f1rst stops OF trucks distributing the
fruit. Accordingly. never a day went
by that bananas could not be pur-
chased at the corner grocery.
Unload at Gulf Port.
Few ships now bringing bananas
from the West Indies, and Central
America. and they unload at Gulf
Coast ports. The arrival of
single banana boat at one OF these
ports Is signal for elation among
banana dealers up and down the
East coast.
There's another hitch to the busi-
ness, as local commission merchants
explained today. The fruit is
shipped north by rail and is iced
to prevent spelling. AS a result
most OF what little is received here
from time to time is frozen to a
point where they can't sell.
Take, for instance, the case of v
A. Stavrakas, head of the Capitol
Fruit Co., which formerly dealt ex-
clusively in bananas. Mr.. Stav-
rakas received so punches last week
for the first time in a month, and
they were none too good He said he
has taken to handling" oranges in
order to stay in business.
John Kopsidas, a large banana
dealer at 1880 Fifth street NE, also
reported he hadn't had any good
bananas for month. He also dis
closed that he had made an attempt
In June to bring bananas here from
Mexico on his own initiative, with
out depending on the fruit liners.
Contract Cancelled.
Mr.. Kopsidas sent a Washington
man, William Florence, former en-
ploye of fruit liner company. to
Mexico, where a native schooner was
chartered. The boat was taken up
one of the rivers to a Mexican
banana plantation In the midst OF
loading several thousand punches
the schooner captain Cancelled his
contract. Mr.. Kopsidas said. He
blamed local politics" on the cap
tain's move.
Led by a radio appeal a wide
spread search was made yesterday
for bananas to treat the child whose
father is in the submarine service.
Two dozen bananas finally were To-
Gated here and sent to Piney Point,
where the child's mother, Mrs. Helen
Scroggins, Immediately prepared
them for her daughter.
Celiaca is disease OF the alimen-
tary tract in which the body be-
comes unable to digest usual carbo-
hydrates and fats. Many of its
symptoms are similar to sprue. a
disease commonly found in tropical
countries which occasionally occurs
in temperate climates. In both Gel
iaca and sprue the carbohydrates
in bananas are assimilable, hence
the value of the fruit in the diet. It
is used in conjunction with other
aids, principally liver extract.
Dehydrated bananas, which are
now being fed to the Zoos monkey
colony in place of the ripe fruit,
could be used to just as good effect,
physician here said This type of
banana, while unattractive in ap-
pearance. takes up much less space
in cargo holds OF ships and in
freight cars.