![[@pca_1914 territorial market ad.jpeg]] Per @wilcox_1916 In 1909 the Territorial legislature resolved to appoint a commission on investigating fruit and vegetable farming and market conditions to recommend remedies to persistent limited supply of local fare and low quality of imported goods in Honolulu. The subsequent 1910 report recommended a Territorial market be created. ## @wilcox_1916 > ESTABLISHMENT OF A TERRITORIAL MARKET UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE EXPERIMENT STATION. > > The unsatisfactory conditions in markets for farm produce in Hawaii finally induced the Territorial legislature by joint resolution of the session of 1909 to appoint a commission on fruit growing and truck farming for the purpose of investigating the market conditions and for recommending to the legislature a method of overcoming these difficulties. > ESTABLISHMENT OF A TERRITORIAL MARKET UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE EXPERIMENT STATION. > > The ==unsatisfactory conditions in markets for farm produce in Hawaii finally induced the Territorial legislature by joint resolution of the session of 1909 to appoint a commission on fruit growing and truck farming for the purpose of investigating the market conditions and for recommending to the legislature a method of overcoming these difficulties==. The commission was at once appointed with the writer as chairman and a report was submitted in February, 1910, recommending the establishment of a Territorial market. It had been originally intended that the Territorial market should be from the beginning under the supervision of the Hawaii experiment station, maintained by this department. By a ruling of the Territorial attorney general, however, it was decided that the Territorial funds at the disposal of the station could not be used for that purpose. ==A temporary arrangement was therefore made whereby the Territorial department of immigration, labor, and statistics maintained a Territorial market for nearly two years==. At the 1913 session of the Territorial legislature an act was passed placing funds at the disposal of the Hawaii experiment station to be used in furthering the production and marketing of miscellaneous farm products. As a result of this action of the legislature ==the experiment station established a Territorial marketing division under its supervision on July 1, 1913==. > > WORK OF THE MARKETING DIVISION OF THE STATION. > > The astonishingly low ebb to which trade in local farm produce had fallen was evidenced by the fact that for the first four months of its existence the produce received by the Territorial market did not reach a total value of $700. It required patience and careful managing to establish in the minds of local farmers any confidence in the possibility of marketing farm produce in Honolulu with a profit to the producer. Through conversation with many of the farmers it was found that they had all had practically the same experience. It was impossible for any one farmer to raise enough produce to secure the reduced rates granted by the steamship companies to 5-ton shipments. Moreover, his ==small farm area could not be allotted to different crops in such a manner as to bring about a steady suppl. The worst feature of all from the standpoint of the small farmer was that no market information was available in any of the local newspapers. The farmer was, therefore, never able, except through sheer luck, to send a shipment to a market in which a good demand existed. In most instances the market was found to be occupied by large shipments just received from the mainland==. > > The list of difficulties which confronted the farmer in Hawaii was not exhausted by the lack of information concerning the market, high freight rates, competition with produce shipped in from the United States and the Orient, and the indifference of Honolulu produce dealers. Another serious difficulty was furnished by the uneven nature of the land, the prevalence of insect pests and fungus diseases, the unusual heaviness of the soil, and poor roads leading from the somewhat isolated farms to boat landings. In fact ==the whole field of diversified agriculture in Hawaii was, until quite recently, neglected by reason of the intense interest in the production of sugar==. It was therefore obviously necessary for the Hawaii experiment station to begin at the beginning and to help as rapidly as possible to bring about conditions which are recognized as fundamental to successful farming. > > The freight rates on the local interisland steamships were high for small shipments, and the charges of commission men and other middle men amounted to so much in the aggregate that little or no profit was received by the producer, even when his produce reached Honolulu at a time of unglutted market. An ==investigation of the egg industry, for example, showed that with eggs retailing in Honolulu at 60 cents a dozen, the farmer located at a distance of 80 miles on the island of Maui netted only 13 to 15 cents a dozen for his eggs==. With the establishment of the Territorial market a decided change in betterment of marketing conditions took place. The farmers who first took advantage of the market were encouraged to increase their production, others learned of the opportunities offered by the marketing division, and within six months enough of certain kinds of produce was received at the market to maintain a steady supply for a slowly increasing number of customers who visited the market for their supplies. > > ==Visits to the various produce dealers in Honolulu brought out quite clearly their attitude and the difficulties which they had experienced in attempting to depend upon local supplies of farm produce==. A number of them had had very unsatisfactory experiences. After making an arrangement with some dairyman for the purpose of handling his butter, they were unable to deal satisfactorily with him for the reason that he could not maintain a uniform supply and sometimes could not secure transportation for his produce on the local steamships. ==The dealers had, therefore, come to depend upon shipments from the mainland by regular steamers, and had, of course, made arrangements with mainland dealers whereby the shipments to Honolulu were regulated so as to maintain a constant and uniform supply==. > > The Hawaiian farmers were therefore confronted with the fact that peanuts were imported in large quantities from China and Japan, beans from the mainland, corn from Seattle and Manchuria, oranges, grapefruit, carrots, beets, asparagus, potatoes, and various vegetables, as well as coldstorage chickens and turkeys, from California, and onions from Texas and Australia. ==Without any information as to the actual condition of the Honolulu market, it was practically impossible for the farmer to prevent glutting the market by making a shipment to Honolulu==. >COLLECTION OF FARM DATA AS TO PROBABLE KINDS AND AMOUNTS OF PRODUCE. > >Soon after the establishment of the marketing division ==an active campaign was started to secure advance notification and estimates from farmers throughout the Territory as to the kinds and amounts of produce which they were likely to have in the near future for shipment to Honolulu==. A card system was devised for the use of all farmers who wish to patronize the marketing division. On these cards the ==farmers indicated the number of acres planted to various crops, the varieties which they had used, the expected time of maturity of the crops, and the expected amount of produce as estimated from average yields in their neighborhood==. ==By means of other cards the marketing division is furnished, about two weeks in advance of shipment, the closest possible estimates of the amount of produce and the approximate date of shipment==. Usually the exact date can be given, for the reason that from many ports there is boat connection only once a week. ==This system of mutual exchange of information between the marketing division and the contributing farmers makes it possible to regulate the supply of produce so as to hold the trade which is already established in Honolulu and tends to prevent the flooding of the market==. ## Market closed in 1920? https://www.newspapers.com/article/honolulu-star-advertiser-territorial-mar/154131614/ ## at some point secured onion contract with army https://www.newspapers.com/image/290475031/?match=1&terms=%22territorial%20market%22