263 



shipped than many of our equally deHcious hut more perish- 

 able vLirieties. It has long been desirable to introduce such 

 island fruits as the papaia and avocado pear to the western 

 markets and the chief deterrent to shipments has been the pre- 

 sumption that such fruit could not be subjected to a long- sea 

 transit without great deterioration in quality. In order to put 

 this to the test the local Agricultural Experiment Station com- 

 missioned Mr Higgins to make a trial shipment of these and 

 other fruits for which it may be desirable to create a market. 

 The result has been very encouraging and the fruit has arrived 

 at its destination in excellent condition. The station is investi- 

 gating the best methods of packing the fruit and also is deter- 

 mining whether cold storage or exposure to the air on deck is 

 to be preferred. There is little doubt that as soon as the avo:. 

 cado pear a-nd papaia are introduced to mainland consumers 

 the growers of these fruits will find a ready market for all their 

 crop. 



The total importations of domestic merchandise to Hawaii 

 during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1906, amount to $11,- 

 771,155, an increase over 1905 of $127,636. The importation of 

 foreign merchandise to Hawaii during the same year amounted 

 to $3,275,242, an increase over the former fiscal year of $260,- 

 278. Japan heads the list in the value of direct importation to 

 Hawaii from foreign countries with $1,247,470 worth of mer- 

 chandise, an increase over 1905 of about a quarter of a million. 

 Our large Japanese populatioii accounts for the quantitv of 

 Japanese commodities consumed in the islands. Chile is sec- 

 ond on the list vv^ith $448,608 to her credit, an amount- which 

 is almost identical with her figure for 1905. The United King- 

 dom occupies third place, having sold us merchandise to the 

 value of $424,976 m the last year, an increase of about $120,- 

 000. Germany has been dispossessed of second place and now 

 comes fourth, supplying us with $171,497 worth of goods in 

 1906 as against $544,534 worth in 1905. British India increased 

 her supplies to $408,607 from $345,275 of the year before. Aus- 

 tralia occupies next place with $262,594, having almost doubled 

 her figures in the year. Hongkong and Canada have also both 

 materially increased their shipments which, for the year in 

 question, were valued at $245,244 and $22,500 respectively. 



