Pineapples

New Major Industry For Fr. Oceania

From Our Own Correspondent.

Papeete, June 12.

nPHE pineapple canning industry pro mises to become. a major factor in the commerce of French Oceania, if present prospects come to fruition.

Some months ago a sample shipment of 400 cases of pineapples canned at Papeete was despatched to France. The reports, now arrived, have been so fav ourable that preparations are being made for large scale production.

The Tahiti pineapple has long been celebrated for the flavour, fragrance, and the fine texture of its substance. It con tains so much natural sugar that in can ning there is no necessity to add cane sugar to the syrup. The sunny hillsides of Tahiti, Raiatea, and Huahine are ideal for the growth of pineapples, ami large areas are being cleared and planted with the fruit.

Machinery for preparing the pineapples for canning is being installed in the stone building on the Papeete waterfront —once the headquarters of the defunct P.C.P.C. (Pacific Coconut Products Company). It is expected that by November (when the crop matures) canning operations will be in full swing.

Heavy orders from Europe are already at hand, and the future of the enterprise is manifestly assured.