1 - American Memory

L Food (including some non-food grocery items) amounts to 819,000 tons or
about 2.6 shiploads per month. Demand for meats (about one-fourth of a ship-
load a month) would be reduced if lack of feed caused slaughter of animals,
as happened In 1950.
2. Textiles total 5,500 tons a year of which only a thousand tons a year is
apparel. Much of the imports could be bandied by expansion of the current supply
by air.
3. Newsprint and paper (including materials for pineapple cases) total 90,000
tons or nearly one shipload a month and would be badly needed but difficult to
supply, from any other source besides the Pacific Northwest
4. Metals, machinery and vehicles total 221,000 tons or nearly two shiploads a
month, of which a major fraction could be supplied from Far East sources.
There would be shortages of selected items, some of which would be essential
and only some of which could be brought from the mainland by air.
5. Animal feed totals 173,000 tons or one and one-half ship loads a month. If
this is stopped, it would necessitate that a major fraction of the chickens, pigs
and milk cows would be slaughtered.
6. Construction and related materials total well over 279,000 tons or more
than two shiploads a month. Shortages of larger items could possibly bring con-
struction activity to an early stop (as in 1950).
7. Other categories total 191,000 tons or over one and one-half shiploads a
month. There are many important items included in this which will be essential,
but tbe total tonnage is not known.
8. Chemicals and fertilizers total 197,000 tons or one and one-half shiploads
a month. Most of this is fertilizer and similar materials which can be delayed.
Presently most cargo to neighbor islands is shipped to Honolulu and then
transshipped by Matron's inter-island container ^ip to neighbor Islands or
carried to neighbor islands by Young Brother's barge line. The neighbor is-
lands would suffer seriously from an interruption of this service, or additional
lengthy stops would have to be made by scarce transpacific shipping.
The longer term impact on investment, the visitor Industry, attracting work-
ers for the rapidly growing economy, the cost of living, and so on would also
be substantial.
(In tons)
13S7 imports
Foreiin From U.S.
(ainpt mainland
Canada) and Canada
Animal f««f (grain, ate.) 2,114 172.7a
Fresh meat, fish, fruits and vegetables 8,798 75,177
Processa] meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, dairy, flour, rice and miscallanaous food and
groceries U.09O 243,843
Textiles, apparel, etc 2,3*0 5,510
Lumber 3,467 158,434
Furniture and wool manufactures 3.028 32.161
Various nonmetallic construction products (cement, ^ass, stone, clay, paints, etc.) 67.260 88.614
NewjqrintMcl paper 651 90,095
Chemicals 2,068 79.453
Fertilizer and insecticide 31,601 117.231
Crude oil, (el fuel, fuel oil, gasoline, etc 3.347.071 1.950,665
Iron and steel (including tin plate) 64,448 93,577
Nonferrous metals . 344 2,891
Machinery except motor vehicles 2,915 34.066
Motor vehicles and parts 7.428 55,450
Other manufactures (of metal and other) 6,578 35.047
Miscellaneous general—all other „ 230 191,495
The question then is posed whether some of the Impact of a shipping Inter-
ruption be lessened by using air freight. A summary of present freight load
and margin of empty load available has been complied by the Bank of Hawaii
and is attached. It would take available space used for a whole month to
equal the tonnage capacity of one shipload and this type of air freight conld
not possibly bring in the bulky, heavier type cargo.