The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1858-02-25

Ao w vi "a
better whalemen in the world than the natives OF
these islands, as is proved hom the increasing
numbers which are each year employed in the
service. During the season of 1857, $50 natives
were shipped ON board Of whale ships from the
port of Honolulu, which, taking into account the
number of vessels, is an increase on the two pre-
ceding years. LAhaina and Hilo are also ports
of shipment for native scamen, but we have not
at hand the returns for those places. Some OF
the best whalemen in the Pacific feet to-day are
natives of the Sandwich Islands, and it is a mo-
ticeable fact that the numerous raceof halfcastes
which is growing up around us are in many in
stances d~evoting their attention to the whaling
business as an occupation. As a class they have
many of the qualifications that go to make the
first rate whaleman.
In view of the great and increasing benefits
conferred upon these islands by the visits of the
whaling feet, whether the ships are owned here
or elsewhere. the obvious policy of our govern
ment, founded upon a regard to our own inter-
ests, should be one of all possible encouragement.
We cannot be expected, in imitation of the French
government, to offer bounties to our whalers, but
we can remove all petty charges, which only serve
to create annoyance and dissatisfaction In re-
gard to the shipment of native seamen on foreign
voyages, the Hawaiian laws impose a tax upon
whale ships that is unreasonable and unjust.
Section 2, of an Act relating to the shipment
of native Sailors reads as follows
"That on the enlistment of any native Of these
Islands to serve on board of any vessel bound on a
foreign voyage. the master of such vessel shall pay to
the governor of the island at which the enlistment
takes place, or to his agent, the sum of two dollars,
if the term of enlistment does not exceed twelve
months; and if the enlistment be for any period over
twelve months, then the master shall pay the sum of
four dollars"
Section 4 of the same Act reads as follows
"That no part of the money required to be paid as
prescribed in section =, nor any portion whatever of
the expenses of shipping, discharging, or paying off
native sailors, either before a foreign consul or other
wise, shall be paid by them, or be deducted from the
wages due them from the ship, but shall be paid
wholly by the MASTER"
This sum of two dollars exacted from the ship
master for every native seaman he may ship
would appear to be intended in lieu of all other
taxes to which the man may be liable under the
laws, for section 3 of the same Act from which
we have quoted above specially provides that he
shall be exempt from all taxes during the period
for which he has shipped. Yet it is a well-known
fact that the road, school and poll taxes, amount
ing to SIS, are all illegally collected from the adj
III AlOANy va NSCA wv HNeAA0h 'AO sH'D
ships. So that while the master pays the gov
eminent two OF four dollars for each seaman,
ostensibly for taxes, but actually for the privilege
of getting the man,-besides the other fees, which
are all regular enough-the seaman in his turn
is without authority, bled by the tax collector.
The master and his agent very properly look upon
the whole proceeding as a v%exatious imposition
on the part of the government. We hope to see
this impolitic law repealed during the coming ses-
sion of the Legislature, and that the government
will not, on the old penny-wise and pound-foolish
system, throw its influence in the way of its being
wiped from the statute book.
AS an objection to the use of the awaiian
flag upon whaleships owned here, it is urged that
aliens cannot hold ships in their own names, by
the laws of the country. The palpable result is
that a course is pursued which, in the homely
language of an old saying is " whipping the devil
round the post and a Hawaiian register is
obtained by means that, while they are recognized
and understood by all, are disingenuous and sub
rosa. The principle which requires that the flag
of the country shall be used by none but its own
subjects is an obvious and universal one but it is
a question whether in our case a wise policy
would not favor the amendment of our laws in
eno AOcpSNt, anu ~ aLoNIhS uoHiiCACu ailcHo W
register their vessels as Hawaiian, secure their
addition to the commerce of the country in a
legitimate way, without obliging a recourse to a
system which to say the least is not respectable.
In endeavoring to foster the enterprise and pro-
mote the commerce of the country, the Legislature
would do well to consider this point attentively.
Nothing certainly can be lost by the concession
suggested, and the Iiberality which it would
evince would at once itself to foreign
capitalists. Letters of denization have, we un-
d%erstand, been granted, by which foreign resi-
dents are enabled to hold vessels under the Ha-
waiian flag. Whether this is the best plan which
can be devised to obviate the difficulty, and to
invite and concentrate foreign capital here, time
alone can develop.
Another objection to the use of the Hawaiian
flag is that the oil and bone taken under it can
not be entered in the ports Of the United States
ON an equality with the produce of American
vessels engaged in the same business. 1t will be
seen by reference to our table, that ten of the
nineteen vessels belonging here and employed in
the whale fishery are still under the American
flag, although they are owned by residents of
Honolulu, and their catchings pass into the
United States duty free, while the catchings of
vessels carrying the Hawaiian flag, of both oil
and bone, are subject to a duty of Is per cent.
This difficulty, however, will be obviated whenever
the trade in oil and bone is sufficient to employ
ships for carrying direct to London or the German
ports, which are open to us, and in point of
profit are better than those of the United States.
By the tariff of Great Britain, all whale oils and
bone, the produce Of foreign fisheries, imported
into the United Kingdom after the LIST of Janu-
airy, 1857, are duty free. Bremen and Hamburg
are free ports, The duties being merely nominal,
for the produce and the flags of all nations. The
business of freighting oil from this poy direct to
Europe was commenced last year. The American
bark Messenger Bird sailed for Bremen on the Sd
of December last, with a full cargo of oil and
bone, valued here at S64 ,OOO, entirely the catch
ings of Hawaiian vessels. This is but tie COM