The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1862-07-10
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
THURSDAY. JELY 10.
The Legislature.

N--F0 - 49, ~ A@N-''7 e
duty or tax on the food of the Iaborer and the
neressaries Of If. The Lower House last week
passed a bill increasing the duty on flour. wheat,
oats, rice and hay to oae cant pr poupd, which
bill Is now before the Mobiles. This i practically
a duty Of 80 per cent. on -four, 80 per cent. on
oats, hay and wheat, and - per cent. on rice,
In the Lower House, the bill was opposed by
most Of the foreigners, Mr.. Knudsen being an cx-
ception, and supported by the natives en- masse.
Ia the debates on it, the chief reasons advanced
in favor Of the duty were the advice Of the Minis
ter Of Finance in his report, and the idea that it
would produce more revenue, and be a blessing
70 the country generally. The opinion of the
Minister Of Finance should pass for nothing on
the subject, when the House and the people have
had the amplest evidence that he is totally unfit
for the Office he holds. His advice, so far as it
has been followed, has proved most disastrous to
the prosperity Of the nation. And now he would
seek, by protective duties, to shut out every dol
lars worth Of importations, to stop every mer-
chant ship from coming here, and tax the poor
and laboring classes for the benefit Of a few.
The Government treasury can deyire no 6encft
from the proposcd increased dutics. Take the arti-
Gle Of flour, for instance. We consume. say.
5000 barrels a year, importing perhaps 1900
barrels, on which the Government now derives
= 1000 to Il 200 duties per annum, or 80 to 60
cents per barrel. The duty is to be increased to
81 Il barrel by the new law, and the importations
viii consequently cease, or be continued only in
very small quantities, as our importers cannot
afford to risk the high duty. Where the treasury
now derives Il 200 income, it Will probably not
obtain 5000.
But, say the advocates, the country Will derive
some benefit, if the Government does not. We
deny the soundmess of this position. The farm
es at Mlkawao get one dollar 4 bushcl for their
wheat now, but they Will only get one dollar II
bushcl after the law goes into operation. They
labor under a mistaken notion, if they think that
they are TO obtain Il dollar and 4 quarter here
after. 1t Is the dealer in -four, the manufacturer,
who will derive the chief benefit from it; but
whatever that benefit Is, it is gain d only at tie
eypeHSe IF The consumers, who generally comprise
the poorer classes of MISUNDERSTANDING rs well as
Hawaiian. This impost tax of two dollars per
barrel Will probably have the effect to increase
the price of -four to at least two dollars over the
wholesale market price at the nearest foreign port.
Whatever increase it causes is Il tax which must
be paid by the consumers. 1t is nothing more
nor less than taxing a large class for the benefit
of another smaller class, the Government deriving
no increased income from it.
If we are to have 4 @profechre tariff, let it be
carried out, 50 as to include every thing, and our
people will sooner get tired of its fancied bene-
49,. 49, ..-~..oO, a. a. "mudtSIU"CI A. ~ NC
let the blacksmith and wheclwright,
who make their plows, carts, and other imple-
ments, come in for their share of protection.
W.. -. 1 r. 4
now done, when Il duty Of 80 per cent. (same as
that on flour) or 50 per cent. Chat on oats.) i'm
posed on all machines that can be made by our
mechanics, will prove as great a blessing to them
as the present law can possibly be to our agricul-
turists? It's a poor rule that won't work both
and if one class is to he benefited or pro-
tectcd at the expense of another, let all lahorers
come in for their share, and abolish the free list.
Those interested, should circulate petitions at
once for this object.
But it is argued that by protective duties,
foster our agriculture, 50 as to create ex-
ports. This argument when applied to this
is perfectly ridiculous. There is no
article that we can produce and export to our
leiShbors, except such products as they cannot
To talk of growing wheat, oats or hay
10 supply California, Oregon or Australia is the
of folly. They can produce these articles
than we. All we can do is to raise suf-
icient for our own supply and exclude foreign
similar products, thus compelling our people to
at such as We can produce, be it good, bad or
Indifferent.
The Appropriation Bill has passed the lower
house, and is now before the Mobiles, with a
prospect of being acted on by them to-day or
0-morrow. The total amount appropriated, rs it
eft the representatives, foots up S477 ,337 So.
If course, the Mobiles will make many changes,
salaries, not excepting those of the
Ministers, which were placed by the representa-
at So ,O00,-too low Il figure, it must be
The country will now have an opportunity to
&c whether or not the Ministers and Governors
will regard the wishes Of the people. and the
of the treasury. In the Budget, as
resented by the Ministers, the pruning-kuife
vas freely applied, and in many eases iudiciousIy
the salaries of subordinate officers and clerks
,cing largely reduced, but singularly enough no
eduction was suggested in their own, and those
f some other of the highest-paid officers. The
~'ommittee Of Finance Of the Lower House, com
.1sed Of conservative and sensible business men,
ePortcd some reductions upon the Budget but
he bill as passed hy the Representatives still
cuts down the salaries as reported
y the Committee many cases quite unreal
enable reductions.