The Hawaiian gazette., 1868-10-14

1t, for they could not afford to do so. It
would be sold for grocery sugar in the mar
ket and the government would realize its 81
cents per pound only. But darken it and ii
cannot be used without being refined. 1t be-
comes emphstically the imported raw mate
rial for home manufacture, and not only sup
ports the capital and labor of this great in
dustry, SO beneficial to the country, and
which contributes so much directly to its
wealth, and indirectly to its revenues by the
taxes which must be paid into the exchequer
from the increased wealth and increased in
comes, but it pays also direct excise tax Of
one cent per pound more OF less as a manu-
featured article; so that its added benefits
are labor for the needy, increased wealth and
incomes and increased revenue direct and
indirect for the country.
La me repeat The impurities of sugars
below No. IL render them unfit for use with
out refining; above No. IL, they are generally
purer, and being lighter in color, come into
competition with home industry which it
is deemed polite to protect by an enhanced
duty, for sugars of this standard are expect
ed to be sold without refining. 1t could not
have been the intention Of Congress to charge
the manufacturer the protective duty upon
an article of foreign manufacture imported
by him as raw material for his manufacture,
and to charge him besides with the excise
duty npon his manufactures. 1t seems to
me, that to charge the manufacturer 311S cents
and then one cent per pound as home tax,
whilst the importer of the foreign competing
article pays but 80 cents, would be both i'm
polite and unjust. l do not now feel that
to darken the sugars which must in conse-
quence be refined and pay the additional
home tax is either morally or legally wrong,
and that the sugar is as much sugar under
No. IL as if the dirt and coloring matter had
never been extracted. l justify no fraud
upon governments or individuals. Govern
mcnt officials sometimes make mistakes ruin
GUS to individuals have heard of a cargo
or cargoes of meloio Underlined sugar. being
seized upon the charge of an attempt to de-
fraud the revenue by attempting TO import
sugar of higher duty as melado, which pays
less. The case was appealed, and the deci-
sion of the Supreme Court rendered in favor
of the owners; but the delay, the leakage
and the expenses ruined the enterprise. /
have known melado sent from here, charged
with sugar duties, whilst there could not
have been more than 100 pounds of sugar in
toni referred to Washington and no redress
obtained. But have already said more than
intended, and will only say in closing, that
if my views are wrong, 1 am sure they are
honestly held. Yours truly,
s. n. CASTLE.
p S-A friend first mentioned to me some
weeks since the darkening of the sugars, aud
the spontaneous remark which he made was,
that il reduced them to the condition of raws,
which must be manufactured before they
could be sold. 1t seemed so natural and just,
as they would then be obliged to pay excise
tax in addition, that was surprised two days
before the steamer arrived to hear the sug-
gestion that they might be seized, for even if
there were no further tax to be levied on
them, no industry or manufacturing interest
to be promoted or fostered, / fail to see why
the refiner's right to darken his sugar is not
as perfect as the distillerto weaken his spirits.
One adds water and the other coloring mat
ter, neither of which are spirits or sugar; but
the refiner fosters great industrial interest
which would not otherwise be, and pays the
treasury an additional tax of more than the
half cent duty which he would have paid
As to not giving information to the officers
about darkening the sugar why should Mr..
Gordon or any one else do SO, if they thought
it was their unquestioned right. S.N.C.