The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1870-03-12

Tnsan
l,-rr..t,r General, were published in our
y So r rabr7,arv l2th, and also printed on
n; ,..or,ranving this issue On this page OF
to-,Iav-s paper, present them III "'i aD''-'o'
form. that will enable our readers auEOlu u oon'-
80. the trade Of 1869 with that oi previous
rsar. aeeompanying them with such remarks
- NAV be necessary to clearly understand TIC
subject
The Sugar Trade.
Tho rast year Qs69) has been prosperous
,-f,b the planters. the price IN our Priheilai
market (San Francisso) having ruled hign, win
:, ,ood demand during most Of the year Tor the
enor GRADES By referring to table L, IN the next
,,I,,,or II will be seen that the total amount oil
go .,ported during 1869 has fallen short OF
g. .stioate- and has proved to be even below
that Of 1868. and only 572, ,OG9 pounds more than
the export Of 1866. These facts indicate that the
,,ruf,cture Of sugar on these Islands has reached
~ limit. at least for the present. and that there
: little hone Of exceeding the total export OF the
r,st two wears. under the system OF cane culture
at present adopted
The only new mill erected during the past year
ia that Of the West Maui Sugar Company, at La
baina- Ii is first class mill capable of manu-
f,ctprin0 from four TO SIX tons Of sugar day.
This. however, can hardly be called an increase
of our manufacturing capacity, as it merely takes
the place of the mill formerly owned by the La
haina Sugar Company. We consider Lahaina as
one Of the finest localities for sugar manufacture
that our Islands furnish, possessing, as it does,
dry climate, well suited to the making OF choice
sugars, while the land is fat and nearly level
with the sea that the cane derives the necessary
moisture from the subsoil mountain drainage,
and is not dependent at all on rains. Thoroughly
cultivated, the district around Lahama can pro-
duce several thousand tons of sugar annually.
Other parts of our group have suffered seri-
ously from drought during the past year, and
several of the plantations have from this cause
had their yield materially reduced. The drought
is owing mainly to the entire absence of the
southerly rains, which generally prevail during
the winter and spring months But during the
winters of 1869 and 1870 no rains of import
auce from that quarter have fallen, and as a con-
sequence the westerly sides of all the Islands of
this group have been parehed, with pastures
and springs SO dried up that numerous cattle have
persisted. Should the drought continue, as now
threatens, some of the plantations, situated on
.
It seems remarkable that there should be so great
difference as has been observed the past two
years, in the amount of rain falling on the
weather and lee sides Of the various Islands.
The prospect for the ratification of the reci-
prOcitY treaty by the American Government, to
which referred in our last review, is considered
probable, though doubts still exist, owing to the
impression which prevails at Washington that the
benefits would be wholly on our side. There is
no doubt that these would be shared by both
countries and though at the outset we might
derive the most, yet as the American tariff
becomes reduced to its former level, the results
would be more evenly divided There is unques-
tonably widespread feeling among capitalists,
Planters and all interested in the soil here, that
more intimate union, by a reciprocity or
other treaty between the two countries, would
impart feeling Of confidence and stability where
now uncertainty exists By news received this
week from Washington, it is hoped that the
envoy Of this government may succeed in bringing
about more intimate commercial and political
alliance, which shall be satisfactory to all.
Rise Culture.
Ihe table before referred to (No. l) shows !
tiat the exports of rice and paddy have nearly !
doubled for 1869 over what they were in 1868. !
lhe crop IS supposed to have been about two
millions Of pounds, the balance having been |
consumed IN the kingdom, as the amount imported /
i snail. The quality of Hawaiian rice has
justly gwen it preference over every other kind
the San Francisco market excepting only
oA'Ol'ne' which 1t closely resembles. 1t is aues-
Ioua 9--a''e whether as much will be raised during
stimulus of high prices being for the
'"' "l'hdraWn, and eultivators having the
f'o'pe'' ot poor pay, while taro commands bieb
prices. - long as the natives can Obtain +a,o
cents a pound for their paddy, thew n-afa- 80
ouy taro, which costs usually one cent hn.
~len tne prices Of these two staples become
e'ersed' they return to taro culture. which iii
' the case to some extent, this year.
fils shown large increase IN ov,.-.- ,o,oo.,
t,b1aI SHeee'iing that Of any year given in our
E. -, Inc 'rees have not entirely recovered
rro1,,,oaI yet IN some sections they have
eu 'ery We'll The native cultiyators have
-. HiOusnout the year demanded higher price for
81 -'eie tnan exporters can afford to give; and
"e consequence has been that the latter have
SSfADy been losers. owing to declining figures
T., francisco. We observe that Rio coffee is
- '"" IN New York in bond at IO@I2c, the
- current in San Francisco, and unless
r. 5O"eiS can produce it as cheaply as the
email AP'f' lSrs0iler VIII De
equation Of KOna coffee has from some
suffered Of late, and it does not rank as
-'sH abroad as it did. Whether this is owing
"ore 70 the manner IN which IL Is cured or other
'@u'es' We know not; but cultivators should
q great care to produce only superior article.
'nee always improves with age, and is never fit
''f use under twelve months from the time it il
EAthered and cleaned But so far as our obserya-