The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1873-04-19

Nh. EpToR-I don't know who your correspou-
dent &C" may be, but he has queer ideas Of accuracy
Of purpose, although he complains Of the lack Of it
in others. He a computation by apply
ing to the reported exports for 1872, which were no
torioUsly below the average, the present tariff Of the
United States. the great notifications Of which were
made at the end of the long session Of 1872. No
part Of this new law took effect till August /, 1872
The operation Of another part was postponed till Oc-
tober !, 1872, and 1 believe il will not become COM
pletely efectqal till July /, 1878. By this ingenious
combination your correspondent plausibly seeks to
persuade others that the annual tribute obtained
from our industries by the treasury of the United
States is much less than it really was las; year or
ever can be again. My own estimate Of 100000
was suggested TO me by business men, one of whom
claims to have paid $4,000 at least in duties ut san
Francisco, and l confess that I relied q little too
much upon the United States customs system which
was in force at the time of the last aboVtiye efforts 10
obtain reciprocity. The important act of 1872 was
not generally accessible. l admit also that there was
another reduction of the tariff two or three years ago
so that it may DC fair to say that for the future, III
the American tariffs remain unchanged, we shall
pay about 5000, 900 annually to the United States.
If the annual product does not warrant this, we are
on the road to ruin. There may be an error Of $780,
900 in my statement, and before sc. s" article APP
peared [ had thought of making the correction
myself; but the great object OF my communication
was to show that annexation would relieve our
islands from a great annual burden. 1t therefore
seemed like arrogating too much Importance for a
fugitive paragraph to recall public attention by the
correcting statement that the annual relief would
be only S767 ,47S,l and not 1867 ASH. 1t would
be very great in any event, involving far more than
our apparent annual taxation. As it was a matter of
estimate, l estimated literally on both sides, and
fixed the probable local charges under a United
States Government very much higher than similar
charges under the existing government. For instance,
1 estimated the annual charge for public instruction
at 500, 100000 annually. The last appropriation
for the Bureau Of Public instruction for two years
was. ..-.-----.. ..-.--....-
Deduct appropriation for census. ....... $500, 90
SSs, $685. 10
Half of which (s44.480,O0) is the present annual
appropriation for public instruction. assumed that
under the United States Government We should have
a system of secular education, wholly under public
control, which would be more expensive to the treas
ury but much more efficient than the present system
of largely Substituting sectarian schools. 1t would
accord much better with the instincts of the age. If
your readers will have patience l will invite their at
tention to n new table corrected on both sides, in
which the present local expenditures are assumed as
the future ones. If accuracy requires US to assume
las &C" does) that we shall never export any more
than 10 1872 it is equally accurate to say that we
never shall spend any more than the last appropria-
ton bill calls for. The following exhibit illustrates
this theory of non-prOgress:
Annual revenue by last bud
get go. $482,479,I7
Customs duties to Z. S.. 600, 10000 1882, 47s,17
Local charges by last appropriation act
Public Instruction. ...... 44,48O,OO
Roads and Bridges. =. 20, 100,0 O.
of direct taxation 15,250.0 90
e. . ......... 81, 904, 90
and health system &c, $4,000
Miscellaneous, Test. )..... lO,000,O 90 169, 4s4 90
Annual relief from taxation by annexation 912, 1884, IL
If the amount of American customs duties
is only $780, 900 annually this balance
should be still further reduced y....... $50, 100000
So th0t the animal relief at the --