The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1874-07-18
The DistilIation Act.

Mr.. EDITOR The obstinate and persistent reiter-
alton of the fallacy that distillation on sugar planta-
tons must inevitably promote the drinking of rum
among HaRaiians, and thereby hasten their extinc-
tion,' as alleged in the Gaeehe, will not surprise
those acquainted with the tactics of the party from
whom the opposition TO the measure emanates. 1t
seems to me however that if it be left unrefuted it
may be mistaken for truth by the unrehecting who
form a large proportion of all communities. l there
fore propose to demonstrate its unsoundness by sub
hitting, in a concise form, some of the facts and
reasons bearing upon it, which must, when fully un-
derstood and appreciated, establish its utter ground
lessness, notwithstanding the very ~dogmatical man
ner in which it has been promulgated.
Those who are acquainted with the construction of
distilleries elsewhere, are aware of the perfect COM
~pleteness of their arrangements for the 'inevitable
delivery into the excise vat of every drop of con-
densed spirit from the still and worm, so as effectu-
ally to prevent the Illicit diversion of a particle of it
unless with the fraudulent connivance of those in
charge. l take for granted that similar and equally
efectual measures viii be adopted here, and with
equal success.
The vagueness of the assertion against which l
contend does not enable US to comprehend what is
its authors idea of the mode in which Hawaiians are
to procure such liberal supplies of rum from distil-
IerleS as Will suffice 10 HaSleu their eAlinctlOn -
whether by the simple process of purchasing it from
the proprietor, or by some stealthy and felonious
b~roaching of the store where il will be slowed away.
L may therefore be in error in assuming that it is
expected to be obtained by the former course. How
far it is probable that any proprietor will voluntarily
be q party to such illicit traffic, will be best judged
of by q glance at the risks and perils to which such
a course must expose him.
The Distillery Act, which only awaits the Royal
sign manual to become law, provides that a party
procuring a license shall file with the Minister a
bond in the penal sum of $4,000 Gas L believe) con-
ditioned that he viii not infringe any law of this
Kingdom, or any of the conditions of the license, on
pains of forfeiture Of the entire penalty of the bond,
and the absolute cOnfscation of his ~distillery works
and material to the government.
But there are still other penalties in the law at
tached to an illicit trade in the product of the dis
tilery, for under the Doth Section of Chapter Al of
the Penal Code the transgressor will be liable to an
unmitigable fine of $500, and Imprisonment at hard
labor not exceeding six months, in the discretion of
the Court, for selling spirits without a license; and
still further, he may be fined $500 under the first
Section of the same Chapter, for furnishing spirits
to native Hawaiians, and each case will be liable to
a separate penalty.
Again, there is another aspect of the matter which
must be considered before arriving at a full appre-
citation of the consequences to result from an infrac-
ton of the above named laws, by an unfortunate
proprietor who may yield to the destinations of a
ready money sale at home to natives at retail prices,
as is probably assumed by those whose views I am
combating. Every native who shall succeed in in
ducing a proprietor to sell him a bottle of rum, that
moment becomes master of the position, knowing
full we'll that his future demands for supplies of the
same kind, on his oDn terms. will not likely be re-
fused by the proprietor, who is so completely at his
mercy in his liability to arrest and prosecution for
the penalties 1 have explained.
Does the Gazette and its party really and in earn
est believe that there can be found one planter so
utterly reckless as Voluntarily to place himself in
the p~redicament I have pointed out, for any possible
equivalent he can receive; And this suggests the
question which 1 ask the Gazette to answer, viz.
What is the idea of its party as to the nature and
amount of the equivalent likely to induce a proprie-
tor to incur the pains and penalties above mention
ed, by allowing his rum 10 flow in such copious
streams as seem to be anticipated That party is
no less alive to the Importance and value of a real,
tangible guild pro quo than their less vainglorious
neighbors, and would never expect q planter to be
such a s~impleton as to embark in so very perilous an
enterprise without a tolerable certainty Of an ample
peeuniary recompense. l shall await with anxiety
a clear exposition of the nature and probable amount
of this compensation and whence it is to be derived.
To ordinary mortals, it seems much more probable
that proprietors owning distilleries, who are well
aware Of the utter Generalization which q free use
of spirits by their employees would entail, and the
consequent ruin of their own hopes and prospects,
will themselves become the most vigilant and indie
fatigable detectives - to suppress the slightest in
dicatiOn of such o catastrophe. Such is the honest
conviction Of the advocates of the measure, distinctly
and clearly explained, and I trust the other party
will explain their views with equal clearness for at
present they are exceedingly hazy and obscure.
D.