The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1875-05-29
WHO WILL BE BENEFITED BY RE
CIPROCITY7

prOcity Treaty" OF " they are the ones who will
be chiefly benefited by it," that we presume
this sentiment il more prevalent than we had
supposed it to be; and we think it proper to lay
the subject before our readers in the light in which
it presents itself to our own mind.
The sugar industry, we regard as the great in
dustrial interest Of the Kingdom, upon which al
most every other interest depends. While sugar
is produced, other interests may and generally
will prosper though the producer of sugar him
self may not; for he cannot prosper unless his
returns for his product pay all his expenses, and
leave him at least without loss. But every
department Of business. and labor which grows
out Of his business Will prosper, for they all are
usually paid as they 60 along, while the planter
gets no pay fc: his labor and investment unless
something remains when all others have been
paid. Thus it has been at these islands. The
plantations have brought prosperity to all of their
auxiliaries, for these have received their pay as
they have earned it, but there has been nothing
left for the planters-On the contrary, they have
made large losses. To illustrate. When q plant
alton is started. the first step is to buy land. The
seller of the land gets his pay for it. Next the
land must be improved. Laborers are hired; it
is cultivated and planted with cane; fences, roads,
and bitches are made as needed. Machinery
must be obtained and set up, and buildings erected.
When the cane is ripe, say at the end of eighteen
months, it must be gathered and manufactured
containers bought, and freight paid to carry it to
market, and agents must be paid for selling it.
All Of these-the landowner; the laborer; the
lumber merchant; the builder; the machinist;
the coaster; the agent, the ship which carries
the sugar and molasses plantation products)
abroad; the merchant who has sold his goods to
all classes; the government which has collected
its duties of the merchant; the farmer who has
raised and sold his kalO to the laborers all have
been paid. They have earned their money and
received it and prospered, whether the planter
gets any returns or not. If he does, he partici-
pates in the prosperity which his enterprise and
money have bestowed upon others; but they pros
per through him, as long as he sends his products
to the market, whether he prospers or not, or
however disastrous it may be to him. And if he
is obliged to go under, it dries up the fountain
which has yielded a full supply of it's waters to
them,-which has been lie and prosperity to
them, but loss and disaster to the planter. The
sugar production at the islands has impaired
prosperity to a large circle Of island industries
and interests, whilst to those whose capital and
energies have been Immediately devoted to it, as
a rrhOIe it has been a great loss. Without reci-
p%rocity, or better prices than have ruled for the
two past years, it mus: have materially dimin-
ishcd very soon, and thus dried up the fountain
which has proved the source Of prosperity to
others. If this be 80, then the treaty will be of
equal benefit to all Others as to the planters them
selves, for it will give such returns to the latter as
will enable them to continue the business from
which the former have derived their prosperity;
and If the planters prosper in future, others may
hope to continue to do SO; and If they do not,
others cannot expect to.
According to Mr.. Thrum's 90 Annual, - in if
teen years from 1860 to 1874 inclusive, our ex-
ports Of sugar-and herein, it should be remem-
bered, no account il made Of the important item
Of home consumptiOn-haTe amounted to 2l4,-
TAB .94l lbs, which would require 100000
containers Of 100 lbs. each, and which, including
kegs and bags. would average about 60 cents
each, making 81, O64. 900. Molasses exported
during the same period, was 4 1902 9l gallons,
requiring I6I ,O54 containers Of % gallons, worth
81. 25 each=S2OI ,3I9, making the total expense
Of containers 81, 265.3I2. The inter-island
freights upon containers TO. and sugar and mo-
Iasses from plantations to Honolulu. amounts to
about S45O, 900, and freights to foreign markets,
averaging all around SO per ton, with 81 cents
Der gallon for molasses, makes $500, 900. Allow
ing each common laboTer to produce three tons of
sugar, it would give employment to 35,79O men,,
or an average Of over , 300 per year for the whole
fifteen years, at An aggregate cost Of about
S., SOC, 900. Managers, Oyerseers, Sugar-bOilers,
Engineers, Carpenters. Blacksmiths, and all other
skilled labor, would cost about 81. 500, 900 more,
whilst lands, machinery, and buildings have cost
more than $4,000 900.
Most of the plantations have changed hands,
With large losses, in the aggregate, as We are in
formed, of from one and a-quarter to one and
a-half millions of dollars. The product of those
plantations for the period named, which may be
fairly stimated ut eleven and a half millions of
dollars, should be added TO the losses, as repre-
senting the sum Of the expenditures, which brings
the sum total to thirteen millions of dollars. The
losses thus far, have been divided between Europe,
the United States and the islands. Some planta-
ton owners have compounded with their creditors
more than once, whilst some plantations have been
given up. Without a change for the better, we
NAV say that most Of them would finally be aban-
doned, as their continuance very long at q loss
be out Of the question.
We have shown that the sugar industry, while
it has been the source of prosperity to others,
has been. as a whole, a source Of loss to the
planters themselves that without some improve
ment, most Of the plantations must gradually be
given up; and that with their abandonment, the
prosperity which has attended other branches Of
business must cease, just as tie fertility produced
the flowing stream must cease if the fountain
that feeds the stream dries up. As the sugar
equals full three-quartsrs Of al the