The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-10-21
TEE PACIFIC
commercial
SATURDAY,. OCTOBER 81.
tFrom the Sza Jcsc Mcfrgfs
The Hawaiian Treaty

\ vast deal of complaint is made by = certain
class Of importers against the workings of the
Hawaiian treaty, which is frared will eliminate
in a considerable and odious discrimination as
opposed 10 the interest of the West india PLAN
ter, as well rs the importer whose transactions
with the United States compel the payment OF n
revenue tax upon the very article which q foster
ing enactment admits free Of duty upon the
Pacific Coasr. Theoretically considered, these
complaints would appear well grounded. 1t "a
quite in the light of an inconsistency that Paclhc
fesh should enter az Atlantic fowl, otherwise
that article minus the advalorem upon one sec
ton Of the country. sr5uld be subjected TO 4
rigid enforcement of the tariff upon the other.
In order TO reach an intelligent understanding
Of the various bearings which have exerted n
negative influence in the consummation OF this
treaty, it Will he necessary to touch up our Span
ish regulations, which have for several years
been Of a delicate nature, and which are liable
10 be sundered at any time, and 10 no inconsidera-
bic inconvenience TO the United States, IN case
other markets be not found for the ohtainanee oil
the samples at present imported from the West
India Islands. For years the United States
Government has permitted Spain to plumber the
people Of this country by the most fragrant, rf
not shameless, discrimination against Amer i
commerce. y system of import and port
duties has been devised for Cuba and Porto Rico,
whereby we pay exorbitant prices for the staples
Of those Islands, and are debarred from a fair
competition with Spain in furnishing Cuba with
the products and manufacture of this country
which the Islands require. y simple statement
Of the exports and imports to and from Cuba
and Porto Rico attests this condition of things.
For the fiscal year ending June Both, 1874, they
were as follows
9goE 'P2,s53}s!S
Eti5,s 99
In round numbers we are forced TO pay $780,
900, 900 Il year in gold for the sugars, c%ofees,
tobaccOs, fruits, ETC., which We buy from Cuba,
over and above the value of all the flour, grains
and manufactured articles which Spain allows US
to give in exchange. These e%xactions cut both
ways. Spain imposes export duties on all the
articles we buy from her West India possessions.
When the duty on coffee was removed in this
country Spain put on an additional export tax,
go that American consumers were obliged to pay
as much as ever for those commodities, while
this surplus tax went into the Spanish treasury
instead Of our own. The import duties levied
upon American goods are so discretionary as to
amount nearly to absolute prohibition, being
vastly greater than the import duties on COM
modities sent to Spain. The whole system has
been framed with the express purpose of sustain
ing the Spanish government out of the proceeds
of Cuban taxes, and the people of the United
States arc made the special victims OF the
imposition.
Our commercial relations with the Sand
witch Islands for the year ending June 3Oth,
1874, exhibit as follows
Sl'oIS,9S9
Exports. coo,<oo
Total imports over exports ........... ...'S 42s,6t2
1t will thus be seen that whereas the disparity
in favor of Spain is in the ratio of one dollar in
exports to five and one-half dollars in imports,
even our limited transactions with Hawaii exhi-
bit relation fifty per cent more advantageous to
the United States than with the West Indies.
The present treaty is one equally of amity as
finance. 1t is but n short time since this very
group of Islands sought the protectorate of the
United States. Their effort is now to secure
immigration, and thus by means of q blood re-
lationship to mutually advance and cultivate the
interests Of the two countries. The benefits
derived to the United States need not be expatia-
ted upon. In case of 4 severance of comfy be-
tween this country and Spain, a great dearth of
the leading staples is bound to ensue. The treaty
with Hawaii not only ~fosteres the cultivation of
these commodities, but induces immigration,
provides the United States with q source from
which great benefits as well as conveniences may
be ultimately had, and without burden to any
portion of the country, will doubtless eventually
prove q saving of many millions q year, which
now operates against the interests OF the United
States to the benefit of q Power of whom we
have yet to appreciate any great advantages in
our relations Herewith.