The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-10-28
IKE ACIFEC
Commercial AOOtrtlsrr.
SATURDAY. OCTOBER =
tFroal Vie :. =. Journal Of -Conmesee)
The Hawaiian Reciprocity Treaty and It's
Meaning.

Now that we nave what We 81 ardently longel ana
wished for, the Reciprocity Treaty. 1t IS doaotu!
We understand its meaning. The intent ana deslgu
Of the instrument was evidently TO admit duty iree
only those articles that we're the growth OF pro1oce
Of the Islands, OF. manufactured from raw MATERIAL
the Growth or prcluce Of the Islands but nufor-
tuuately the act does not distinctly say so-the
words being 81 All the articles named IN the follow
inc schedule, he same being the growth, msnufac-
tnre, or produce Of the Hawaiian Islands. his Is
certainly distinct enough, and it seems that accord
ing to it the United States Il geLls@d as
articles named in the schedule which are manutac-
turel In the Hawaiian Islands, whether OF nome
growth material or not. Of that the revenue I'm
Gals are supposed to kLow nothing. The prihc'p@'
interest Of this matter centers in the article Of sugar,
which is mentioned in the schedule in the following
terms - muscovado, brown aud all other unrehned
sugar heretofore commonly imported from tAe ma
wliian Islands, and noT.known IN the markets ot
San Francisco and Portland as Sandwich isiahd
sugar. Under the terms Of this, white fenrei
sugars are excluded, 80 that cube, hne crnshea or
granulate1. manufactured 10 the sandwich isriudS'
would have 10 pay duty before II could be inpof'eu'
But brown sugar manufactured there can esldeh'y
be imported here free of duty, no matter "nat wac
the original country Of lis growth inns eEIiehtLy
takes away the manufacture OF this class OF sug-"1
altogether from our local refiners, and leaves to them
only the manufacture of white, unless, indeed, the
further ambiguity of tie sentence should turn the
tables in their favor. The ambiguity we have rel
erence to is found in the following words: = Ana
all the other unrefned sugar, meaning hereDy the
groJee of sugar commonly imported from the Ia
Waiian islands, and now known IN the markets Q.
San Francisco and Portland as Sandwlch Isiahd
sugar." Now there is not, rs far as we have ever
heard, ANYTHING particularly Distinguishing unfe-
fined Sandwich Islands sugars from unrehned sugars
the growth of any other c0untry-hence II raw
sugars from Manila, China, Java, or elsewhere, car
be so treated as TO resemble raw sandwich lsiAhO
sugar. 1t must be admitted duty free, because oil ih'
Grade - now known in the markets as SAND
wicb Island sugar. Such q grade might be grown
on any portion Of the earth's surface. The act doe
not even specify that the sugar must be lmportet
from the isl9nds it says heretofore commonly III
norted-tbe word commonly seeming to imply that |
should not necessarily be so. However, the worn
growth or produce would probably cover this
but what is to prevent the sugar beng put througi
the first process of refining there, anu then lmpor'e'
as manufactured? Some may object to this view o
the matter, that it was not tue intent OF the Ohlte'
States, President or Congress that II shouid U coh
strued that way, but intent is one thing anu acIloI
another. Besides did we object TO such O construc
ton the IIaWaiians could turn the tables on us IN
way that we would be certainly unprepared loi
Amongst the articles that we can export 10 u
Islands, duty free, are machinery, WOODEN gOoI:
eordage, etc. Now it is well known that on TN
coast most Of the pig iron used 10 machinery IS I'M
ported from England, that in the cloth manufacture
in the Eastern States, and even In that manutac
tured here, Australia and other WOODS are rargei
used. and that cordage is made almost, If not alto
oether, from imported hemp. Ii we, therefore, RI
fused to admit brown or dark sugar manufactured /
the Islands because the raw material was OF toreig
growth, what is there to prevent the islanders ooJec'
ing to admit duty free our machinery, cloth. eordag'
etc, the raw material OF which was imported
Nothing and to prevent this. we would be oplge
to Weld on the sugar question. There Is, hoWeve
nothing to prevent our sugar rehnefs from 3uytn
I'D all the raw or brown sugar OF the Islands bt
the ordinary obstacle found in trade. The operatlo
of the treaty will, undoubtedly, initiate agaln'
their production of the sugar referred TO, out IL cal
not interfere with the refining OF "hi'e sugar
which, under the treaty, cannot be imported du'