The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1877-03-24
THE PACIFIC
MARCH "a.

SATURD4 \. MARCH q.
y TREATY concerning the formation Of a general
Postal Union was concluded at Berne on October
9th, lS74,-as is generally known. 1t may be re-
called, en- PassaHt, that the powers, by whose sew
eral plenipotentiaries the treaty in question was
signed. were Great Britain, the United States Of
North America, Germany, Austro-H Hungary,
Russia, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Portugal,
Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands. Italy, Greece,
Switzerland, Luxembourg, Roumania, Servia,
Turkey, Egypt, and finally France, somewhat
later. 1t is needless to say that the advantages
which resulted from the very beginning to the
people Of the several States aforementioned
from the operation Of this Postal Treaty, were
Of so important a character as left no room to
doubt of it's desirability and usefulness. The
people Of the United States have been especially
satisfied by the increased facilities furnished to
them by this treaty for carrying on postal
communication with other countries, at moder-
ate rates Of postage, and with full security for
the safe delivery of their foreign correspondence.
For some time past, many people in this
Hawaiian Kingdom have ako been of opinion
that it would be very useful and advantageous for
ourselves to join the Postal Union in question;
and there can be no manner Of doubt about the
matter, If other circumstances permitted the
adoption of such a course. a special Article of
the treaty Cart. XVI) provides for {" the entry
into the Postal Union of countries beyond sea,
not yet forming part of it so that, in point of
fact, there would be no difficulty in the way of
the Hawaiian Kingdom joining the postal Union,
on compliance with the conditions laid down in the
Article above cited, which are mere formalities.
But here, as in the case of a great many other
very useful improvements, arises the inevitable
question of cost. The proportion of the expense
to be borne by each individual state included in
the Postal Union is expressly laid down in sec
ton XVII of the Detailed Regulations for the
execution of the treaty" for that end. The
countries included are divided into six classes,
and each contributes in the proportion OF a GER
tain number or units towards the general ex-
penses. In view of their division, countries of
the first class contribute at the rate OF % units,
while those of the sixth class contribute at the
rate of 3 units. 1t s~ufices here to say that Great
Britain and the United States belong to the
first class, and little Luxembourg figures alone
in the sixth class. Now, it might be supposed
that it would be very satisfactory for our
Hawaiian Kingdom to join the Postal Union,
Win Tue SdinG ShdoclhCatlOh dS AAuAOmOOAABJ
but, still the cost would come very heavy on our
Exchequer in fact SO heavy as to exclude the
possibility of this government making SO great
q pecuniary sacrifice even to secure for the peo-
pie the unquestionable advantages which the
Postal Union ensures to its members 1t ap-
pears, however, that there is just a possibility of
the Hawaiian Kingdom being included indirect
Iy in the Postal Union, without entering into
the foregoing classification. Section xxx of
the {" Detailed Regulations" fixes the 'District
of the UniOn," from which it appears that GER
tain, so to speak, outlying Territories, mostly
insular, are aggregated to one or other of the
States included in the Postal Union it is true
they belong to their dominion. Thus Iceland and
the Farce Islands are aggregated with Denmark
the Balearic Isles, the Canaries, and the Spanish
possessions in Morocco, with spain; Algeria,
with France; Malta, with England; Madeira and
the Azores, with Portugal; finally, the Grand
Duchy of Finland, with Russia. Now, taking
into account the proximity of the Hawaiian Isles
to the United States of North America, the
intimate relations between the two countries,
still more closely drawn together by the late
Reciprocity Treaty, and finally the sublime ex-
ample of a people just emerged from savagery
striving to attain to the rank of a civilized ma
ton, with wonderful success, it must be said
in short, giving due weight to the entirely e-
ceptional conditions of this astonishing little
Christian Kingdom of savage Polynesia, We be-
lieve that it is by no means unreasonable to hope
that Hawaii-nei might be aggregated to the
United States, as regards the Postal Union, in
the same way that the Farce Islands, the Bale
aric Isles, Malta, or Madeira, are aggregated
to the countries that claim dominion over them,
and so included with them in the Postal Union.
We suppose it to be almost needless to observe
that the independence of the Hawaiian Kingdom
would in no wise be affected by such an arrange
ment, if it be possible. At all events, there could
| be no harm for our government to duly authorize
the Hawaiian Diplomatic Resident at Washing
ton-Hon. Mr.. Allen-to breach the subject, to.
the government of the United States and we
doubt not that, if the proposal were sfavorahly
received by the United States government, it
would not be very difficult, through the good
Offices of the same friendly government, to in
duce the other members of the Postal Union to,
consent to this exceptional arrangement in favour
of the youngest born of all the Kingdoms of the
civilized world, which even for this reason, has
strong claims upon the sympathy of the elder
members of the Christian family of nations.
The LATEST intelligence from Eastern Europe
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