The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1879-10-18

vors q special interest and places an unfair advantage in
particular hands. In the present case, owing 10 the fact
states and territories, and owing to the distance and cost
movai Of the duty on the island product si1es te one
man who controls that product the chance to manipulate
the market at his viii. The free sugar he gets from the
islands gives him power TO crush competition from
other quarters. so that no sugar from the east or else
where can be sold on this coast except on terms made
with the monoPohst. The treaty Of reciprocity with the
benefit Of Mr.. Claus ~spreekles, Of San Francisco: and
it costs the government more than two million dollars a
year and the consumers Of the Pacific coast an equal an
Since government must have q revenue. sugar is one Of
the articles which should always bear an import duty.
commodities which, like sugar. win pay clear revenue
eolleetable at little cost. and exemption from duty Of
little or no revenue because protection &" keeps them
mously TO the consumer. for the benefit Of the protected
and favored Manufacture. We import over 7o0.o 600 tons
Of value OF imports into the United States. The taS ND
therefore II IS an equitable one. tits not. tax to keep
S Soi : iG poeEet s staS. s n eFass o oS :! Put c6 ms = into some
To the Editor Of the Pacific Commercial Advertiser:
SIR an referring to the above, taken from the
Oregonian of Sept. 20. 1879, it may be we'll to re-
view the article and see just how far it is correct.
as the paper has no doubt great influence 10 its
own section. The people of Oregon are our next
door %neighbors and our friends, commercially; we
have had a large trade with them for years, and
we do not propose to give it up. I cannot believe
the Ore0OnidR Dr. the people of Oregon Intentional
ly desire to do us an injustice, but such an article
as the above is calculated to awaken suspicion. if
nothing more.
As to DemaIara sugars being entered free of
duty at San francisco as Hawaiian, it is too alb
surd to demand a netice, and l venture to say the
Treasury Department of the United States has no
such Ii is quite true. however, that
our sugar export for the year ending the Both of
September last. does show quite an increase over
the preceding year. and we hope to show a CORES
ponding increase this year; but that the United
States lost in duty on our sugar the past year, two
millions of dollars is questionable to say the least
Our entire export of sugars from Oct. LIST, 1873 to
Oct. LIST, 1879, was 5,647, 796 pounds. That most
of it went to the Unified States is true, but the duty
could only average 2 l-2 cts. per pound. or say
81, l25. 900. 1 might add that our sugar export for
the year abose referred to exceeded any previous
year fully twenty per cent, so that the loss to the
United States (f there was a loss) was correspond
ingly less as to loss in revenue in that direction.
and l must que,tion the Oregonian's figures when
it says the Unitet States Government has given up
a revenue which amounts to a sum sufficient to
pay for all the exports from the United States to
these Islands.
Let US look bick and see just what the figures
say on this subject, and for the matter of compare
son will give the years 1874. 1875 and nine months
of 1876 when the treaty went into effect. say thirty
three months. Chr imports from the United States
amounted to S2297 ,l62.4S. Take a like period
since the treaty, which would bring it up to July
last, during WHICH time our imports from the
United States wee So, 1872, 346. 80. Aside from this
we have paid slice the treaty went into effect for
steamers and scboners built in the United States.
$3.50. O06. Therefore, our imports during the time
referred to have been Sc, l42, 344.Se, and our ex-
ports of sugar for the same time (admitting it all
to have gone to be Unite d States, which is not
quite true) were l06, 900, 900 pounds, and valued
at 5 l-2 cents perpound, SIS. $50, 900, which is all
that it has uetted to this country, inasmuch as the
freighting has all or nearly all, been done by
American vessels, he insurance mostly by Ameri-
can companies, not saying anything about the
commissions paid. or containers, &C., all of which
come through or : paid for to American houses.
Now. if my hgurs are correct. as 1 believe them
to be, the only difference in the matter of loss or
gain between the two countries is simply in the
tariff; or in ~OtherwOrds, were the duties the same
in the United Staes as in this country we should
certainly have disadvantage under the treaty. |
allow the difference between our imports. and ex-
ports of sugar forrice and hides, which will more
than cover. l nay be permitted to add that we
manufacture noting in this country but the raw
sugar. whereas our imports are nearly all ora man.
ufactured charactT; the labor and profits therefore
are not ours.
As to the unfair advantage our free sugar gives
to the one man, wekuOw nothing about; we simply
know that Mr.. Chus SpIeckles came here and
offered TO %purchae our sugars, and we did Just
what the people o any other country should or
would have dOne-sold them at the best price we
could get. We would have sold them just as freely
and willingly to man or men from Oregon or
elsewhere. had the wished to buy. Perhaps it is
unfortunate for bon the people of Oregon and this
country. that Oregon has not the advantages that
San Francisco basin refneries, aud therefore not
able to purchase all classes of sugars or entire
crops.
1 cannot agree With the Oregonidn that our free
sugar gives Mr.. i~preckles or any one else the
power to control G. manipulate the sugar market
on the Pacific Cost. The Oregonidn must know
that sugars have ,lways been a shade higher on
the Paei6c side thin on the Eastern side for vari-
Gus causes--suchas the high rates of port charges,
and therefore niger rates of freight; higher rates
of interest and labor, hence the consumers on the
Pacific Coast had to pay more for their raw or re-
fined sugars, so much more that Eastern sugars
could fairly compile with the San Francisco mar.
ket, after paying costly transportation. Surely,
our free sugars hive benefited the consumers in
this respect. if l am to believe the Oregonidn. for
it says: g The fre sugar he gets from the Islands
gives him (Claus Spreckles) the power to crush
competition from other quarters" 1t would seem
therefore that the consumers are now getting their
sugar lower. and are benefited by the Treaty of
Reciprocity. J. S. WALKER.
EMPI0YM MT WANTED