Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1881-10-15
Hawaiian Reciprocity Treaty.

Correspondence Of General Comfy. United
States Minister Resident, TO the State Department
of his Government, published in the CONNER
oial Resolutions Of the United States:"
The influence of the reciprocity treaty upon tho
increase of our carrying trade between the Hawa-
ian Islands and the Pacific coast, and upon tho
still larger increase Of our ship-building for Ia-
waiian owners, has been one OF its most crafty
ing results.
/ have referred to this subject from time TO
time. and more recently by last mail, in my No.
l6i, showing by analysis OF custom. house statis-
ties the proportion of American shipping to all
other, and the like suggestive facts.
Three years and half ago, when first report
ed for duty AT this post there was but ono island
steamer now there are eight and more ordered.
every one of them but one, American built. The
increase In sailing vessels has been still larger.
Besides IL il, by far the larger portion of vessels
sailing foreign in the Hawaiian trade have re-
manned under the American flag, so that they do
not APP car i'll the Hawaiian custom house statis-
ties. For example. firm in San Francisco,
engaged exclusively in the Island trade, had
added four new fast-saiing cruisers 20 this trade
within the year, all under the American flag.
vi those vessels under the Hawaiian flag there
are chiefly two classes: ~ New ships built in the
United States for Hawaiian owners and (2) ships
formerly under the American flag transferred to
Hawaiian owners, and Hawaiian flag.
In one house German capital has purchased q
number of American vossels and put them under
the American flag Part of the Glasgow machi-
merry which rubbed spot into the treaty, as
l have 30 often mentioned was brought here in
two large American vessels, direct from Scotland.
IL is but fair and Just to admit that probably
all this increased demand for American ships and
ship-building grew out OF the reciprocity treaty,
and would never have existed except for its gene
ratiye power. This generative power is reflex AZ
well as direct IT creates magnificent increase
OF Island products this creates both demand
and capacity for large increase of the import
trade from the United States and these COM
bincd create the demand for carriers under the
American flag and for American factors, agents,
bankers, insurers, and producers of elm Dst every
kind.
The trade with the islands IA but n drop in tho
bucket. But, compare the total amount of her
exchanges between the Hawaiian Islands with
those between all other countries and the United
States; then apply to this last the same ratio of
increase in our carrying trade and ship-building
which we have gained here; the result, IL seems
to me, would show that under like conditions of
prosperity everywhere, all fear of the American
flag disappearing from the sea might be aban-
doned.
Assuming that there would have been the same
amount OF Hawaiian sugar produced without tho
treaty-whch there would not, in facl-add, that
all of such sugar would have come to US, and
would have paid duty, there would then be the
bare and inexorable fact of the loss of certain
demonstrable dollars to the United States Treas
ury, in the shape of duties abandoned under tho
treaty.
1t is true also on the other hand. that the gain
to the United States does not resolve itself into
dcmonstrable dollars. 1t is somewhat vague and
incompatible. The effort to balance the loss and
gain is thus difficult IL is like trying to settle
the net gain where has given away Il sum
certain and found a swarm OF bees.
IL our commercial policy with the Sandwich
Islands il to be taken only part of the system,
intended to take in and bind together all the
two great continents and their adjacent islands
on our side of the world, it seems to me that
there arc such grand possibilities to the near
future of the United States in such scheme az
would make the reciprocity treaty with these
islands conspicuous landmark in our CONNER
cial history. Considered simply by itself it would
seem comparatively feeble and inconsa .pent.
Its value TO the islands il very great undoubedly;
that goes without telling. Our loss in revenue,
also is plain enough to any one with wit enough
to compute the customs due on some millions of
pounds of sugar, rice, &c. Our gain, l repeat, in
as incompatible the future activity and pro-
ductiveness of swarm of bees. After all this,
there many millions of American capital
invested here under and because of the treaty.
JAMES NJ Comfy,
Minister.
Legation of the United States,
Honolulu, SdHdicich Islands, June 6, 1851.