The Hawaiian gazette., 1882-11-15

In spite of all that has been written boil
here and in the United States there still
seem to be many, even prominent men, de
sirous of keeping themselves an ooaran
with public affairs, who do not appreciate
the pros and cons of the Reciprocity Treaty
with the Hawaiian Islands. Again and
again has the story to be repeated, and at
each repetition one strikes here an individ-
ual and there another who has not heard our
side of the question, who, if he has thought
of the matter at all seriously has seen the
Productions of our planters and their labor
system as published in the Chronicle and
reproduced i'll various other papers. and
who has in consequence a biased view of
the position.
1t was only the other day that in a let
ter from New York, one of our prominent
business men here, heard of a gentleman
who still believed in the importation of
Manila and Chinese sugars into our mar
ket for the purpose of expectation into
San Francisco as Hawaiian sugars. There
never was more absurd charge than this.
1t has been shown to be utterly false again
and again, and yet once more it has had
to be rebutted and probably will have to
be again often enough. 1t is but repetition
to say that the Hawaiian duty on brown
sugar is y cts. a pound; that it would be
| impossible to ship Manila and Chinese
sugars undetected into the port of San
Francisco where there are experts who can
| at once tell the difference between them
and our island sugars; that during the last
years only 9,l07 lbs. of such sugars have
found their way hither, in value not ex-
ceediag 1921, that this quantity is amply
accounted for as being part of the stores
OF ships, and finally, that to carry out such
system of fraud would argue the comm
vance of Hawaiian and American officials.
q thing which it is impossible to imagine.
Long ago as this matter has been exploded. |
it apparently seems needful to allude to it.
Either the San Francisco Post or the Merchant
had lengthy article upon it in the early
part of the year. Judge Allen treated the |
matter at the commencement of his Re |
marks before the Committee on Foreign |
Affairs, but still the snake fingers scotched |
not killed
Laying aside such calumnies however.
there is one especial class of people in the |
States, by whom it is desirable that our
position should be well understood. this is
the Louisiana Planters. If the gentlemen
who form that class were thoroughly to
realize what the planters of this country
are doing, and were further to realize what
drop in the bucket all the sugar produced
IN this country is, as compared with what
is required by the United States. we sbould
have very little if any Opposition from
them. Last year the total quantity of sugar
produced by the Louisiana Planters was
l36,491 tons: the total amount of sugar
imported and produced, and therefore.
required by the citizens of
the United States, was 1.103. 772 tons. Tins
only little over II per cent. of the whole
OF sugar used by the United States
was home product. the rest had to he
gathered from the tropical countries of the
world: from these countries 967. 2SI tons
we're drawn, and of that amount Hawaii
supplied but 81 ,943 tons. or only .O5 ger
,ent of the whole amount imported. |
Viewed in this light, it becomes plain how
mail the quantity drawn rum the shores
If Hawaii IS
The population of the United States is
very year increasing, the accession to its
numbers is enormous, and every mouth
Idded IS sugar eater: the amount of su-
Sar consumed by this teeming population
VII also increase from year to year. The
plantations of the South, developed to Z
heir uttermOst, must always give far below
he product required by the country. 1t
'ecomes a question therefore, whence It is
est to draw the necessary overplus. There :.
re Cuba, Porto Rico, San Domingo. Bra e.
Il, British West Indies, Hawaiian Islands. 5,
nd nahy others. All these will neces-
ar1ly cont11Syte to the general fund, hit
here Is one out d the group that SHOULD
and on different footing fEofn All fhe
st; that one is Hawaii:.s Without Reel
rocity sugar production wo,,ld undonhf-
1ly go on in these islands mi Il would
Of be carried ca On 50 large a scale: InanT