The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-03-11

doubt the government will gladly a k add
vantage of the opportunity it affords Of
placing before foreign powers and foreign
people, amongst whom we have been mail
igned so freely the truth of the case as to
the character of the laws of this Kingdom
which relate to Masters and Servants, and
their mutual duties to one another.
The Custom House statistics of the king
dom for the year 1881, tell a story of rapid
material progress and of that activity of
business which is its natural result. Our
imports and exports were both largely in
excess of those Of former years, and at the
same time the accession to our population
was very considerable. TIL most crafty
ing feature of the whole, the great increase
in the exports of Hawaiian produce, was
manifest to every one as the year went by,
and was made known officially Immediately
after the close of the year. The statistics
now before us disclose in addition the course
taken by this constantly increasing export
trade. From these it is pleasant to learn
that it was not, during the past year, so
strictly confined in one channel as it had
been. This deviation from what was almost
a rule during the previous year was how
ever, only slight compared with that which
the statistics of the current year are de-
stined to show. One point must be noted
with regret. The article of coffee has almost
disappeared from the list of our exports,
the quantity shipped being less than one
fifth of that of the previous year. Increased
local consumption will account for only a
a small part of this difference, and every
one must feel sorry to see that the %cultiva-
ton of 50 valuable Il staple-one of which
the value in the markets of the world has
been for years past so ~steady-has i'll some
way or other been so seriously discouraged.
These islands seem doomed to become
simply Suga:-producing countries, and to
have their prosperity varied by the rise or
fall of a single market. 1t is of no use to
repine at this, or to urge on our producers
that it is we'll that we should have more
than one string to our bow. Production ne
cessarily runs into the channel that is
found most profitable and whilst we cam
not but regret that the growth of coffee and
many other things for which the soil and
climate of the islands are well suited should
not have been found as profitable as that of
sugar cane, we can neither expect nor de-
sire that our producers should busy them
selves with any industry but that which
yields the maximum return. Handi-
capped in our competition with other
ountries by so many disadvantages, we
cannot afford to waste effort in any other
direction. The day will however, no doubt,
come when IA great variety of tropical pro-
ducts will he added To the list Of our exports,
and become valuable adjuncts to the na-
tional wealth.
Next to- the record of our exports the inn
port tables naturally attract most attention.
There was, during last year, a very large
increase in the imports of the kingdom
amounting in money value to SS71.710.23,
an advance of nearly % per cent. on the
total of the previous year. This increase is
not confined to any limited number of arti-
cles, but represents the general expansion
of trade which has necessarily resulted from
the increase in population, and from the
high rate of wages prevailing here. The in
crease has shown itself in almost all classes
of imports; exceptions are few in number,
and only one of them is at all notable, viz:
the item machinery, of which the imports
in 1880 were valued at $3.50. Ia. 20 and In
1881 only at $179.72I.27. \ large increase
under the head of iron and steel is owing in
"A considerable degree to the arrival of rail
way plant, Il feature in our imports, which
will, we hope, continue to manifest itself
- al q w piAAN "NhH ANSANb
that we note that the importation of in
tOxicating liquors shows an i~ncrease quite
out of proportion either to thI of the
population or to the increase in/Ser con-
sumabIe articles. The increaseIin declared
values under the head of spirits, wines,
beer and cider is from SIPS. 1892, in 1880 to
S223475.71 in 1881. AS however, the de-
Iiveries out of bond for horne consumption
not show anything Ikea similarly large
increase, w%SEst assume that important IN
mas been rather sS1@-. eculative scale, and
i'm excess of the actual drinking capacity of
the community.
The passenger statistics exhibit al addi-
ton of 1902 to population through excess
of arrivals over departures. OF thisn number
j. 94n are Chinese Including 80 wOmenG
10 adults and 20 children are from the
South Sea Islands of the remainder 2S2
and &c children are from European
ports; nearly all of whom are laborers from
scandinavia. The number of those who
came here otherwise than "a contract Ia
borers was only small and over balanced
those vino for various reasons left the
during the year. This fact may he
in a great measure to the cpl
lemic of smallpox which afflicted us dur
ing the earlier months of 1881. during which
I.eriod thu prevailing dulness of trade and
4 desire to escape from Il pest which at one
inc threatened to assume alarming di-
led many of the artizan class
with their wives and families to leave the
place.
The marked feature of the Custom House
statistics of 1881, as Of the year which pre-
.eded il i the large excess of exports over
mpOrtS. Colonel Allen in his report last
ear called attention to this excess and pre-
Iced that il would "most probably be
considerably increased i'll ISL" a prophecy