Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1882-02-25

d
opolv received advantageous rates OF
freight for the shipment Of Sandwich
Islands sugars to points as far east as
Denver. With this double advantage
hat OF the free importation of raw mate
rial from the Sandwich Islands and OF n
prohibitory tariff against Louisiana and
other sugars, obtained by the railroad mr.
rangement the Pacific coast sugar mon
opoly has been able to demand such
price as it was thought the people would
endure for sugar. The consequence has
been that the Pacific coast members state
that the price even OF an inferior grade OF
sugar. is very considerably higher on the
Pacific coast than IL is in the Eastern
States which receive no compromising bene-
fits from the sale of articles which the treaty
permits them TO export to the Sandwich
Islands duty free. In view of these state
ments, it is perhaps not surprising that
the report prevailed at the time the Haw-
allan treaty was ratified that 100000 was
used to secure its adoption. The speech
of Judge Kelly in opposition to the bill at
that time certainly indicates that there
was suspicion prevalent to indicate that
money was being used for such purpose.
The Pacific coast Congressman at that
time labored very earnestly for the ratiii-
cation of the treaty. Those who have
been returned to Congress are now quite
rs earnest in favor of its repeal II has
since been learned that King Kalakaua of
the Sandwich Islands was simply sent to
this country rs the decoy duck of an en-
terprising San Francisco ring. which was
interested in securing a ratification of the
Reciprocity Treaty. This ring then own
ed. and now owns, sugar plantations in
the Sandwich Islands, and the same
Senate which laid aside the Canadian Re
ciprOcity Treaty, that covered an annual
traffic of nearly SSO,O0OOOO ratified this
Hawaiian treaty, which simply voted a
subsidy of from 100000 to S1.00O.O00 an
nually to a sugar refining firm. The
Treasury Department is earnestly opposed
to Il continuance of the treaty and alto
gether the prospects for its abrogation,
even though it has but a comparatively
short period to run, are very good"
A CoNGREssMAN's IDEA ON THE SUBJECT
Congressman Hardy, of the Ninth
Senatorial District of New York City, who
introduced bill on Monday relating to
Hawaiian sugar, which, by the way, is
the first actual movement that has been
made since Senator Hill gave notice of his
intention, over month since, to do some
thing of the kind at the instigation of his
friend Mr.. Welsh, the Philadelphia sugar
retner.-has been interviewed in this con
nection, and he is represented rs having
relieved himself to this extent:
There We're 500 sugar plantations in
the Sandwich Islands, and about 800 be-
longed to Clans Spreckels, and in various
ways he controlled most, if not all, the
others. He had erected machinery there
and crystallized sugar ready for our mar
bot hn t,l NFj ,,t, III
secured great advantage over ali other
importers, who had to pay duty. In fact,
he owns the sugar trade of the Pacific
slope. But upon examining the treaty
with the Sandwich Islands Government, 1
found that its duration was limited, and it
could not be abrogated until the period of
limitation had expired. 1t is reciprocity
treaty-that is, we have the privilege of
sending our products into Hawaiian ports
free, and, in return, they have the priv
lege of sending some of their products, in
Guiding sugar, into our ports free. The
treaty is harmless enough document upon
its face, but if it was not concocted in the
interest of Spreckels, it has been turned
wholly to his advantage. l had almost
given up the hope of defending New York
sugar dealers against the monopoly, when
some gentlemen from San Francisco
Whose citizens, by the way, are not bene
fitted by this peculiar kind of free trade,)
informed me that refined sugars were not
imported from San Francisco prior to the
treaty and what was known in the markets
of the Pacific Coast at that time as Sand
wich Island sugar was unrefned and of a
low grade. This gave me n suggestion, and
upon examining the statistics found that
about 80 per cent. of all the sugar imported
from the Sandwich Islands since the treaty
was of higher grade than what was then
known ms Sandwich Island sugar, and con
sequently was liable to duty. This bill, if it
becomes the law, will subject all refined
sugars imported from the Hawaiian King
dom to the regular duty, and the importer
of every pound of refined sugar heretofore
reported free under the treaty will have to
disgorge. To the suggestion that in the
event of the passage of the bill Spreckels
would import his sugar in an unrefned
state and prepare it for market i'll this
country, Hardy replied: That he may do,
but he will then have to lose the benefit of
the machinery which he has erected on the
islands and the cheap labor which he en-
ploys there, and besides freightage will be
greater. If the bill passes, do not think
the treaty will afterwards be very proiita-
bic to the sugar monopoly"
WHAT sPRECKELs is DOING.
Another Washington despatch says that
Mr.. Spreckels has lobby at work already,
and that every effort will be made to defeat
Hardy's bill, and with this object in view,
neither time nor expense will be spared 1t
is the opinion that the bill will be buried
in the Committee, if it is possible.
The Chronieie, in abiding to the pub
lished rumors in connection with Mr..
Spreckels' Eastern mission, says: The
Eastern refiners have an aggregate invest
ment of S75,OO0, 600 in tine business Spreck-
els only claims to have or control $4,000
900. Under the circumstances we think it
preposterous to assert that Spreckels has
any idea of engaging in fight with them
on their own ground, or that his visit to
New York is for any such purpose. Far
more likely is it with the view of seeking
the cooperation of the Eastern rcfiners in
plan to defeat the efforts OF the Louisi-
ana sugar planters for the abrogation of
the so-called Hawaiian Reciprocity Treaty.
1t is not to the Eastern refners that the
people of this coast need look for any re-
lief from that abomination; but to the
Louisiana planters and the merchant class.
We do not now and never did think the