The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1883-02-03

NV ~ AG1@ -
raised 10 Louisiana for one in Hawaii. Plan
cane in the islands Will average three aud a hal
tons TO the acre, or seven hOgsheacs on gOOC
places. Making allowance for the rateons. tho
average yield is probably about two tons or foul
hogsheads to the acre, or more than double tina
Of this State. But 1t must be remembered tina
the cane is never ground until 1t blossoms, and
from eighteen TO twenty months after 1t is planted
which gives three crops in Louisiana 10 less thar
two IN Hawaii. Making further allowance ioi
the very heavy and extOrtionate charges that the
Hawaiian planter has to pay for labor-due 20 Ita
scarcity-and for the heavy freight bills to San
Francisco, he is little IL any better OF than the
Louisiana planter, even with the benefit of reci-
procity, and if be start with his place in debt he
will find no little difficulty in freeing himself
from it.
The cane raised in the islands is principally OF
the white variety. Whilst most of this could not
be safely cultivated in Louisiana because 1t is SO
much more susceptible to the cold than our red
or striped cane. Messrs. Bailey & Baldwin think
that the Lahaina cane would prove well adapted
to our soil and climate. Ii is sturdy and vigor-
Gus, withstanding the cold, and extremely rich IN
saccharine matter, yielding nearly all sugar and
very little moIasses. Several planters of this
State have obtained small quantities of Lahaina
cane, and there are perhaps 20 acres of it in Pa
quemines parish.
Both Of these gentlemen are warm IN their as
sertions that, under no circumstances, can the
reciprocity treaty injure Louisiana. The islands
are about the size of the parishes OF Calcasien
and st. Landry, and the greater portion OF them
wholly unfit for cultivation and will never be
planted. A careful examination OF the whole
country shows that thirty-nine fortieths oil it,
consisting of volcanic lava, or forest land, Is
wholly without water or above the elevation at
which sugar cane can be cultivated, leaving about
100 900 acres fit or sugar, or about twice as
much as is now being worked. Even if every
acre Of this is cultivated it cannot produce over
200 900 tons or 400 900 hogsheads. about Is per
cent of the amount of sugar consumed in the
United States.
This cannot. they insist, affect the price of
sugar in Louisiana. But they do not think the
islands will ever produce anything like this. Last
years crop was only Sc 900 tons. about half that
Of Louisiana, the crop this year will be 5O,OOO
tons. With the trouble experienced in procuring
labor. and the treaty always hanging over them.
the planters will never feel encouraged to in
crease their acreage. For even if Congress does
not decide to abrogate the treaty now this will
always be at their mercy. The terms of the
treaty are that it is to continue for seven years
from 1876, and after that time either power is to
have the right 20 abrOgate and repeal it by Civ
ing the other country a year = notice. The treaty,
therefore, will continue from year TO year, and
Congress will have the power to wipe it out at
any moment. Under such "a condition of affairs.
it i scarcely likely that much more capital will
care to invest in so uncertain an enterprise. If.
more over. Louisiana finds that reciprocity is
growing burdensome and dangerous to her, that
the Hawaiian product is invading her markets
and lowering the price of sugar, her representa-
tives in Congress can, at any moment, point out
these facts and secure a repeal within IL months.
THE sPREcKELs MONOPOLY.
10 the matter of the Spreckel's monopoly these
gentlemen give a omewhat different explanation
of it from that usually current. They do net
deny the monopoly, or that Spreckels is the sole
and only purchaser of Hawaiian sugar, or that
he has cornered the San Francisco market and
kept up the price of sugar there, but they assert
that his dealings with them are fair and just and
on q very sensible mercantile basis. The prices
ruling the sugar market of Hawaiian are those
prevailing at Manila.
The Philippine Islands export 100, 900 tons of
sugar and Java $50 900. These crops control
the market In the Pacific ocea6-Claus Spreckels
contracts with the Hawaiian plantersStheTeare~
only SO sugars mills in the islands-for their
sugar delivered at San Francisco, freight paid,
agreeing to give what 1t would cost him to obtain
sugar from Manila, after having paid the duty
Thus, say that sugar is purchaseable
Manila at 4 cents, pays l cent on freight and
q cents duty. For a similar grade of Hawaiian
sugar, delivered in San Francisco. he will pay u
cents. This he claims is fair and proper, for the
reason that he can obtain all the sugar for his
refinery from Manila, if he desires it. lie prefers
the Hawaiian product, but will only pay the
price at which he can secure sugar elsewhere 1t
ls not denied that a corner exists i'm San Fran
cisco. and that after the sugar " refined 1t ia held
1t the most extortlonate prices, sometimes us
high at IA cents q pound that a ring exists in
to control the supply and fix the price;
that the Central Pacific Railroad is in this ring
and is paid a bonus to prevent the importation
Of sugar from the East. and that the grocers of
the city are completely at the mercy OF SpreckelS.
IhIs, these gentlemen saw. has nothing to do
with the treaty. 1t is II corner such rs exists in
other cities, us well as in San Francisco, and can
be charged to reciprocity. Even ifthe treaty
we're wiped out, the situation would remain UNI
Spreckels would obtain his sugar from
Manila and Central America, would have the
anne monopoly and control of the market, and
De able to keep up prices as stiff as they are
The treaty, therefore. is not responsible for
this corner. 1t keeps up in the meanwhile the
prosperity of the islands, attaches them to the
United States and is developing a profitable trade
the two countries.
THE VALUE OF THE TREATY TO THE ISLANDS.
1t is not denied that the treaty is the lite of
he Hawaiian Islands, and that under it they
nave grown in wealth, population and prosperity
The population has increased from SO 900 persons
N 1877, when the treaty went into operation, to
Is, 900 to-day. The total exports in 1875 were
,089 1856, and in 1881 to Sc, 1888 ,813; the
IMPORTS, In the same time, increased
$947 ,260 to So, 900 900. Five years
lgo, there was only one steamer carry
ng passengers among the yarions islands.
there are eight, while II sailing vessels
md one line of steamers run between the
stands and San Francisco Railroads have been
commenced, artesiau wells constructed, and the
stands started on the fair road to prosperity.
At the same tune the United States has re-
eived some benefit from the treaty. The islands
ormerly purchased most of their sugar machinery
rom Scotland, but since the treaty they haye
mainly in this country, the total pur-
'hases in the past seven years having been $f2.-
800, 900.
AMERICAN INTERESTS IN THE ISLANDS.
These gentlemen can make no answer to the
question why Hawaii should be thus excep-
ionally treated and it's products admitted duty
except in the American interests involved in
he islands and the political and strategic reasons
or keeping them friendly and attached to US.
nd not allowing them to fall into the hands of
treat Britain or some other power, anxious to
.obble them up American interests are now
in Hawaii. The Americans con-
titute nine-tenths of the white inhabitants and
wn most Of the plantations Even Spreckels
tiInself is an American. The Hawaiian-Ameri
ans. even those who have become subjects of
ling Kalakaua, retain their love for their native