The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1883-01-13

II III city IOr machinery alone, within a
very short time, S675,00O. These mounts
showed the value of the treaty to The work
ing classes. The trade generally was grow
ing so rapidly that it would develop into
mammoth proportions in course of time as
the native races died out, and their places
were occupied by whites, and the Islands
grow more thoroughly under the control of
the United States. There are no less than
t~hirty-three American vessels plying be-
tween the ports in place of the one line Of
earlier days. They had built five eamer
and three others had been built. To the
lumber interests of the Coast the Islands
were invaluable. On other topics in regard
to the treaty, Mr.. Taylor had the same
views Of its great benefit as to the others
interviewed.
THE OF JACOB S.
On this question was deemed desirable, not
only because the firm Of Taber, Harker, &
Co, of los and ITO California-street, i'm
porters n wholesale grocers, stands
among the highest in the mercantile COM
munity but as President of the Board of
Trade for the years 1879, 1850, 1881, and
1882, Mr.. Taber has had more than the
usual facilities for ascertaining the views of
the commercial leaders of the State. Mr..
Taber at first thought that as he had,
through his official position, been some
what too much before the public of late, it
might be advisable to let him off from an
interview for once-especially as through
his reports to the Board of Trade his views
were known to be very decided on the ques-
ton. He was certainly opposed to the
~abrogation Of the treaty, if for no other
reason than hat the mercantile interests of
California and the Pacific slope favored it's
renewal. 1t was of great benefit to this
section Of the country, and TO the United
States as a whole. Mr.. Taber, to show that
his opinions were founded on n broad prin-
ciple rather than selfish interest, referred to
his reports to the Board of Trade in 1880
and last year. In the former one the fol-
lowing is found :-"It seems reasonable
that the trade of our city might be increased
in the sales of American products and
manufactured goods, by encouraging the
people Of the Pacific Coast countries, who
produce such articles as are used by our
people, to come to tAis market more largely
than heretofore to purchase, by such a
modification of the tariff as would allow
such products of their countries as we do
not produce to come into our ports free of
duty. The first step in what may be called
the new national policy in commerce, as
shown in the Hawaiian treaty, has worked
so well for the mercantile, manufacturing,
n producing interests of this Coast, and
for the United States in general, that it
may be worth the consideration of this
Board of Trade how far IFS members shall
exert themselves, through our representa-
tives in Congress, to bring about
AN EXTENSION OF THIS POLICY.
There are millions of people in Mexico and
Central America, our immediate neighbours, a
preference of whose custom might be obtained
" 49, IL oNoLCoY NnAo NAAO OeAbb q PLOADl-
nent commercial point of dealing, by the nego-
tiating of reciprocal treaties by which all the I'M
manufactured products of their soil could be adj
mitted free into this country, conditioned on
their admission of the manufactured products of
our soil on an equal and free footing. If the
of less than seventy thousand people
in the Sandwich Islands has, from the operations
of the treaty, during three or four years, become
so important, how much more important would
be the results of treaties based on the same prin-
ciple made with Mexico and the five states of
Central America, and in time, not far distant,
with Brazil and all the South American repub-
lies. Such a system of treaties would secure to
our merchants and manufacturer a large portion
of the valuable trade now monopolized by our
European competitors"
HOW COMMERCE WITH THE ISLANDS HAS INCREASED.
In his report to the board in February of the
present year, Mr.. Taber says
"This board collectively, as well as by indivi-
dual effort, would do wisely in using all legiti-
means to secure treaties between the United
States and Mexico also, the central and South
republics, which would encourage
mutual trade, as that with the Hawaiian king
dom has done, and also with the State Depart
ment, that through our Ministers and consular
agents, especially in Mexico, a better system of
passing our goods through their Custom Houses
might be inaugurated. Comparing
three of our nearest and best foreign customers
for our produce and manufactures, we find the
Sandwich Islands takes the lead. For though
the trade in domestic exports to Mexico in 1851
greater than that of the same class to the
island kingdom in 1880, we find that our Ha-
waiian friends have been the past year larger
than ever. For three years the ex-
ports of domestic goods from San Francisco to
these islands were as follows 1879, 81, 100000;
1880, 81, 959. 900; 1881, 2,577,0 600 the in
crease of 1881 over 1880 being about 3lI per
cent, and as this increase took plrce in the last
six months of 1881, there is good reason for
believing that it will continue in a similar ratio
during this year, and for years to come"
A POLITICAL CONSIDERATION OF THE GREATEST
Fl. L. Dodge. of the firm of Dodge. Sweeney
& Co., IL California street, is regarded by his
brother merchants as being a man of mind and
whose opinion is of value. He was decided.
" opposed to the abrogation of the treaty. Ii
been the means of building up a very large
and rapidly increasing trade with The islands.
The desire to abrogate it was merely a personal
fight between rival sugar interests, and one In
which the government of the United States
should not interfere against its own interests.
The loss, il any, to the government on the sugar
duties was more than compensated by other pro-
fits in the general trade and in political con-
The government could not afford
to prejudice the position OF American influence
on the islands. To do so, would be to play into
the hands of foreign powers, who are only wait
ing for such a mistaken policy to be enacted to
prevent what they most dread-the virtual own
ership of the islands by the United States. The
maintenance of the treaty will be a permanent
AAN Nbh ~ SAAI
various industries Of the Pacific slope, but also
to the East. No one here desires to see it abro-
gated. Should such a thing happen, many San
Francisco and Honolulu merchants would be
materially affected financially, if not ruined. In
fact. the non-continuance of the treaty would be
n disastrous matter. He could hardly think that
the government would be blinded and driven
into interfering in a merely personal fight to the
detriment of its commercial interests at large, to
say nothing of other important considerations,
which, in the ordinary course of events, must
probably ensue. The closer our connections
are made with the islands the more advantage
Gus will be our relations and the greater the
benefit to ensue to both countries.
A SCHEME TO BENEFIT ENGLAND OR FRANCE.
The firm of Porter, Slossinger & Co., of III
Battery, was next called upon. They rank
among the largest dealers in boots and shoes.
The active local member of the firm emphatically
stated that the abrogation of the treaty simply
meant the transfer of the balance of trade and
the moral and political influence from America
to England or France. There was scarcely any
branch of trade which had not been materially
benefited by the Reciprocity Treaty. Our ex-
,orfg 20 tha icIondS u-ara ipnraoSinn in value RI a