Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1884-03-28
The Hawaiian Sugar King.


I ais Son Talks About Him and the IL
From the Philadslphia Presal
John d. Spreckles, son Of Claus Spreck
les, sugar king and virtual monarch of th'
Hawaiian Islands, is in this city for the pur
pose of negotiating the purchase of steam
ships. The vessels win be run by the Ocean
10 Steamship company, which does SO mucl
of the carrying trade between Honelulu and
San Francisco. sPeople don't tell their bus
iness to the public. said Mr.. spreckles last
evening, TAT least until It is finished, SO
must ask you to excuse me from saying what
expect to do about the TIVE steamships
came East TO buy. But will say this to
you, that cur position In relation to the COM
mercial treaty between the United Staten and
the Hawaiian IGlands has often been nisrep-
resented. The truth is that my father was
opposed to that treaty. and only Withdrew
his opposition at the urgent request of GER
tain men in Washington, who assured him
that the interests of the country required its
negotiation. Then, after the treaty went
into effect, and not until then, did he become
a sugar planter on large scale. Yes, our
interests there are very large Probably we
have sixty thousand acres under cultivation
I don't know st this moment how many peo-
pie are employed in all !; but on one planta-
ton of eight thousand acres owned by the
Hawaiian Commercial company, in which we
are stockholders, there are fifteen hundred
persons employed. All natives No there
are people of almost every nationality at
work there. OF the fifteen hundred have
mentioned. probably three hundred are
whites"
s'Is the native race dying out in the is
lands 2''
sit is a mistaken impression that the ma
tive Hawaiians are degenerate race. Lep-
rosy and smallpox have killed many of them,
and it is fact that their numbers have de-
creased. But the men and women are physi
cslly strong. The King, Kalakaua. Is fine
looking man, and is well educated. He
speaks English fuently and grammaticaIly.
Yes, of course my father, having such large
commercial interests in his country, has
some influence with him. In fact, King Kali
akaua has more than once jokingly said to
my father, after following his advice in some
matter: I believe il you could BEE my
back bone you would see the initials @. d.
stamped there"
'sWhat has been the effect of the treaty
upon the prosperity of the islands?''
"It has worked Immensely to their advan-
tage and at the same time to the advantage
of this country. Take the carrying trade,
for example. Before the treaty there were
only four sailing vessels running between
California and the islands Now, under one
company's management alone there are nine
sailing vessels and two steamers, and as you
know, there are to be more steamers. More
over, these vessels are all of American build
and ownership. There is another result of
the treaty. which, if it we're possible to carry
it into our relations with other countries
would settle the whole tariff question. Amer
lean goods go to the islands free of duty, and
Hawaiian Goods come into this country also
without paying tariff. That is simply reci-
proeity But the government of the island
leVies duty of twenty five per cent. upon
goods coming from all other countries than
the United States. The result is that we
have almost monopoly of their trade. If
that result could be brought about with 9TH
er countries we would indeed be happy
nation. That is the only way free trade can
be made to work If we can bar all goods
but our own out of the markets of foreign
countries, We might afford to knock off our
custems duties"
's'What would be the effect of duty upon
Hawaiian sugar {"
ssThis would not increase the revenue of
this country at all, because the importation
of sugar woald at once fall off. The first
result would be that work on many planta-
tions in the island would stop. Then there
would be, of course, elut in the labor mar
kst there, and the price of labor would fall
Before the treaty labor brought on the plan
tations only eight dollars a month, and the
men found themselves. Now the price has
fsen TO twenty dollars, end the employers
also finds his men. If duty were levied
on Hawaiian sugar, it would not be paid by
the planter, but by the laborer, whose wages
would fall to such point that the cost of
production would enable the sugar to COM
pete with that of the refneries of the East
We have refused, by the way, to make any
arrangement with the eastern rsfiners for the
division of territory. They wanted us to
Keep west of the Rockies, but we said they i
could send their sugars where they pleased,
md We would do the same. They formerly
lold their sugar as far west as Ogden. Now
We sell ours as far east as Missouri and they
complain because, by the natural laws of
rade. their territory has been encroached
1pon. -