The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-11-21

THE NEW ORLEANS PICAYUNE" AND
THE TREATY.

THE TREATY.
The New Orleans "Picayune, " of Sep
TENDER 21st, has an article on the Recip-
rocity Treaty, which it is rather difficult
to discuss seriously. 1t proposes, in
brief, to tax the Hawaiian Islands to
provide money to build up the sugar in
dustries of the Southern States, as an
offset to the admitted benefits to this
country from the operation of the Treaty
1--WE propose" it says, "'unless the abuse
can be stopped, that the American peo-
pie take the money which will be needle d
to assist in building up their sugar in
dustries in the East, West and South
from the overlooking pockets OF the Ha-
waiian planters" In furthelance of that
design the ''Picayune'' proposes that a
clause be inserted in the Treaty limiting
the bounty on Hawaiian sugar; that is,
the duty abatement, to &, 600, 600 year,
and STIMULATING for the payment by the
Hawaiian Government, for the benefit
of the sugar interests of the United
States, of sum equivalent to the rebate
OF duty ON Hawaiian sugars in excess of
the amount stated This may be done,
our New Orleans contemporary suggests,
by "levying a direct tax upon the
planters or an indirect tax upon the
sugars exported by them, very com
mon practice in tropical countries. "
This is the new and equitable plan of
reciprocity proposed by the planters
champion in New Orleans. ''The Ha-
waiian planters, - it adds, twill not oppose
this arrangement when they see that the
American people are determined to have
some equivalent for this money they
spend, and that this equivalent shall be
the building up of our sugar industry at
their expense, as their sugar industry
has been built up at ours. They will
certainly not fail to see the fairness and
Hberality of this additional clause to a
treaty which ought to have been can
celled long ago. Either this or nothing
should be their choice. There are many
people who would jump at such bar
gain, and who, upon the whole, could
offer much more reciprocity in trade"
OF course this proposition is unsound,
and cannot be entertained for a moment.
Il is 80 manifestly absurd, however, that
we are surprised so able and influential
paper as the "Picayune" should pub
fish it as serious contribution to the
tariff discussion. Since when has it
happened that an independent country
submitted to taxation by foreign power,
however friendly. Yet this is the pro-
posal which is put forward as a serious pro-
Jet of international agreement between
Hawaii and the United States. We sus-
pect the t'funny man" of the "Picayune'
got control of the paper for a day, and
run in one of his humorous contributions
as an editorial article. Suppose clause
were inserted in the treaty STIMULATING
for the imposition of a tax of 60
per cent upon American lumber, agri-
cultural products, furniture, ETC., ex-
ported to these Islands from the States,
to be paid to the Hawaiian people to
build up their own industries, how
would they like it? This suggestion
would be too absurd for serious con-
sideration, yet it is no more absurd than
the suggestion regarding sugar in the /
ssPicayune."
Seriously, our friends in the South en-
gagged in the sugar business have moth !
ing to complain of. They are now and
have been protected by high tariff, be-
cause the Island sugar has not com
peted with them except once or twice
in a small experimental way. New
Orleans is large importer of sugar, as
are also ports on the Atlantic seaboard.
All this sugar pays duty. San Francisco
imports Island sugar free by treaty, and
pays duty on sugar imports from other
countries. The profits on the Island
sugar trade, which is monopolized by !
San Francisco, are distributed in the
United States, wherefore our New Or
leans contemporary proposes to reduce
their income by increasing the price of
the raw material in the producing cOun-
try. A moments reflection would show
any one this. We do not deny that the
Treaty stimulated sugar production OH
these Islands, but it likewise stimulated
trade with the United States, and We
are satisfied that if a fair balance were
struck the advantage would be found to
lie with the States.
It is very small business anyhow, !