The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-04-21
THE HAWAIIAN TREATY.
MAJORITY AND MINORITY RE-
PORTS OF THE
House Ways and Means Committee on
the Resolutions for Its AbrO-
CATION.

WASHINGTON, April 2O.-The report
Of the majority Of the House Wavs
aud Means Committee on the Tesolu-
ton to terminate the Harrison treaty
begins with statement tina. the
object Of the treaty was to secure
closer commercial and political rela-
tons with the government of the
Hawaiian Islands. The report max ee
COM arison of the present with the
past commercial relations between the
two governments, and says that it is
| apparent from this that our exports
have not grown as fast as was antici-
pated by the friends OF the treaty
when it was before Congress for
adoption. Instead of incr, aslng rela-
lively faster than imports, they have
relatively decreased. OF thesentire
trade for the last fiscal year
rs per cent. represented our
imports from the ISLANDS, and "a
per cent. our exports TO them,
while in 1874 the relative relations
were-imports, 81 per cent, and ex-
ports, 80 per cent. 1t was claimed for
the treaty, when it was pending in
Congress in 1876, that it would greatly
stimulate our exports of lumber, ( cd
products and manufactures, but these
predictions do not aeem to have been
fully real zsd. During the last fiscal
year we imported rom the Hawaiian
Islands articles amounting to $685.
497, Of which the value of sugar was
SS,207, 1893, while t ! the came year we
exported TO them articles amounting
in value to S2,709,573 The balance of
this trade We pay in money to the
planters on the islands, some OF whom
reside in the United States, some in
England some Germany. 0uraggregate
export trade to the island reached it's
highest point in 1923, and has since
that time fallen off The exports of
animals and manufactures Of iron and
steel reached their highest point in
1882, cotton goods and hsmp in 1888,
provisions and lumber in 1884 and
breadstuffs in 1885.
The argument that the treaty would
reduce the price of sugar on the Pa
ctic coast has not proven true. At
the time Of the passage of the treaty
sugar was as cheap in San Francisco
as in New York, but it had been
dearer ever since, Notwithstanding the
New York sugar paid duty and the
San Francisco sugar was admitted |
duty free.
II must be evident. The report says,
that we have gained nothing com |
mercially by the treaty. The articles
imported from the United States will |
continue to be imported, whether the
treaty be abrogated or not, for the rea.
son that no OTHER country can supply
them as cheaply. If the Hawaiian
Islands should make the articles sent
them by the United States subject to
the same duty paid by the same arti-
cles imported fiom other countries,
which is about 10 per cent, that would
be no impC djmGnt to us. II would be
only light tax imposed on the home
consumer They cannot afford 10 put
a p ohioitory duty on articles so nee
essary to them and which hey cannot
produce st home and cannot go ad-
vautageeusly obtain fTon any other
C )unlry. Under g moderate duty our
exports would continue to increase in
TO tbs demands of the peo-
pie Of the islands. Fhe bounty given
by our government out of the pub
lie Treasury to the Hawaiian planters
has stimulated very greatly tbs growth
OF population and wealth in these isl
ands, and it has correspondiugly en-
HANGED the growth of orr export
trade. But when it is seen by the re-
turns that we have RENTED 81 300
0O0 OF revenues since the treaty went
into effect, while our exports for the
same time amount to little over S2,-
zoe, 900, it would Sem that we had
paid rather dearly for our bargain.
The sum that we have paid would
have purchased our entire exports,
and is equivalent TO gift to the peo-
Pile Of the Hawaiian islands. The large
bounty hfs gone into the pockets OF
the owners OF the estates on the ISL
ands, while our people have been
to pay higher for their free
sugar on the Pacific slope than their
kinsmen have had to pay for their
dutiahle sugar OIL the Atlantic sea
beard.
The majority close their report with
statement tina, they recommend the
adoption of the resolution the more
readily that it does not prevent the
I'D ninistrstion from nagotia ing for
such modification OF the existing
.r;aty as will more nearly Cqualiz9 ths
benefits to be derived by the two
governments from their commercial
relations