The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-12-17
1870 I'm

and his decision will depend upon |
the report of the Chemist of the De-
partment. There can be very little |
doubt of the result, as an interview
with the Custom-house officers con-
cerned shows that they are very
confident of their ground. Should
the San Francisco chemists test be
sustained by the experts at the East
the cargo will be seized and confis-
Gated, together with the check of
$4,000, and the managers of the
Refinery, or those responsible, are
liable to fine and imprisonment.
Meanwhile the sugar is withdrawn
from sale for an indefinite period,
and is steadily deteriorating, while
the Westmeath is running up a
heavy bill of demurrage. Indeed,
this detention is likely to prove
very valuable extension of the
charter to the steamship owners.
The alleged contemplated fraud on
this single cargo cannot be less than
$55, 900 and upon a thorough test
of all the sugar, it may amount to
100000 and upwards.
The American people have been
buzzing around Collector Hager to
know when the embargo will be re-
moved from the sugar, but he can
give them no consolation, The af-
fair is out of his hands. His bust
ness now is to take care that none
of it gets out of his possession. and
judging from precedent it may be
year before any decision is arrived
at. Great bodies move slowly, and
the United States Treasury Depart
ment is emphatically great body.
Moreover the Pacific Coast is long
way off and its affairs are usually
attended to with del;beration
which necessarily involves delay.
cit may be year or it may be for
ever" as the song goes; meanwhile
the American refinery cannot handle
the sugar, the declared value of
which, under the ID Dutch stand
ard, is 100000. But even on that
amount the loss in interest and pro-
fit will be very considerable.
Island planters have had some ex-
perience in the slow movement of
the United States Treasury depart
ment in case in which they were
interested. Some years ago they
shipped cargo of Island sugar to
New York to open that market.
Hayemeyer and Searle, who are now
the head and front of the Sugar Trust
and therefore in a way implicated
in the Westmeath affair, caused the
Custom-house authorities to stop
delivery of the Hawaiian sugar on
the charge that it was fraudulently
entered, and should pay duty as re-
fined. This charge was false, but
it took about year to determine
the point and release the sugar,
which had meantime shrunk in
value and missed its market. These
gentlemen are now interested with
Havemeyer and Searle in the Am
erican Trust refinery, but of course
have had no knowledge of the Trust
method of doubling up profit by de-
frauding the revenue.
| Should it turn out that the Col
lector made mistake the Refinery
has no remedy. The trust must
bear the loss. And this does not
seem to be the last of it. One Of
their Java ships put into Hongkong
leaking, and mixture of salt water
does not improve the quality OF
sugar however high its grade. II
is certain to wash off the colorine
matter. When the overdue shil
arrives there may be further trouble
unless the American people make ar
honest entry. But as this would bt
a confession of fraud in the West
meath's case it will hardly be done
The American, as has been al
ready said, is out of raws. The S
G. Wilder is out from Honolulu
about ten days, and she bring
something like two days. supplies
Apart from this and the Java sugar
the refinery has no prospect for sup
plies ahead. The Coast marke
IucTclOTC DelouRS W IHt OalllOTHl'
! refinery for the holiday trade a
: least, and how much longer on
cannot tell. This advantage ha
: been given to it by the greed ant
dishonesty of the Trust, withou
} any effort or design on its part.
The action of the Collector il
putting his official seal on the West
7 meath's cargo caused great excite
= ment on the street yesterday, a
5 both the refinery and the trade wer
4. caught short. Public sympathy i
5 against the Trust. 1t is regarded
, as an unlawful combination to chea
} consumers, and when to this offenc
t is added charge of defrauding tn
r revenue popular indignation waxet
= warm. The morning papers appea
a to have missed the news last night
but the evening papers to-day ar
full Of il. The foregoing, however
t is the tale as it happened TO fall out
8 without any establishment or exag
= peratiOn.