The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1888-02-21
OUR SAN FRANCISCO LETTER.
Especial Correspondence Of the Gazette

East, lust received. announces that Chair
man Mills states that the tariff bill, as now
framed, reduces the customs duties by $50
10000. and an additional Sl0,OO0,OOO by
adding iron ore. salt, lumber, coal ard jnte
10 the free list. The 20 per cent. reduction
on sugar will make Sl0,0O,UUO, besides S20.-
100000 Oh tobacco, Thus giving a total re-
duction Of S90,0O0,0O0
Carl Reitfer the German from the Islands
who vas arrested for obtaining money under
false pretenses. has been sentenced to ninety
days imprisonment and TO pay a fire of S145,
or serve an additional las DAYS. Claus
Spreckeis, who was summoned as A witness,
stated that the man had been discharged
from Spreckalsvllle for stealing sugar.
II seems that The bones Of the Cx-Premier
Of Hawaii are not to be allowed To rest in
peace. They return TO Honolulu to-day by
the Zealandia, being cleared at the Custom
House with the following mark and signit-
cant Rppendages: W. NJ. Gibson. One corpse.
No value. Rumors eff his wealth have been
circulated TO such an extent that numerous
claimants To his estate are turning up, among
them being DR.. Punton and w. Il Barrows,
3 wig-maker. OF Chicago. Who claim to be
second cousins of the deceased and John
Punton Of Brooklyn who claims to be first
cousin. There Is also a sister Of Mr.. Glib
sons who keeps a candy store in New York
and WHO Is represented here by an attorney.
$4,000 IN the Anglo California bank, which
mas been turned over to the proper authori-
ties Judge Cohey has appointed Henry
Elckhuff as attorney TO represent Mrs. L. II.
Hayselden, and the Chicago and Brooklyn
claimants have written to St. Mary s Hospital
asking by whose authority and by what night
the body is being sent 10 Honolulu. They
also claim that Gibson only had one daugh-
ter who died and was buried IN South Caro-
lima. In the East the value of his property
has grown TO Sl0C00,000. However much, or
little, there may be, the prospects are that
the lawyers will receive the bulk of 1t.
Smallpox has entirely disappeared in San
Francisco, no cases having been reported
for several DAYS except such as occurred on
the incoming steamers from China which
are kept ia s5rict quarantine. The news that
quarantine had been proclaimed In Homo
lulu against all vessels arriving from San
Francisco, has seriously interfered with
passenger traffic to the Islands. There are
many tourists who had engaged accommoda-
ton for the Zealandia, vino have Withdrawn
their names and refused to make the trip,
and this is likely to continue until the quar-.
antine is raised. 1t is probable that, in
few days, San Francisco will no longer he
pronounced epidemic.
j. ID. Redding. Fish Commissioner for
California. Will shortly visit Honolulu on
business and pleasure; his wife will precede
him and make a longer STAY.
The chief subject of int, st TO Hawaiians,
since the departure of las steamer, has been
the discussion of the suear question. There
have been such contradictory reports and
wild statements made thai il Is somewhat
difficult 10 get az the facts but the following
may be relied upon as the wheat from the
chat.
As anticipated in my last letter, Mr.. An
drew Welch became President of the Amer
IL. L
moved the Offices to l24 California street.
he celebrated the event by reducing the
price of sugar to the same figure as The Cali
fornia. which was followed by "A further re-
ducfion. This was met by the California
who reduced a quarter cent per pound lower.
Quotations were again changed, and now are
as follows: American Refnery-cube 77Sc.,
granulated 6s[c., extra C 6l4c., golden
c. &C.; California Refinery c. 71Sc.,
granulated 65[c., extra cube 594c., golden C.
SIC.
The sugar market is in a very unsettled
condition. A weak market is reported at
New York on the continent. In Cuba sugar
is Offering at 2 decline, while IN the West
Indies and Brazil the market Is easy
cargo Of Demerara centrifugals that bad
arrived at New York was ordered to Liver
pool because the Trust decline to purchase.
Cuban, IS deg. is quoted to-day At 55s cents.
There Is no Knowing what IL will be to-mor-
row.
4 bill has been introduced in the New
York legislature making it felony to form
trusts or combinations to cat down the sup
ply or raise the price of any article of food,
coal, or necessary of life.
At the meeting of the Chamber of Com
merce, held TO discuss the sugar question,
two reports were submitted. The majority
report, which was adopted favored no
change in the existing condition of affairs
and opposed the granting of bOunties for
domestic sugar. The minority report advo
Gated the bounty system, and was lost by a
vote Of a to 8. The two reports have been
published in pamphlet form and will doubt
less reach the Islands, SO that it is needless
to recapitulate them. The Chronicle on the
4th inst. had a strong editorial against the
action of the Chamber of Commerce in
adopting the majority report.
The next circumstance was that Mr..
Searles, Secretary Of the Eastern Sugar
Trust, had started from New York in a
hurry TO see Mr.. Spreckels for the purpose of
inducing him to join the Trust. In an in
teryiew at that time Mr. Spreckels stated
that be would not join the Trust. Four days
later another telegram from New York an
nounced that Mr.. Searles had returned and
that the American Refinery would join the
Trust IN order to attack Mr.. Spreckels. As
Mr.. Searles was only away for four days and
cuulO not nave IedoueO Sodn Francisco, lei
alone return, the chances are that there was
not a word of truth in either telegram.
The San Francisco papers took Up the sub
ject and published some very peculiar state
Inents which seem to have had rise mainly in
she imaginations of the reporters who wrote
them.
The Secretary of the Treasury has decided
that the rate of drawback on all refined
loaf. crushed OF granulated and powdered
sugar, stoYe-dried or dried by other equally
effective process, shall be go per cent
pound, less the legal reduction OF one per
cent. This question has been pending before
the department for many months.
Her Majesty Queen Victoria, in her speech
at the opening of Parliament on the 9Th
instant, said: "A conference of delegates
from the powers interested in the sugar in
dustry, summoned to meet in London to
consider the possibility of ending the in
furious system of bounties, has made consid-
cradle progress toward the conclusion OF
satisfactory arrangement"
Word has been received from New Zealand,
by the last mail, that the postal authorities
there have decided not to change the date OF
departure of the steamers from Auckland,
as they do not desire to impose upon the
contractors by forcing them 10 arrive ahead