The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1890-04-28
EXPORTS AND IMPORTS.

The table of exports and imports
published in the annual report OF
the Collector General of Customs
contains some interesting facts be-
sides those upon which we lately
commented. 1t appears that the
relation of the two factors, exports
and imports prior to 1870 was pre-
cisely the reverse of what it has
been since. From 1912 until 1872,
the imports with few exceptional
years either fully balanced the ex-
ports or exceeded them. The eX-
cess thus accumulating amounted
to more than eight and half mil
lion of dollars. There were of course
in the same period more or less ex-
tensive importations of specie
which would go to swell this
amount still more. About 1872 the
tide seems finally to have turned
and since that time there has been
no year in which we have not
bought more than we have sold.
During the first years of this period
the gain IN the exports was not
large, but from 1880, it has been
always large and steadily increas-
ing. The result is that in the last
eighteen years our exports have
reached the enormous sum Of
eighty millions of dollars while
during the same period we have
bought only about twenty-four
millions. The difference aggregat-
ing fifty-six millions, has been sent
out of the country in the form of
suga, nd has not been returned to
it j, ape whatever. This IS
flynn, E face of political, eco
nOmy. - ss
The .,heal alton of course can
only be thaawhich we suggested
the other day. The money has
stayed in the United States pri-
marily because it was owned there.
Some of it. considerable part in
deed, is owned by Hawaiians, but
has been invested in California fruit
farms, ranches, house lots, mines,
or has found still other lucrative
investments, and has so gone to
enhance the prosperity of the
United States. Our Hawaiian capt.
talists have gone, many of them,
on the principal of taking the tai.
ent away from him who has one,
and giving it to him with ten.
Still another portion of it has been
spent by Hawaiians living or trav-
cling abroad. Part was needed to
pay old debts, obligations incurred
before the treaty made the coun-
try prosperous. By far the greater
portion of all however has gone
into the pockets of nonresident
American or English investors in
Hawaiian sugar plantations.
One inference can safely be
drawn fros these facts. and that is
that in granting this country a
reciprocity treaty, the United
States have protected their own
citizens living in their own terri
tory, almost as much as she has
any one here. This must always
remain strong inducement to the
United States to continue the favor
able treaty relations and even to
extend them, for these islands offer
and are likely increasingly to offer,
q promising field for American capt.
tai.
There is still another inference
which the facts drawn from the
Custom House tables suggest, and
that is that it is desirable to enlist
home enterprise and home capital
as far as possible in the service of
all our industries. The present
situation amounts virtually to an
annual withdrawal Of several mil
lions of dollars from the capital of
the country, since the country is
deprived of all the benefit naturally
to be expected from the increasing
earnings Of its principal industries.
The phenomenon which we have
pointed out and which we SO much
deplore, really belongs to the last