The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1891-03-19

! Ul IJik u' IUt kluLHffu ttt rll-
duuol Nv Americans or tlo D,p.-
toi invested 10 sugar plantations and
mills. estimated at s29, GGjG 900 jn
1851. E22 .ij1 21O belonged to Amer.
leans. sj,ugO.S3O to British, 81, TjG,-
800 tu Germans, and tha balance 10
native llawaIans and other nation
aIities. The carrying trade Of the
islands is IN American hands. and
the Pacific coast is the consuming
and supply market for the entire
Hawaiian group.
Ii is only natural, from a consider.
alton Of these facts, that American
citizens should take deep interest
in Hawaiian affairs, aud that the
death of King kalakaua at San Fran
cisco, 80 soon after native uprising
in his capital, should cause anxious
speculaliOns as 10 the future. The
late revolutionary movement, which
resulted in the proclamation Of an
amended constitution, might, under
fay0ring circumstances, be success
fully initiated by the reactionary
parry, although Wilcox failed in his
attempt; in that case how would
American investments be affected?
Aud would the United States govern
ment retain its influence over Iia-
waian affairs? These questions have
been asked frequently of late; and
while it is not my purpose to attempt
to answer them, for the reason that
the future is uncertain, | do not hest
tate to say that the chances are
against any organized attempt TO
change existing political conditions.
But much might be accomplished
without resort to violence, aud it is
far more difficult to guard against a
stealthy than against an open attack.
The commercial Importance OF the
Hawaiian Islands to the United States
cannot very well be over-estimated,
for the reason that their great natural
resources are only beginning to be
developed. And what has hereto
fore been accomplished has been
mainly done by American skill, CAPT
tai, aud enterprise. The total foreign
trade Of the Hawaiian Kingdom in
1876, when the reciprocity treaty
with the United States went into
operation, was SSH, 1S7. The
sugar export for that year was about
16, 600 tons. For 1889, under the
stimulus Of limited reciprocity, the
sugar export of the islands was about
l25, 600 tons, every pound of which
was marketed in the United States,
employing skilled labor in the REIN
ing business and dependent trades,
while the total foreign commerce was
SO, 3l3, 1871, Of which 5 1912 ,579,
or Y. 81 percent, was with the United
States. The Collector-General of
Customs of the Hawaiian Islands, in
bis annual report for 1889, says:
"lhe trade with the United States
has increased 5.78 percent during the
year, and is now 70. 10 percent of
our entire imports. Our exports
virtually all go to the United States.
The United States received the bulk
of our trade both in exports and i'm
ports Great Britain received 3. 40
percent, and China and Japan Lie
percent. ="
In the shipping trade of the Ha-
waiian Islands the American flag has
the preference, and in this respect
the Hawaiian trade is an exception
worth noting. The Collector Cen
erals returns for 1889, from which
l quote, state the percentage of ship
ping employed in the foreign trade
of the Hawaiian Kingdom as follows :
"AmerIcan, Y "a Hawaiian (nearly
all built on the Pacific coast), 10. 10;
British, 80; German, 2.04; all
other .53." The percentages of
shipping for 1890, when published,
will tell even better for the Ameri-
can flag. These figures emphasize
the fact, however, that, while the
stars and stripes are being driven
from the high seas by foreign com
petition, the reciprocity treaty with
Hawaii, mere dot in the wide Paci-
fc Ocean, has created Il trade of
which Americans have the virtual
monopoly. Indeed, it is to this fact
alone, and to the wise and far seeing
policy embodied in the Hawaiian
treaty, that San Francisco ranks so
high on the list of American ports
for American shipping. Yet further,
the commercial standing of San
Francisco is very largely dependent
| upon its Hawaiian trade, as the fol-
lowing exhibit for 1890 will show:
ENn'fS to INN re from