The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1892-04-09
More of His Utterances in
New York.
How an American Warship
Prevented IL Rritisher from
Selling the islands.

The talk of His ENcellency j. |
Mott Smith, Hawaiian Minister to
the United States, in New York was
given yesterday from a despatch to
the San Francisco Chronicle. After
going to press we received through
the mail the full interview given by
Minister Smith to II reporter of the
Mail and Express. In the introduce
ton that paper, speaking of Mr.
Smith, says:
His sugar interests in the Sandwich
Islands are large, hut not so extern
sive as those of the sugar king Claus
Spreckels, who opposes free trade
between the countries. Mr.. Spreck-
els is a reiner of sugar, and he often
says in his frank way that he can
afford to lose a few thousands in Ha-
waii rather than sacrifice his refine
ries. The men in the sugar trust
also oppose reciprocity with Hawaii
In spite of this powerful opposi
ton the Minister is advocating free
trade, and does not despair of sue
cess. He did not care to name the
men he expects to meet to-day and
tomorrow, but they have influence
and will help to push matters so as
to bring about u treaty that will be,
in the language of the Minister, per-
manent.
After the portion of the interview
previously given, it went on as fol-
lows:
"For fourteen years the people
there have not produced wash re-
fned) sugar that could be sold over
the counter to consumers, but have
produced raw or unclaritied sugar
which has been sent to the re6neries
| in California and there sold. AS the
refiners there have to take into con-
sideration the freight on sugar when
sold in the East, the raw producers
in Hawaii have sold it to them and
are now selling it at one-quarter of
cent less than the market value, max
ing a reduction of nearly So q ton,
which, owing to the low. price of SUI
gar, leaves scarcely any profit for the
producer. That agreement with the
retiners has never been abrogated,
and the producers in Hawaii cannot
now, after so many years, go at once
into clarifying sugar ready for mar
ket.
A CHANGE MUST BE BROUGHT ABOUT.
eff this one-quarter of cent a
pound reduction is still demanded the
small plantations in Hawaii will have
to go into bankruptcy. They get a
little over two and a half cents per
pound net for the raw sugar, or from
$50 to $50 ton, which is not enough
to pay them for expenses. When the
sugar is refined it sells for one-half
cent more per pound. In fact, if the
present state of things continue at
least 25 percent of the sugar planters
in the islands will have to give up the
business. A planter who makes
only 800 or 1000 tons of sugar will
lose money, and planter who is
next to him and produces 10000 or
5000 tons will make money. It
does not pay to raise sugar cane on
small scale"
The Minister said labor costs just
as much there as here, although they
chiefly employed japanese and Chi
nese. They were paid SIS month
and rations. His recollection was
that in Louisiana labor on the cane
plantations were paid about 50 cents
day, and not found or given rations.
In order to make sugar cane raising
pay he declared that the planters in
his country had to do two things,
viz: study economy in the produc-
ton of the raw sugar and be able TO
sell it in San Francisco for just as
much as the sugar planter in Louisi-
ana sold his in New York. He con-
tinued:
"rhe acreage in sugar cane, up To
the present, has increased, and the
crop of 1891 amounted to LAG, 200
tons of raw sugar. Until change
IS made III the present treaty the
acreage will decrease. A few young
men, Americans, born on the islands,
not dreaming that the United States
would ever put sugar on the free list,
went ahead and purchased planta,
tons. / can instance some young
men who purchased or bargained fol
three new plantations for s. 900, 900
, They will have to 60 to San Francis
co to borrow money and Try TO tide
over the present distress.
"But if free trade existed the Ha
} waian Islands would blossom fortl
anew, Capital would go there, an'
, many new enterprises, such as rails
! ing pineapples and other fruits
oranges included, would be started
/ / know that California objects to on
: oranges going in duty free, but | DE-
e not think it would hurt the frui
!. growers of the Pacific slope. w
have a tropical climate, and rails
fruit all the year round. Banana
n are admitted to this country dut
! free. Rice, which is also duty free
= sells for five cents pound in Homo