The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1892-01-09
RECIPROCITY WITH HAWAII.
[New York Tlibnne. Dec 1l.


highly favored since 1876 by Re-
ciprocity arrangements with the
United States. Their chief pro-
duct was sugar, which was adj
mitted by treaty into free mar
kct. Their planters virtually, had
foreign bounty of two or three cents
pound in competition with sugar
producers in Cuba, the British West
Indies, Brazil, Germany and Louisi-
ana. Their principal industry under
this powerful stimulus was greatly
developed, SO that their trade was
enlarged from less than Sl,000,000
to nearly $4,000, 600. The Islands
were thinly populated, and it be-
came necessary to import japanese
laborers for operating the planta-
tions. This has been done with
marked success. The Islands have
prospered. Rice has been cultivated
as the main food supply of the popu-
lation, coffee has been raised in in
creased quantity, and sugar produce
ton has advanced by leaps and
bounds. Reciprocity has policy
which was highly advantageous to
Hawaii, but its rulers were neither
appreciative nor grateful. When
treaty was negotiated with the late
Minister not long ago, the native
government acting under Canadian
influence rejected it. Some measure
of wholesome discipline was required
in order to convince the Queen and
her Ministers that the islands were
commercial dependencies of the
United States.
This discipline was provided where
the sugar clauses of the Mckinley
Act were framed. A free market
for sugar, which had been enjoyed
only by Hawaii an Louisiana, was
opened to all countries willing to
adapt themselves to the conditions
of equitable Reciprocity. AS the
Spanish West Indies and Brazil have
already secured the permanent adj
vantages of the free market, and as
the British West Indies and Germany
are likely to do the same, Hawaii
was practically deprived of what
amounted to bounty on its indus
try. Its own sugar was no longer
protected by revenue duties averag-
ing two and three cents levied upon
the product of competing countries.
The benefits of free market were
placed at the disposal of all sugar
producing countries willing to adjust
their own schedules of duties on
American exports to the refinements
of commercial union. The Hawaiian
Government, being confronted by
grave economic crisis in the Islands,
was forced to send commissioner
to Washington in order to make the
best possible terms with the United
States.
The Washington dispatches now
state that this result has been accom-
plished. A new treaty has been
negotiated and signed by Dr. Mott
Smith, the Hawaiian Commissioner.
The details are not yet made public,
puU ~ 10 piopapiS UnaG Vic COuNclGlOu
now awaiting the Presidents sigma
ture and ratification by the Queens
Government is based upon the Re-
ciprocity amendment, and secures
unrestricted trade between the United
States and the islands. The Com
missioner went to Washington with
demand that the planters should
share in the benefits of the direct
bounty system, now applied TO all
sugar producers in the United States.
This was concession which could
only have accompanied annexation,
and that was at least premature. The
United States, after developing the
industries of the islands for sixteen
years through systematic sacrifice of
its own revenues, is only anxious to
have the Kingdom allied with and
controlled by it in foreign emergen-
cies and not hotbed for European
and Canadian intrigue. We enter.
tain no doubt that this result has
been secured by the. Reciprocity
negotiations. Commercial union, if
unrestricted, will have, however, two
logical results: First, serious dim-
mutton of revenue in the islands and,
secondly, a marked development of