The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-12-22
Foreign Bounty Killing the Colo
Mai Industry.
THE SITUATION is NOT RELISHED
West Indies Agitated Over
the Situation.
England Present Disastrous Policy
Intimation That the Islands
May Be Annexed.

LONDON, Eng, Dec. 5.-Ihe aglta-
rion in favor of the West Indies sugar
industry has acquired large political in
terest in England and bids fair to be-
come initiative toward a revival of
protectionism.
In ministerial circles the agitation
is not at all relished The Ministers
know that an increasing body of their
supporters are eager to seize the de-
cay of the colonial sugar industry as
leverage toward a revival of protection
generally. Lord Salisbury, while the
last Conservative Government was in
power, determined in favor of what
was termed reciprocity" or some sys-
tenn that would check the destructive
interference of bounties upon the colo
NAL produce.
1t will be recalled that the London
conference presided over by Baron
Henry de Worms, now Lord Pirbright,
discussed this question of reciprocity
and after long sittings arrived at no
conclusion giving a remote indication
Now that the foreign bounty system
threatens the absolute extinction of
the colonial sugar trade, the COnser-
vatives want decisive legislative action.
The predictions in English free trade
quarters that the European countries
would get tired of paying bounties to
give England cheap sugar and proving
false. The fear now is that once the
extinction of British colonial products
! is accomplished the British consumer
will find himself in the power of Cont
mental rings which will raise prices at
| their will
The situation has become so acute
with such far-reaching possibilities of
an alteration in English commercial
policy that the representative of the
United States Associated Presses has
| felt it advisable to interview some of
the chief men concerned in the agita
ton. T. L. Ohlsen, secretary of the
West India committee, stated that the
chief consideration of a Government
| commission would be remedial meas
ureS for the distress in the West In
dies, and connected Herewith the
| granting of imperial loans Cadmln1S-
! tered through the local Governments
on certain conditions of interest, etc.)
! to planters who improved their estates.
| The West India committee was in con-
slant consultation with the Govern
ment. urging it TO call conference,
| and had reasonable hopes that the in
! fluence of Mr.. Chamberlain would be
eXerted on their behalf.
| The committee was also in cOmmu-
nication with prominent foreign poll
| ticians and commercial bodies. Re-
garding the question of the annexation
of the British West IndIes to the United
| States he knew that among the plan
| tiers there was strong feeling that
| they would be better treated if alb
sorbed by the United States.
Touching the subject of annexation
| Neville Lubbock when interviewed.
| said if the West Indies were to be ruin
ed and England was determined to con-
| tinue her cheap sugar, leaving the West
Indies to starvation, there was gOin g
| to be much riOting and blOdshed. The
educated masses. growers and others
whose money and interests were in the
islands were nearly all patriotic Eng
! lishmen.
! But there was increasing feeling
among them that in the event of the
refusal of England to assist, there was
but one alternative-the annexation OF
the islands to the United States. They
would prefer to remain English, if
they could, but not at the cost of entire
ruin.
The United States would not allow
an industry so valuable to the American
people to be destroyed, and when the
time came for the West Indian colonies
of Great Britain to be taken over by the
United States, as the colonies seemed
to be worth nothing 70 England, she
could not offer to sell, but must give
them to the United States. West In
dian sugar entering the United States
duty free would suit the American peO-
pie and restore the finances of the ISL
ands to a fiourishing condition within
a few years.