The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-06-02

SpreCkels Makes Big Demands.
Hawaiian Sugar VIII Be Ship
ped to New York.

The secret meeting of men interest
ed in the sugar industry of the Islands,
which is said to have taken place in
the back room of p. c. Jones Office,
dwindles down to an informal discus
sion of the situation by half dozen
els attitude and a Hawaiian refinery,
which have been floating in the air for
the past As hours, have, if the state
ments given out by those most deep
ly interested. are to be relied upon,
fallen to the earth with a dull and pa
thetic thud
I'VE have simply talked over mat
ters," said J. B. Atherton to a reporter
of the Advertiser yesterday, "as they
now stand, and discussed plans for the
future in the event of the abrogation
of the treaty or the passage of the tar
iff bill as it now appears. Our contract
with Spreckels expires December 31st,
this year, and we wish to find a mar
ket for our sugar. The terms which it
is said Spreckels will demand for next
year are unreasonable, and it is prob
able all of the Hawaiian sugar will be
shipped to New York. In this case, we
Will require more sugar vessels, and
they must be arranged for. Between
now and January next many things
may happen that would change what
ever plans we may have in view now.
"The amount of our sugar used in
California is so small that it will not
be worth while shipping it there. Half
the output goes to New York-say 100
600 tons the balance goes to San
Francisco and of that, about three
quarters is consumed in the State; the
rest is shipped to Nevada. Idaho and
Colorado. There are ref1neries else
where than in San Francisco to which
we NAV ship. There's New York. Phil
adelphia. Boston or st. Louis. We may
arrange to send to any of them, but
really nothing definite has been done.
It would not surprise me if between
now and the expiration of our contract
half a dozen buyers would be IN HO-
nOluIu to bid for our crop. The idea
that we will build a refinery is prepos-
ferrous"
that the rate demanded by Spreckels
for handling Hawaiian sugar under a
new deal is s. of I cent per pound, an
increase of quarter over the present.
Rather than meet such a demand. the
Hawaiian planters will ship their SUI
CARS to New York independently. OF
course. this would not include any of
the sugars produced on plantations
controlled by the Spreckels cOmbina-
ton. But to successfully carry this out
would necessitate the locking up of
funds necessary. and thus pass dlvid-
ends. The object of Mr. Rithet's visit
is said 10 be to provide ways and
means for such a campaign. and pos
siblv 10 arrange for a representative
in New York of the Hawaiian plan
tiers: some one who will look after
the sugar. The refinery project may
be set down as a dream of some indi-
vidual who has nothing else to do but
build castles.
Whatever has been the mission OF
Mr. Rithet. the planters appear to be
iubilant It is said they are preparing
for the abrOgatiOn of the treaty. an
event. which up to a week ago. seemed
to be the most disastrous that could
happen TO the country. While Mr.. Ath-
erton states that not a single detail
has been completed, the cOUntenances
of the plantation agents would indicate
satisfactory results.