The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-11-11
AMERICAN INTERESTS.

this country is hard to get at If we .
take the incorporated value, we find .
that that does not give the true value, .
while in others the market value is
far in excess of the incorporated value.
In an effort recently made to get at /
the sugar values the taxable value was /
taken. Of course under these circum-
stances the values are somewhat I'M /
der what might be obtained in the |
market, but probably not under what /
such property would fetch at forced .
sale.
The tax returns of 1896 give the to-
tai valuation of the sugar estates
throughout the Hawaiian Islands at
SIS, MA, 664. This sum was divided be-
tween thirty-nine corporations and
seventeen firms engaged in the cult /
walton of cane and in the manufact-
ure of sugar. The nationalities en-
gagged are as follows:
26 American corporations. $11,9S3,266 /
American firms ... 3S6,013 /
lOual .'....''.' '''''''' pl%,oo5'~''
British corporations. S 2,15o,s74 |
British firms .......... 055,4l4
Total ...... .......... S 3,115,2SS
German corporations =. 2,S35,125
4 German firms ........ 422,s72
Total .,.......... ..... 3,257,997
l Chinese firm ...... S 32,100
These figures at once show the inn
mense preponderance of American
interests in sugar. The taxable value
of American sugar corporations and
firms is four times that of British SUI
gar corporations and firms, and
twice that of both British and
German together. Another thing
shown is that the German interests
are slightly in excess of the British
interests.
The whole sugar interests are divid-
ed among these three nationalties,
for the Chinese direct interests are
so small as to be not worth consider
alton.
Another thing worth noting is that
though the value of the American
corporations and firms is double that
of both the German and British to-
gether. the numbers are as 6 to ), or
in other words while the values are
$12,OO0.000 to 100000 900, there are
only so American corporations and
firms against % German and British.
1t must, however, be kept in mind
that the stock in any given sugar
corporation or firm is not necessarily
held by people of one nationality. Thus
Lihue is classed as a German planta-
ton, for the majority of stock is un-
der German control, the manager is
a German, and large number of the
higher employees are Germans, but
there is also very large amount of
stock owned by Americans.
1t will be noticed also that there
are no purely Hawaiian or part-Ha-
waiian sugar corporations. There
have been such in the past, but they
have not been conducted successfully
and have gone into other hands. A
notable case of this kind was the Re-
ciprocity Mill and Plantation of Ha-
ma, Maui, which was started entirely
by Hawaiians, and in which King
Kalakaua was Interested This, some
years ago, was sold at auction.
But though Hawaiians and part-Ha-
waiians have no controlling interests
in sugar, a large number, especially
of the latter, own considerable blocks
of stock in the corporations, and de-
rive handsome incomes from their In
vestments. The reason that they do
not own the controlling interests are
similar to many of those other ma
tionalities who tried their hands at
sugar culture and failed. The history
of many plantations is strewed with
the financial corpses of every nation
atty under the sun, as is the history
of many other commercial and agri-
cultural enterprises.
Sufficient, however, has been given
above to show where the true finan-
cial backing of the sugar industry on
these Islands is. \ few days ago the
value of the stock in trade of various
nationalities was given, and it was
there shown that out of valuation
of $3.50, 500, Americans owned $2,250,-
9O7, again nearly double that of all
other nationaljties put together, and
three times that of the British and
Germans taken together Such facts,
taken from the tax books, are most
convincing arguments of what Anne
ricans have built up, and how enor-
nous their interests are when COM
pared with those of all other nation
alities upon the Islands.