Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-29
ANNEXATION AND PRICES.
The Hawafians Anticipate Decided
Commercial Advantages.

From the Honolulu Commercial Advertiser.
Annexation does not mean higher prices
for dress goods" said a prominent dry
goods merchant yesterday, $50 men who
have been holding off on the subject. fear
ing that the expense of dressing the fe-
male members of their families will be In
creased, may rest easy.
For years America has been producing
as fine quality of silk as can be found in
Trance, except in the surah variety. They
have not quite overcome the difficulty
which blocks the road to success in that
particular grade, but they will in time.
Nearly all the dress silks sold in Honolulu
and all the ribbons are made in the United
States. so that with the advent of arnexa-
ticn will come a reduction of % per cent
in these goods A majority of the laces
sold here, 1 think. are made In America.
True, Valenciennes is, of course. made in
Europe-most of it in Brussels. The pro-
gress made in these manufactures by peo-
pie in the United States is, to say the
least, remarkable. Twenty-Five years ago
the silk industry in America was in en-
bryo. and wss begun by some ladies. who
cultivated the silkworm as fad l be-
lieve it was in 1876 that the first samples
OF silk were shown. Now enough of the
fa brio is woven there to supply the ladies
in the states with the materials for the
best gowns.
"Of course, European goods will advance
in price, according to the Dingley tariff,
ard l think hosiery will come in for the
hardest rub These goods are made in
Germany, and the Honolulu consumer now
pays a duty. whether they are imported by
the dealer direct or purchased from job
ber in the United States. And that re-
minds me! Some of the goods worn in
Hcrolulu suffer double duty. Few of
the retail dealers here carry sufficient stock
or order in quantities large enough to war
rant their having an agent in Europe or
l,I-y E,ur0npan
facturer. What Is the result? Why. those
who buy foreign-made goods from the
large dealer in New York or San Francisco
buys plus the American duty and then
pays the Hawaiian duty on arrival. Buy
ing direct means the saving of one duty,
hut it means also that he must anticipate
his orders far enough ahead to have the
goods shipped direct from Liverpool or
Southampton, via the Horn With the COM
petition OF the present day, merchants can
not pay the transatlantic and overland
freights and compete with rival who
happened to order his goods direct.
1T may surprise some of the la1ies to
know that so much of the silk they are
wearing is purely American, but it should
not prevent their wearing dresses of that
material when they are assured that it Is
just as good as that made in France. I
doubt II half the 'made-in-London cloth
which goes into mems suits in the United
States ever outside the boundaries of
that territory before 1t was made up.
cannot be produced anywhere so we'll as in
the west of England-I mean the finer
qualities of smooth-surface goods-but
rough goods, corkscrews and diagonais are
made equally good in the United States
as in England. and when annexation comes
along men in Honolulu may dress at less
expense than they do now, unless they get
cloth imported from England.
Clothing Of English material and made
to order by some taiors now costs very
little more than the same would cost in
London, If made by the average taller OF
course. you could not get it from PooIe's
establishment, or. indeed. any West End
tailor, for anything like the money, but
there would be very little difference in the
appearance Of the suit if you paid a third
mere for it. In view of annexation. 1 sup
pose large orders have gone forward to
Europe for Erglsh French and German
goods. Wholesale dealers, who see far
enough ahead. would undoubtedly orde, so
as to save the duty, and their profits will
be handsome in consequence. 1 have been
told, too. that the Japanese are ordering
extensively from the japanese manufac
turers, and within the next few months the
duties collected on these shipments should
De very large. The United States tarifr nm
goods from Japan is much more excessive
than in Honolulu. and the Japanese n1er-
chant Is Just cute enough to take advan-
tage of it." "'