New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-01-24
H4WAIIAN CONMERCE.

HAWAII Is so small country tnat It's COM
merce is too often reckoned to be insignificant
OF course it produces lot Of sugar. which cx-
plains the bulk Of the opposition TO its annexa-
ton. 1t IS also capable of producing large
quantity of coffee These find a market in this
country. And the ISLANDERS purchase few
manufactured goods from this country. But
on the whole, the value Of trade with few
KanakaS and coolies is not worth taking into
accom- As matter Of fact. this country has
almos, monopoly Of it now, thanks to the
reciprocity treaty, which these Cobdenie anti
annexationsts so abhor But if it lost il to-
morrow. by the acquisition Of the islands by
some other Power it would not matter. Ha-
waan commerce is too small TO be seriously
considered So argue the enemies of annexa-
ron. basing false conclusions upon wantonly
false premises.
For Hawaiian commerce is by no means as
small as they pretend. II is small compared
with the whole foreign trade of this country
But it forms large proportion Of our Pa
cfc trade. of the commerce Of that very State
Of California in which so desperate an attempt
has been made to manufacture antanncxaton
sentiment. San Francisco exports more goods
% Hawaii than 10 any other country on thc Pa
ciic. with the single exception Of Australia all Of
whose States put together take just trfe more
than Hawaii. Hawaii takes more than all Cen
tral America much moro than China or Japan,
and more than all the rest OF Asia, Oceanica.
Mexico and South America combined. Hawaii
buys more wine from California than any other
country in the world. save united Central
America: more salmon than any other save
Great Britain and Australia; more barley than
any other save Great Britain and Belgium; and
OF -four more than Japan end more than half
as much as Great Britain. Assuredly. such
market must be of considerable value to Cali
fornia And in addition 10 these leading items.
the islands purchase every year millions of dol
lars worth of goods Of almost every imaginable
variety. affordng a profitable market to the
farmers miners umber1ncn and manufacturers
of this country.
II is quite true thar about three quarters Of
the Hawaiian trade Is already in American
hands But that Is owing 10 the reciprocity
treaty which the Observation-Disclosures hate and
wish to repeal; That treaty is indeed only a
temporary arrangement. which may be repealed
at almost any time and which aSsuredy would
be repealed the moment Hawali came under
control Of any other Power. Rejection of the
annexation proposal may therefore be taken
as meaning abolition Of the reciprocity arrange
ment, and the consequent loss Of millions Of
dollars worth Of foreign trade each year. Nor
is that all. The magnitude of Hawai's foreign
trade is due 10 reciprocity with this country.
From 1869 to 1874 before reciprocity was estab
lished, the total foreign trade Of Hawaii ranged
from So $4,000 in the frst-named year to
900 in the last; exports remaining about
stationary and imports steadily decreasing
From 1892 TO 1896, under reciprocity. il ranged
from sl2. 10000 in the first year to 500 $40 900
in the last; exports considerably nuctuatIng. but
on the whole increasing, and imports steadily
and materially increasing. Similar increase is
to be observed in customs receipts. shipping en-
tered, and all other matters by which CONNER
cial progress is TO be measured.
If such have been the benefits OF mere reel
procity, what might not be reasonably expected
under complete union with this country? Ger
tany nothing less than an increase over the
present in equal ratio with the increase Of the
present over the past. That would mean a
trade Of more than s1sO,OO0,0O0 year. Why
not? The Islands now have q population Of