The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-08-29
THE WEST INDIES
And Reciprocity With the
United States.
Whatever Advantage British Planters Secured
Under Dinsle Tariff Was of Mega
tive Character.

AS the chief product of the British
West Indies is sugar, and as cane SUI
gar is suffering from the fact that SUI
gar can now be made from a product
of Northern ATTITUDES, and from the
artificial stimulus of beet-sugar houn-
ties, the one thing OF vital Importance
TO the British West Indies is to secure
some advantage over beet sugar in a
large market The difficulty of getting
this is obvious; the two great buyers
Of sugar are Great Britain and the
United States; the former is the SOW
ereign of these islands in question, but
is thoroughly committed TO the policy
OF free trade, and so far as her home
interests are concerned is unQuestiOn-
ably benefited by cheap sugar. If Ger
many would present her gratuitOuSly
with all the sugar she could use her
benefit would be prOportiOnally in
creased. The United States has no in
terest Of its own in the British West
Indies. 1t is thoroughly committed to
the policy of protection, and it has
large sugar interests of its own clam
orlng for protection.
Under the Dingley tariff the British
West Indies secured reciprocity trea-
ties with the United States, but what
ever advantage these conferred was of
a negative character; they protected
the islands from being severely dis
eliminated against. In the past eight
years our own sugar interest has
greatly increased and of course it's po-
litical influence has increased. The
sugar interest did not like the idea of
free raw sugar and a bounty, but the
bounty recOnciled the Louisiana plant
ers; now there is no bounty in sight
and these planters have been rein
forced by the sugar-beet raisers of the
North. Hawaiian sugar has been on
our free list for a quarter of century,
but the theory of that, which was
realized much OF the time, was that
the Island sugar only affected the mar
ket on the Pacific coast, where there
was no local production. These con-
ditions have changed.
The islands have sent agents TO
Washington to see if they cannot Sc
cure some advantage for their sugar
over other sugar imported into this
country by making some concessions
on imports from the United States. The
concessions they made under the for
mer reciprocity agreements had no
perceptible effect upon the amount of
our exports, because the articles chiefly
imported into the British West Indies
from the United States are those that
they must get here, and a little more
or less duty has little or no effect upon
the purchases. If they were prepared
to make concessions on these articles,
then our Government might reply that
the concessions were merely nominal;
that it might reduce the price to the
islanders, but would not increase the
imports from the United States or af
feet the prices.
But it is a serious question whether
they can offer concessions which will
be important even on their face. The
colonies depend in great measure on
customs duties for support OF the CO.
lonial governments, and they certain
ly cannot spare much revenue.
In 1898 our commerce with the Brit
ish West Indies was rather better than
in 1895, but not SO good as 1891. In
the last fiscal year our exports to the
islands amounted TO $S,235,67S, OF
which S3,362,7SS was breadstuffS, ST.
393,7 TAI was provisions and dairy prod
ucts. $685. was wood and manufac-
lures of it. and 1871, 335 was illuminat-
ing oil. Nothing short Of prohibltory
duties would prevent the islands from
getting these things from us. Our i'm
ports from the islands were SIC, 632, 1877,
of which 81 551 ,2S2 was sugar, little
more than the amount in 1895 and
great deal less than in 1891. Half a
million was in oranges and a quarter
of million in sponges. Both Florida
and California would protest against
free oranges. The other exports OF
importance are already free. We i'm
ported 1882, 422 of dyewoods, 81, 370,274
of cocoa, S25S, zoos of coffee and $685.
SIG worth Of bananas, all of which are
on our free list. To put all sugars on
the free list would be relatively little
avail to the islands. The West Indian
sugar already derives some protection
from the countervailing duties we i'm
pose on sugars that receive export
bounties We have very little induce
ment from any point of view to put
the sugar of the British West Indies
on the free list while collecting duties
on other sugars, and we should involve
ourselves in trouble with Continental
nations over the most favored nation"
clause in our treaties with them II we
attempted il.
Relief might come to the islands by
annexation to the United States, but
our people show no eagerness to &C
quire them, and We have no informa-
ton that they desire to be annexed,
though there is feeling among the
colonists, stronger of course by reason
of last years changes in Porto Rico
and Cuba, that they must get into the
United States or starve to death. There
is no present prospect of any succor for
them except from their sovereign
country. England will certainly pay
them no bounty, and she shows no dis
position to tax herself on German SUI
gar for their benefit. 1t would not on
ly violate her theories of political
economy, but it would impose burden
on her entire population upon indus
tries that have grown up under the