The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-01-31

Singapore packers. and therefore af-
fords but little protection to the Ha-
waiian packers. Inc difference will
be about 90 cents case.
TARIFF REVISION.
Since the last Hawaiian mail left
here, over week ago. there has been
another tremendous furry over tariff
revision. The President renewed his
fight with unusual energy, declaring
his intention to call an extra session
OF Congress for tariff revision. A day
or two later he made 1t plain that his
chief object in calling an extra ses-
sion would be to secure railroad rate
legislation and that tariff legislation
was a secondary consideration with
him. There appeared more and more
uncertainty as to what was the real
intention. In his confidential state
ments to his friends in Congress the
President said he was going to call
the extra session along in the fall par
ticularly for railroad rate legislation
but that he was strongly of the opin-
ion that once he got Congress in town
he could bring them around to legis-
late on the tariff also.
Back of 1t all, however, is the con-
viction among the best informed peo-
pie that the Presidents real object has
been to spur Congress to enact some
railroad rate legislation at this session,
1t looks now as though Congress were
going to make that kind of an effort.
II the effort is made and succeeds
there is strong improbability of any
cell ,,,l.. net
dent will hardly call Congress together
: for tariff revision. Speaker Cannon
and his leutenants have made a pow
erful counter demonstration, in which
they showed by careful canvass that
the sentiment of the House is over
whelmingly against tariff revision.
In any event sugar, the chief article
OF Hawaiian interest affected by the
tariff, will not be touched. That is
what Senator Lodge, of Massachusetts,
assured me a few days ago. He was
saying that it would be easier now to
review or readjust the tariff quickly,
because of some schedules Congress
would not, or could not touch. Most
of the time in 1894 and again in 1897
in framing the tariff laws" said the
Senator, was occupied on the sugar
schedule. 1t was one of the most trou-
bfesome articles we had to deal with
In any readjustment of the tariff now,
that would be entirely eliminated. We
are pledged not to change the duty on
sugar by the terms of our treaty with
Cuba"
PHILIPPINE DUTIES.
The Senator also remarked upon his
hope of reduction of the Philippine
tariff duties on sugar and tobacco. The
bill has to originate in the House, but
was introduced there Saturday by
Representative Curtis, of Kansas, n
member of the Ways and Means Com
mittee. He was acting under the in
structions of the President and of
Secretary Taft both of whom are very
much in earnest for some such legisla-
ton. The bill provides for the re-
duction from 70 per cent to % per cent
of the Dingley rate in duties on sugar
and tobacco coming into this country
from the Philippines. At the same
time that Representative Curtis in
PRODUCED his bill, after having consult
ed with the President and Secretary
Taft, he gave out the following pre-
pared interview, asserting that 1t was
his intention to press the bill before
the Ways and Means Committee and
before the House just as rapidly as
possible:
II do not believe the bill, have
offered, would work any HARM II en-
acted into law, to either the sugar or
the tobacco interests in the United
States. The truth is the people of the
United States consumed 2,5O0,0OO tons
of sugar in the year 1903, of which
about 100000 tons We're produced in
the United States proper 100000 tons
came from Hawaii. and $4,000 tons
came from Porto Rico. We imported
about 20. 900 tons from the Philippines.
Il will be seen from these figures that
we imported about 1900, 900 tons of
sugar last year. Now. the total ex-
rortations of sugar from the Philip
pines was only $4,000 tons. which in
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