The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-08-25
THE TARIFF
CONFERENCE
DELEGATE MAKES A STATEMENT
AND GOVERNOR APPOINTS AN
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

Commerce rooms last night. Dele
gate Kalanianaole who joined Gov
ernor Frear in calling the meeting,
made an opening address. In part,
he gave the following information:
The Importance of sugar produc-
ton as the foundation of our industrial
prosperity in Hawaii, and the necessity
of maintaining the present tariff on
sugar, are so we'll understood, that 1
shall not comment on that subject.
with regard to tobacco, it is prob
able that the present nigh tariff will
be maintained without our having to
make any effort on behalf of that new
Hawaiian industry.
THE following Hawaiian products
are now wholly on the free list, viz:
Coffee, rubber, sisal, fiber and bananas
Of our other products, cleaned rice
pays two cents per pound while I'M
polished rice pays only 1 IA cents. The
duty on fresh pineapples is only 7-10
of one cent each. Pineapples canned
in their own juice only, pay rs per
cent duty, while those preserved in SUI
gar pay one per cent per pound and 80
per cent ad valorem. An important
case is now pending in the New York
Court of Appeals as to how much SUI
gar may be permitted in canned pine
apples, while still classifying them as
fruit preserved in their own juices
and admitted at the lower rate of
duty"
Governor Frear was elected chair
man and e. E. Paxton secretary.
E. d. Tenney suggested acting on
the plan of the American Tariff Lea
que, of which his firm was a member,
and moved that an executive commit
tee of five be appointed by the chair,
| to solicit funds for the work and to
appoint a subcommittee for each in
dustry, which would secure and ar
range and tabulate the facts of that
industry, to be digested and prepared
for presentation to the Committee on
Ways and Means by the executive COM
mittee through the Delegate.
After a discussion in which repre-
sensations of various industries Joined
the following committee was appoint
ed James F. Morgan, G. w. Smith, E
D. Tenney, E. E. Paxton and Albert
Waterhouse.
w. o. Smith thought Hawaii's Inn
mediate and direct interest in the tariff
was confined to few articles such as
sugar, rice, coffee, pineapples, tobacco
and perhaps sisal.
A. Louisson believed that tariff on
tobacco and coffee would add these to
the staple industries of the country.
! Jared G. Smith doubted if any re-
vision of the tariff would seriously af'
feet tobacco, but said the tobacco mer
were ready to help other Hawaiian in.
dustries that needed tariff aid.
DR.. E. c. Warehouse said the i'm.
ports of rubber into the United States
were about $4,000 tons. There were
1000 acres now planted to rubber il
Hawaii, which when in bearing would
yield about four-tenths of one per cent
was possible because of sugar and
hence the rubber men would support
the sugar industry in tariff matters.
A. F. Judd spoke for Hawaiian honey
which comes in direct competition with
the honeys from Cuba and Central
America on which there was a duty
of twenty cents gallon which he
hoped would not. be removed.
William Weinrich and w. c. Weedor
represented the sisal industry, the
latter saying there were 100000 acres
of land in Hawaii that could be de.
voted to sisal more profitably than
anything else, and at six cents a
pound, the lowest price they had ever
received, woul yield about $35, 100000
worth of sisal. which was just about
the value of the sisal imported into the
United States every year.
r. w. Single said that the lumber
company he represented had already
spent about 100000. In the Santa FL
tie contract it came in direct competi
ton with the Japanese oak tie.
w. w. Bruner said that by a recent
, ruling of the Secretary of the Treas
ury Hawaiian pineapples were depriv'
ed of part of the protection intend
ed for them under the Dingley tariff
T. F. Lansing for the rice industry
spoke of the favor rice from japan
held with the Japanese here. Rice
on which a cent and quarter of duty
a pound had been paid now sold in the
market at seventy-five cents a bag
more than the homegrown rice. and tc
increase the tariff would simply in
crease the cost to the japanese and
probably lead to a demand for higher
wages from the plantations,
Jas, f. Morgan promised the CO.
operation Of the Chamber OF Com
! merce.