Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1909-03-25
AMERICAN-OWNED INDUSTRY.

COnteTnlnB 6dWdll IMAM tHdJ OIlBi-
nally fostered by the opponents of
the annexation, regarding the owner
ship of the sugar plantations of the
islands.
The presence of wealthy and infu-
entail firms controlled by British and
German citizens has created the i'm
preston even in the islands among
persons who ought to know better
that very large share of the sugar
interests that have been protected by
| the American tariff is owned by for
eigners.
Facts are stubborn things, and in
this connection are very gratifying
to the American.
Accurate statistics complied during
the last year show that of the stock
in all the sugar corporations of the
Hawaiian Islands over eighty-fve per
cent. is held by American citizens.
Out OF total of 6.7l2 stockholders
in all the sugar corporations, CHA
are American citizens.
or the total 1,S75,54S shares of
stock in sugar corporations 1859, 1873
are owned by Americans.
OF the total par value of 1885,
1872 represented in the sugar corpor-
atoms, $63,31I,9O2. are owned by
Americans.
As every sugar property of any size
Is under corporate ownership, these
figures demonstrate undisputably that
the American tariff is protecting
American enterprise in Hawaii, and
American citizens are reaping the
benefits to be derived therefrom.
Another popular error is that the
sugar securities held by Americans
are either In the hands of the Sugar
Trust or OF the late Claus Spreckels
and his sons.
There is no sugar-producing sec
tion of the United States where the
holdings OF the Sugar Trust are less
than in the Hawaiian Islands. The
Trust Is not represented in n single
corporation directorate and Is more
antagonistic to Hawaii than friendly.
Although the late Claus Spreckels
laid the foundation for his great for
tune in the sugar industry of these
islands. his holdings of sugar stocks
and the holdings of his sons in the
business and property of the islands
was comparatively insignificant at
the time of his death. After leaving
the islands Mr.. Spreckels gradually
sold his interests here. The great SUI
gar plantation of Spreckelsville has
been developed to its present state OF
prosperity and carried on In recent
years by the Baldwin interests
among whom the controlling factors
are men born and brought up in the
islands.
Not only are Hawaii's sugar secur,
tiles held by Americans, but they are
very widely distributed. There II
hardly a clerk, a merchant, n profes
er, or workman in Hawaii who hai
money laid by that has not a goot
share of that surplus invested in su
gar stocks. Furthermore, the stocks
and the bonds are held by hundreds
on the mainland whose personal Of
financial relations have brought then
to a knowledge of the islands ant
their industries.
No more grievous mistake could b,
made than to assume that the indus
tries of the Territory OF Hawaii ar,
not American industries. Although
1t is claimed that the proportion o
American labor on the plantation Il
not as large as II should be, the revo
lutionary conditions forced on tn,
Industry since the annexation of tn,
islands is slowly but surely forcinl
a change In this direction.
II can be truthfully said that tn,
present protective tariff on sugar 4
bringing comfortable prosperity T.
thousands of Americans.
II this tariff were changed II woul,
bring ruin to these thousands, max,
fertile fields useless, weed-bearini
waste, and bring to certain failure
indeed make impossible-the effort
to more thoroughly Americanize tn,
industry by more general represen
tation Of the citizen workman In tn,
mill and in the fields.