year ending June 30, 1877, over the year before, does not depend so much on the increased production of these articles, stimulated by the advanced prices incident to the treaty, as it does on their being held back till after the ratification of the treaty to save the duty in the United States. There were included also in the exports of the year ending June 30, 1877, 1,367,737 pounds of Hawaiian sugar; 376,993 pounds of Hawaiian rice and paddy, the production and exportation of the year before, reimported from San Francisco, in bond, to avoid the payment of duty in the United States. As it requires sugar-cane in these islands from one to three years after being planted to maturę, and rice nine months or a year before it can be got into the market, it is fair to presume that the sugar and rice produced on the new lands opened up under the effects of the treaty have only commenced to be exported. It is estimated by persons best informed that the production of sugar and rice under the operation of the treaty will be doubled in from twelve to eighteen months hence over what it was in 1876. ADVANCE IN PRICES. Upon the ratification of the treaty, sugars advanced in the aggregate 2.81 cents per pound; molasses, 61 cents per gallon; rice, 23 cents per pound; and paddy 2 cents per pound; the advances being equal to the duties remitted by the United States under the treaty. RICE IMPORTS. The remission of the duty on Hawaiian rice by the United States and its superior quality enable exporters here to ship it to the United States and import rice from British India, Japan, and China and make a profit. The India, Japan, and China rices serve the purpose of feeding the Chinese on the plantations as well as the Hawaiian rice. Importers of foreign rice only pay a duty of 10 per cent. ad valorem to this govern ment. The following tables will show the amount of rice imported into this kingdom from June 30, 1876, to June 30, 1877, and from June 30 to September 30, 1877, and the countries from whence imported: In the year preceding June 30, 1877, from Pounds. STEAM COMMUNICATION. The Pacific Mail Steamship Company, which has been running a monthly line of steamers between San Francisco and Australia, touching at these islands going and returning, entered into a contract with this kingdom a few months ago to run an additional monthly line of steamers between San Francisco and the islands, commencing December next. This arrangement will give the islands steam communication twice a month with San Francisco and once a month with Australia. The old steamer Kilauea, running between the several islands, has been replaced by a fine new steamer, called the Like-Like, of 596 tons, built in San Francisco. A smaller steamer is being built in this city for interisland navigation. Four or five new schooners have or are being built for the same purpose. NEW HAWAIIAN TARIFF. On the 27th day of September, 1876, the Hawaiian Legislature, then in session, passed a law providing that there shall be levied and collected from and after October 11, 1877, on the following goods coming into the country, a duty of 25 per cent. ad valorem, to wit: Silks, satins, and silk velvet, and all manufactures of which silk shall form the principal material; Clothing, ready made, and wearing apparel of every description, made up in whole or in part; Carriages of all descriptions; Hats and caps of all kinds; Linen and all manufactures of which flax, grass-cloth, or a similar material shall form the principal part, except bags and bagging, and canvas for ship's use; Crockery and glass ware of every description; Drugs and medicines, patent and other; Furniture of all kinds, if upholstered or carved, manufactured in whole or in part ; Millinery goods, beads, braids, bonnets, buttons, corsets, collars, sleeves and cuffs, edgings, flowers (artificial), feathers (fancy), fringes for clothing and for upholstery; Gloves and mits, not otherwise provided for; Gimps for clothing; Hoop-skirts; Hooks and eyes; Insertions, laces, and lace goods of all descriptions; Ribbons not otherwise provided for; Silver-plate, plated ware, or gilt ware; Britannia ware and fancy metal ware; Tea; Watches and clocks, in whole or in part; Cigarettes and all descriptions of paper cigars ; Jewelry and all descriptions of metal, glass, or stone beads; Paintings, pictures, engravings, statuary, bronzes, ornamental work of metal, stone, marble, plaster of Paris or alabaster, and all imitation thereof; Perfumery (other than that which pays a spirit duty), scented soaps, powders, hair, tooth, nail, and other toilet brushes; Pipes (smoking), pipe-stems, bowls and fixtures, cigar-holders; Candles; Candies; Pea-nut oil; Before the taking effect of this act the foregoing goods paid an ad valorem duty of 10 per cent. The law further provides that from and after October 11, 1877, there shall be levied and collected on the following articles specific duties, to wit: * On playing-cards, $1 per dozen packs [10 per cent. ad valorem]. On kid and all other leather and skin gloves, $3 per dozen pairs [10 per cent. ad valorem]. On cigars and cheroots, $10 per thousand [15 per cent. ad valorem]. On China tobacco, 50 cents per pound [15 per cent. ad valorem]. On camphor trunks, in nests of four, $2 per chest [10 per cent. ad valorem]. And in nests of two, $1 per nest [10 per cent. ad valorem]. On matches of all kinds, 25 cents per gross [10 per cent. ad valorem]. On China matting, $1 per roll [10 per cent. ad valorem]. On port, sherry, madeira, and other wines of like nature, above 18 per cent. of alco holic strength; also, on all cordials, bitters, and other articles of any name or descrip The amount of duty paid before the taking effect of the law is inserted in brackets. tion containing alcohol, or preserved in alcohol or spirits, above that rate of strength and below 30 per cent., unless otherwise provided for, $2 per gallon [$1.50 per gallon]. On champagne, sparkling Moselle, and sparkling hock, $3 per dozen reputed quarts and $1.50 per dozen reputed pints [15 per cent. ad valorem.] On claret, Rhine wines, and other light wines, under 18 per cent. of alcoholic strength, not otherwise provided for, $1 per dozen reputed quarts, 50 cents per dozen reputed pints, and 40 cents per gallon if in bulk [15 per cent. ad valorem]. On ale, porter, cider, and all fermented drinks, not otherwise provided for, 50 cents per dozen reputed quarts, 25 cents per dozen reputed pints, and 15 cents per gallon if in bulk [10 per cent. ad valorem ]. The clothing, carriages, hats, caps, patent medicines, furniture, silver ware and plated ware, watches, clocks, jewelry, stationery, fire-arms, ammunition, fire-works, playing-cards, matches, and a number of the other articles named in the foregoing schedules are mostly imported from the United States. BUSINESS DURING THE FIRST TREATY YEAR. The following table published in the papers of this kingdom a few weeks ago by the collector-general shows the value of the imports from the United States during the year ending September 9, 1877, the first year of the operation of the treaty, compared with the two preceding years: This table shows an increase in the value of importations in the first treaty year over the preceding year of $773,729.85 and $597,876.43 over the year 1875. The falling off of importations in 1876 from those of 1875 was the result of importers importing goods contained in the schedule of Article II of the treaty sparingly in 1876 till after the ratification of the treaty, when they could be brought into the kingdom free of duty. It will be seen, also, by the table that the duty-paying and bonded goods imported from the United States in the treaty year fall short only $188,396.08 of the importations of the preceding year. DUTIES REMITTED BY THE UNITED STATES. The declared exports of sugar, molasses, rice, and paddy to the United States, and the duties remitted thereon, for the year ending September 9, 1877, the first year of the treaty, were as follows: Sugar, 36,494,553 pounds, average duty on the same 2.81 cents per pound, remitted by the United States.... $1,025, 459 51 Molasses, 224,430 gallons, duty 61 cents per gallon, remitted on the same by the United States.. Rice, 2,299,790 pounds, duty 24 cents per pound, remitted on the same by the United States Paddy, 1,418,943 pounds, duty 2 cents per pound, remitted on the same Total amount of duties remitted by the United States.. Excess of duties remitted by the United States 14,026 87 57,494 75 28,378 86 1, 125, 359 99 96, 212 59 1,029, 147 40 It will be seen by the above statement that the duties remitted by the United States during the first year of the treaty, on sugar, molasses, rice, and paddy exported from this country to the United States, amounted to $163,234.06 more than the entire invoice value of all the free goods imported from the United States to this country, and the excess of duties remitted by the United States over the duties remitted by this country amounted to $67,021.47 more than the entire invoice value of free goods imported from the United States to this country in the period named. It will be observed that the foregoing statement does not include the exportation from this country to the United States of bananas, tallow, vegetables, dried and undried, and other articles included in the schedule of Article 1 of the treaty, nor the duties remitted thereon by the United States. DECLINE OF THE WHALING-FLEET. There will be but four or five American whaling-vessels at this port this fall to recruit and land their oil, bone, and ivory. Fifteen years ago 150 or 200 American whalers came into this port every fall. The whole American fleet of whalers now in the North Pacific does not number over a dozen. J. SCOTT. Statement showing the value of declared exports from the consular district of Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands, to the United States during the four quarters of the year ending September 30, 1877. |