| Show SANDWICH ISLANDS TREATY for some time back congress has had under consideration a treaty with the sandwich islands government this treaty ia is strongly recommended to congress by the chamber of commerce of san francisco and it is probable from the last advices advises respecting it that it will be ratified this treaty will allow the islanders to get a number of commodities modi ties of united states manufacture free or at a reduced tariff and permit their commercial staple sugar to come to california on similar terms by the treaty the hawaiian government takes off the duty from articles which last year yielded its revenue to the amount of 6 the revenue of this country from those articles which under the treaty will be admitted duty free was last year before the war the duty on raw sugar of low grades was about three quarters of a cent per pound it is now three cent cents sper per pound on the better qualities of refinery sugars the duty averages eighty per cent of the export value by the operation of this treaty the production of raw staples particularly sugar will be increased in the islands and as these will be admitted into call cail california duty free there will be a direct loss to the revenue but on the other hand band to counterbalance this lumber manufactures various articles of food and every thing that can be profitably exported from the pacific ports of california and arid oregon will be admitted du ty free into the islands the annual i importations of the islands from this country amount to and it is hoped that these importations will in crease the opponents of the treaty say it would be cheaper to buy the islands at once than to have such a treaty ratified but nut ut kamehameha V is unwilling to sell them he would rather live an and die a king though the kingdom were not so prosperous than to ito have it said he bartered away his inheritance his one hanau to no na haole the foreigners the general opinion is that the ratification of the treaty will be followed by a movement of immigrants into the islands the friends of the treaty assert that this movement will be mainly from the united states in that case the real property of the islands will gradually fall into american hands already the american interest predominates over every other on the islands americans direct eighth tenths of the skilled industry own twenty of the twenty six large sugar plantations and keep in whole or part ninety out of the one hundred and anet four principal stores and shops tb there ere are about white men there of whom much the larger portion is american the hawaiians Hawaii ans are a dwindling people in 1832 they numbered now the population excluding the whites is their decrease has been steady and rapid the causes which have produced this decrease are to be found in the civilizing institutions which were introduced into their peaceful islands by captain cook and those who followed him irises it is estimated that unless this decrease be arrested the native population will be nearly or quite extinct within the century but there areno are no grounds to hope that this decrease will be arrested before the discovery of the islands by the whites a more healthy robust race could scarcely be fauna found than dwelt there their country did not have an extensive supply of animals the hog the common barnyard barn yard fowls and the dog comprised the animals neither did they e have snakes fleas mosquitoes toes ah ac C t to be a dread a and n d an annoyance to them disease was a almost unk unknown but following the white man came a train of evils he introduced the most dreadful form of disease from the effects of which the race is surely and swiftly perishing every man familiar with the islands is aware that the race cannot last long and it is desirable that steps should be taken taken to maintain there the american supremacy the islands are the commercial centra centre of the north pacific ocean they lie in the track of the trade between california japan china and the east andl indian Archi archipelago pela 0 as also of that between panama canami and ahina chinn china and a little off the direct routes between south america australasian alasia and the northern and north western pacific coast their position gives them strategically the command of the commerce of the pacific ocean in the opinion of persons competent to judge they can be made seif self sustain us tai tal n ing fortresses and home stations of the first class they should not be allowed to fall into the hands of any foreign power but the bonds which bind the islands to american interests should in every way be strengthened A little little ocean state might yet be formed out of those islands |
