Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the President, December 1, 1879

No. 240.
Mr. Comly to Mr. Evarts.

Legation of the United States,
Honolulu, June 9, 1879. (Received June 26.)

No. 76.]

Sir: My dispatch No. 19, on some neglected opportunities for American trade with the Hawaiian Islands, has been controverted upon two points: 1. The allegation that British manufacturers of rice and sugar machinery were absorbing most of the trade in those articles. 2. That a large share of the rice crop was disposed of in San Francisco, while the Hawaiian planters bought an inferior quality of Japanese or other foreign rice, which was as satisfactory to their Chinese laborers, for home consumption. The latter proposition has been often referred to and vigorously assailed in the local press here.

Only a few weeks ago the Pacific Commercial Advertiser repeated, “The Hawaiians import no rice,” &c. Now, I simply desire to call the attention of the department to the statistics furnished by the collector-general (inclosure 4 in dispatch No. 75), showing an importation of over one million pounds from Japan alone.

On the first point I desire to call your attention to the inclosure herewith, showing that there are eight complete sugar “plants”—a “plant” is all the machinery for a plantation—now on the way here, by different vessels, from the one house referred to, as represented by one of its partners here at the time dispatch No. 19 was written. I am told incidentally of five other plants furnished or to be furnished by this same house. This energetic British manufacturer, therefore, is demonstrated to have taken orders amounting to about $500,000 from these islands, every dollar of which ought to have passed into the pockets of American manufacturers.

Another fact: The government is constructing additional waterworks, with new reservoir, for Honolulu. The large order for iron piping was given to a British house.

I have, &c.,

JAMES M. COMLY.

[Inclosure.]

[Hawaiian Gazette.—Extract.]

Quick passage.

The fine British hark Lalla Rookh, Hender, master, and consigned to the house of Messrs. G. W. Macfarlane & Co., of this city, made the passage from Glasgow, Scotland, Tia Cape Horn, to Honolulu, in 122 days, which is considered a quick passage.

The Lalla Rookh brings a full cargo of assorted merchandise for these islands, a large portion of which is sugar mills and machinery, from the celebrated manufacturers, Messrs. Mirrless, Tait & Watson.

We learn that there are two large complete sugar plants on board, one for the Adams and Ross estate on Kauai, and the other for the Waimanalo Sugar Company on this Island. The first is capable of making 15 tons sugar per diem, and the latter 10 tons per diem.

We congratulate the owners of these estates on the safe and speedy delivery of their machinery. The fine ship Dovenby, 1,100 tons, now about 80 days out, has two complete plants, ordered by Colonel Spreckels, for Hakalan plantation at Hilo, and Paohfau estate at Hamakua, Hawaii, also one complete plant for Hon. H. A. Widemann’s estate at Waianae, Oahu. The Governor Goodwin, 1,500 tons, which left Glasgow April 24, has three plants, one for Mr. Watson’s estate at Huelo, Maui, one for Akan-aliilii & Co.’s estate at Makawoa, Maui, and one for Messrs. Schaefer & Parker’s estate at Hamakua, Hawaii. Considerable interest is manifested by our sugar men in the arrival of their machinery, which is said to be the best made in the world.