The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1858-11-11
Correspondence of the Pacific Commercial Advertiser.3

Nh. EDITOR I'm my last communication l made q
few remarks about coasters; permit me to continue the
subject q little further. The carrying business between
Honolulu and Maui is done in suitable vessels and
by competent masters, as it should be. Business men,
and the Advertiser can find NO fault with them. Up
here, however, matters are very different The
coasters seem not to be common carriers, according to
the strict sense of the word. They scout the charge
of being responsible for the full6lment of any job they
undertake unless it is an easy and what they call a
paying one. They meet your objections to pay for an
unfinished job which they promised to execute with
IS OF your meaner than -. Object to pay q tri-
fling freight. 1 only brought it to oblige you," sc.
Everything is done to oblige you'-in fact there
seems to be no obligation in the matter, except that
you pay full freight money, which they never forget
to exact, whether it has been lawfully earned or not
In an alteration with an owner and captain about
freight money, the writer, pushing that obliging gen.
tleman beyond his usual set phrases of " to oblige''
and ). to accommodate, : for reasons in order to gain
his fee, actually plead that /. /. he did not run his YES
sci to make money, but only for amusement He was
rich enough to live without doing that just as
reasonable things are said or done every visit they
honor US with.
Not long since one of these accommodations was
approaching my landing with a signal set l boarded
him in a canoe and requested the captain to land my
things as he agreed to do. He refused, though it
was as smooth as a mill pond at the landing, saying
that he g was running a race with the Liholiho and
could not stop The things were landed ten miles
of, and the captain was paid full freight. One might
think these owners or masters were millionaires and
INDUCED IN coasting yachts just to play jokes on
country folks Withal. they seem to be seized with
the prevailing mania among natives in regard to
horses, namely, to hoio. No other quality being
deemed necessary. I always pray f~ervently that the
holo gentry may never break their necks. Perhaps
no amount of talking or having would effect a change
for the better. For one, I am not sufficiently ac-
quainted with the law in regard to the liabilities Of
common carriers to know whether they are bound to
deliver your freight where they agreed to or not, or
whether they may pocket with impunity a packageof
money intrusted to their care for delivery. There
are no decisions of our courts On the subject that /
am aware Of, and perhaps it would be a risky expert
ment to get one
1 believe if the Collector General could alter his
system of granting licenses to coasters 50 as to con-
fine them to certain routes and permitting no others
to run there without license, it would result in good
to all parties concerned. I notice that men aecus-
toned to sail to ports on the leeward side OF the ISL
ands only. are little better than useIess when to wind
ward. 1t is owing to their lack Of experience in sea-
moAentp &cneloAJ Sill, VIII All lneir 8WkW3rQneSS,
If they were confined to one route they would learn
in time to work more to the satisfaction of all parties.
This running hither and thither and doing " nothing
nowhere is poor speculation on both sides Our
whole wretched system comes from every energetic
sovereign's jumping into the trade, whose whole stock
Of knowledge in regard to seamanship and coasting
consists in knowing how much Mr.. 50 and 50 made at
it sometime or Other. A license is granted at the
Custom House ON demand-no questions asked-life
and property are intrusted to the new adventarer,
and lucky is the owner or friend who hears from
either again just count up the wrecks, Mr.. Editor.
Over forty. since my remembrance, ON the island Of
Kauai alone With proper seamanship. In venture
to say. not one need have occurred
Let the thoughtful ponder this coasting business .
little, and, when all the assbulaaces are bought, Paid
for and rooted cut Of the way from among our minis
terial playthings. and the state Of government finances
viii admit, it win be wen to throw . little real light
on the subject in spots where mast needed
HHo.
VUhal~-~. 80