The Hawaiian gazette., 1869-04-14
CORRESPONDENTS.

] MR. Editor - l mere Is not Tue >ISul-
est doubt but that, should 4 sufficient
subsidy be offered. the North Pacific
Steamship Company-and many other res
pousible parties-would engage to put
on q suitable steamer TO run between the
islands, and TO make trips. which for
speed, prOmptneSs and length, would salts
fy any one. The only question seems
to be, what may be considered sufficient
subsidy? According 10 some showing,
proper subsidy would be about $4,000
per year. l come to this conclusion from
the statement that the Hilduea has cost.
10 run her, $4,000 per year more than
she has earned and it being reasonable
TO suppose that she has been economically
run, and has earned as much as a steamer,
running on the same route, can be ex-
pected to earn, for some time TO come /;
it will be necessary for the Government
to guarantee not only sufficient subsidy
to make up the deficit, but also to guar
antee enough in addition to make the
thing pay dividend on capital invested.
Fifteen thousand dollars would not be too
great a margin to provide for, when you
consider that the enterprise is 10 be made
a paying one from the beginning. There
fore say. at least $4,000 a year ought
TO be at once guaranteed to the North
Pacific Steamship Company, as an iu-
ducement for them to engage in the in
ter-island trade. 1t would probably be
necessary for the Government to permit
the above Company to euter into the
coasting trade, having their vessels under
the American flag; because it might pos
sibly occur, that the Company would at
some time desire TO withdraw a vessel
from the trade, when, if she had been
placed under the Hawaiian flag, she could
not again enter the American coasting
trade, or even again become an American
vessel This, however, should not be any
obstacle in the way of concentrating the
desired arrangement. In fact, am sorry
to have taken up your space by mention
ing it at all. There is a certain class of
men, whom l cannot characterize as any
thing but old fogies, who are so weak
beaded and weak kneed, as to apprehend
that it would not be well for Us to become
complicated with a powerful corporation,
particularly, when such corporation is a
foreign one. They talk about corpora
tons having no souls, and about their
being INSCRIPTIONS and grasping, and eI-
tremely dangerous when they get the
upper hand. Although expressing the
utmost confidence in the high honor aud
integrity of every manager of all the
steamboat corporations now in existence,
they insist that there are men IN the
world who are inscriptions, and these men
may become directors Of This steamship
company, and they might be induced, for
gain, to use the power and influence Of
the powerful corporation in question, to
our detriment. In fact. these old fogies
insist: that Of all things for Hawaii,
our internal commerce ought to be kept
to the HaEaiians" They insist that it il
not wise to be carried away by the high
sounding prospectus Of any foreign, would
be, monopoly These old fogies say--Let
them send their steamers all over the
Pacific; let them call here, and we will
treat them well We viii give them every
privilege that We can without eompromis-
ing ourselves, We will give them consid-
Grafton" Of valne; in fact, We will make
it to their advantage 70 call here on their
way to and from different parts Of the
Ocean; but really. they must excuse Us
from becoming 100 closely allied to them
We. the people, want steam eommunica-
ton between the islands We must have
steam communication, and We are willing
to pay for it But please, if We do have
to pay for it, Lf us pay OURSELVES"
These old fogies think that it would not
cost Is $4,000 nor s25,OOO, nor halt that,
even, year to run g steamer, and they