The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1870-05-07
The Australian steam Line.

We find in the papers at hand by the late mails
frequent illusions to this enterprise, which show
that it Is e~nlisting, as il should, the attention Of
the commercial world. Nothing final had been
done by Congress, the latest action, on the 14th
! of April, being the notice of Il report to transfer
the subsidy question from the post Office committee
to that of commerce. Both committees favor the
project, and private adyices from Washington, TO
April Il, say there is no doubt that the subsidy
will be voted, perhaps not 50 large as has been
asked.
The Alta publishes n letter from London stating
that the four vessels formerly employed on the
New Zealand and Panama route were to be pur-
chased and laid on between Australia and San
Francisco. This is simply the project before re-
ferred to several times by us, and this British
Company may succeed in securing the Colonial
subsidies, though it is believed the Colonial Gov
ernments will prefer to employ an American line.
The California Legislature, prior to it's adjourn
ment, passed the resolutions before referred to by
us. and has forwarded them to Washington, in
structing her Representatives and Senators to use
all their influence TO secure the establishment of
the line. Commenting on the above, the Bulletin
of the 10th has the following:
The California Legislature evinced a proper regard
for the interests both of this State and the Union at
large, when it passed resolutions urging our Repre-
sentatiyes at Washington to labor for a subsidy in aid
of an American line of steamships between San Fran
cisco and Melbourne, service TO be monthly. The
preamble to the resolutions justly argues that such q
line of steamers Is necessary to prevent the Pacific
ocean from passing under British control, to secure
the predOminance of American commerce on n sea
fronted largely by cur own territory, and to develop
and encourage home industry and enterprise. These
resolutions were telegraphed to Washington in time
70 GInnOrt the bill introduced by Senator Cole which
proposes to subsidize a line of steamers that, it is un-
derstood, an American Company stands ready to put
in operation forthwith. a leading spirit in this
Company is ". III. Webb, the well known steamship
owner, who has two steamers now on this coast-the
Nebraska and .NsUadG-whIch are well adapted for
the Australian route and could be got ready for sea
within 4 month. Congress ought to hurry its action
IN this matter, for the prize Is Of national Importance
and British competitors Will soon be in the field. An
association called the Atlantic and Pacific Steam
Navigation Company has been formed in London,
which is said to propose making its headquarters at
Milford and running steamers thence to Portland,
Maine, connecting by railroad with a line at San
Francisco for Australia and New Zealand. In any
event this city is sure of being made the terminus of
an Australian steamship line, as it is already of the
Japan and China line SO that it has no merely local
interest in urging that government aid be extended
to a line to be owned in the United States. The con-
trolling consideration is the expansion of American
commerce and the establishment of American naval
prestige on the Pacific. This has influenced the
Senate Committee on Commerce and Navigation TO
recommend a double subsidy for semi-monthly service
on the China line, and should insure a subsidy for
the Australian line.
The Washington correspondent of the Union
has the following, which shows that the President
is interested in these steamship projects:
1t is belived that the mail steamship service between
San Francisco and China will be doubled this season
of Congress, and subsidized to the tune of 81 ,000, 900,
one new iron steamship for such service to be built
every year. The Senate Committee is said to be
ready to report favorably a bill with such provisions,
and in neither branch of Congress has any strong
counter sentiment manifested itself. Another bill, to
establish a steamship line between California and
Australa-San Francisco, Honolulu, some port in
the Fejee Islands and Sydney being the routes also
likely to be reported fayorably by the same Committee.
The Presidents message relative to the decline of
American ommerce, announcing his preference for
direct mOneyed subsidies over any other class of sub
sides, will, without doubt, help these projects mate
rally. 1t will also assist the Mediterranean and
Oriental Steamship Company, which proposes to
build and run American steamships across the Allan
tic, through the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal, Red
Sea and Indian Ocean to China. So that, between
the two, We shall have American ocean steamship
lines girdling the world.