The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1880-05-26
me Foreign sIaIl service.

EDrrun GAzErr,- read with much pleasure
the short article in the editorial column of last
weeks GAZETTE, advising the continuance Of the
moderate payment Of $1,000 per aunum to the
Pacific Mail Steamship Company for its regular
and satisfactory transportation Of the mails to
San Francisco and Australia The steamers Of
the Pacific Mail Company are 50 greatly superior
In tonnage, speed, appointments, and general
good management to the steamers heretofore en-
ployed the mail service Of the Kingdom, TINT II
is surprising that even dozsn residents of Homo
lulu can be found who advocate the disrontinuanre
of the mail contract and the withdrawal of ihe
steamers from the trade OF this port Under the
subsisting mail contract, which the company is
ready 10 renew for another biennial term. the
steamers make thirteen round voyages per annum
and txentysix calls at Honolulu receiving m pay
ment for mail transportation s923 per round voy-
age, equal to - cents per mile on the round trip
between Honolulu and San Francisco. EIti al
most needless TO remind your readers that this
rate of compensation could not be accepted BY the
Pacific Mail Company but for the substantial aid
which the service receives from New South Wales
and New Zealand, N the shape of subsidy of
$2.S3 per mile over the entire route between
SYDNEY and San Francisco. mistaken view Of
the relative value Of the trade over tine Honolulu
section of the route compared with the value Of
the trade over the whole routs appears to exist
certain quarters. and Is used as an argument
against any payment for mail service: Il NAV,
therefore be useful 10 state that, while the dis
tance between San Francisco and Honolulu Is
nearly one-third of the entire distance between
San Francisco and Sydney, the receipts from the
Honolulu trade inciuding the mail payments.
aggregate N the year less than one-eichth OF the
Id
by the steamers between Sydney and San Frzn-
cisco The residents OF Honolulu are N fact,
csIvIng the full benefit of the large Colonial
subsidy, ana rate Of subsidy per mile equal 70
the combined payments per mile. under the
Colonial and Hawaiian subsidies would be re
Quired 70 keep the City Of NeIr York CITY ef Sgd
Hey, Australia or ZeaiasGia In the trade with
San Francisco and Honolulu as the terminal ports
of their Foyases- As snch subsidy would cost
the Kingdom SlS00O per znnurn- the exclusive
employment of steamers hike those that are nov
carrying our mails and passengers Is, of course,
out OF the question. A proposed substitute for
the Pacific Mail service Is fhs purchase or buIld-
ine Of steamer Of l 500 tons, capable of making
elghE-day passages, and twelve round trips TO San
Francisco the year, the cost Of the vessel to be
raised IN Honolulu by subscription A frst-class.
full-powered passenger steamer, literally fitted,
would cost SsOo0o,-R large sum 10 withdraw
from the profitable pursuits ID which merchants
and planterS are now engaged The steamer
would have 10 earn fully s. per cent more than
on their Honolulu trade, to pay her working ex-
penSeS, port charges, etc In addition 70 which
there would be the charges for insurance. sir per
cent interest (Hawaiian rates) ten per cent, and
depreciation. repaIr and renewal fund another
ten per ce1t-maklng tventy-six per cent per an
mum, annual charge of $4,000, on her cost,
10 be betrayed BY government subsidy or BY
assessments and loss of interest. TO be borne by
her owners The shrevd capitalists and ner-
chants OF Honolulu Will think thrice before in
yestng their money In such losing enterprise.
The half dozen steamers belonging 10 San Fran
CISCO that suitable for the trade to Honolulu,
or that vo1ld be even tolerable to passengers who
have travelled on the nne steamers which now call
here, are employed IN very profitable trade TO
Oregon and British Columbia which they will not
give up come here unless they should be tempted
by large subsidy. British Columbia pays sub
sidy Of $4,000. 0r nearly one dollar per mile, to
two steamers of small tonnage, compared with
those that visit Honolulu. If steamers are to be
chartered for special line between this port and
San Francisco they must be brought from Eng
land or the Atlantic States, and We may be quite
sure that no ship owner viii send his steamer
round the Horn to undertake the service unless
he shall be secured by contract that must in
clude large subsidy guaranteed 10 continue for
a term of i've years, or longer. Loud complaints
are made by passengers for San Francisco, that
the April and May steamers were over-crowded,
and that the agents of the line in Sydney and
Auckland had failed to reserve ten cabins for
Honolulu passengers. The reservation of ten
rooms would not have improved the situation, as
they would only have berthed thirty passengers,
and, as question of fact, upwards of thirty pas
sengers were berthed in some of the best rooms in
both of the over-crowded steamers, while nearly
as many more were provided with sleeping ac-
commodation In the saloons. The over-crowding
only occurs on two, at most three, trips in the
spring months, and has been greater than usual
this season owing TO the number of exhibitors and
visitors who were returning from the Sydney Ex-
hibition TO their homes in the United States and
England. The tide of travel from Australia as
well as from Honolulu sets towards San Francisco
in the spring months, and some inconvenience TO
Honolulu passengers as well as to Australian pas
sengers is an unavoidable consequence, at the
same time it should not be forgotten that passen-
gers coming down from San Francisco at this
season are so amply provided with every comfort
that is possible to obtain shipboard that the
voyage is In every respect pleasure trip, and
many citizens of the States are tempted to visit
these Islands who would not venture upon the
voyage if sail vessels or an inferior class of
steamers offered the only conveyance The
mail contract with New Zealand and New South
Wales expires in 1888 and it is doubtful whether
the Colonies will renew it. They certainly will
not be inclined to do so if they find that the peo-
pie of these Islands, who are benefited by the
line to greater extent than the Colonists who
pay so literally to keep it up desire to withdraw
even the small payments which they have hereto
fore contributed towards the support of the enter
prise. J. s. o.
Honolulu. May "a, 1880.