The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-04-09
THURSDAY
APRIL 9th.
HONOLULU AS i FREE PORT.

In our issue of the 9TH instant we
suggested as a measure of utility in
view of the fntnre progress of the
port, the. necessity for providing ade-
quate facilities for overhauling aud
repairing ocean-going steam and sail
vessels Ships drawing "a feet can
enter The harbor at high water, the
rise aud fall of tide averaging about
ytwo'fe feet & wa +
THE marine railway, or patent slip,
2 provides for our interis1and shipping
and the smaller of the Coast traders,
but it is inadequate for the require
ments of first-rate port. In
other maritime countries this IS one
of the first cares of those having the
conservancB of the chief ports. Re-
ferring only to- new countries, how
ever, there is no first-class seaport
town of New ZealaEd, except Wei
lington, which has not one or two
craving docks. Wellington has a
patent slip, double the capacity of our
marine railway, but shipnnasters pre-
fer going elsewhere to dock rather
than use the slip. Auckland has two
fipe craving docks. the second being
capable Of aceommod ating vessels of
5000 tons aud upwards. Lyttelton
has a. similar dock; Port Chalmers
has 3 medium sized dock, and is
about to build another of first-class
dimensions. Melbourne has superb
craving dock; and sydney has two
very serviceable docks. which are
kept fully employed. Even Victoria,
the capital Of British Columbia, is
building large craving dock; and
the Union Iron and Steel Company
of San francisco is. building dock
of large dimensions in connection
with their new foundry, iron and
steel works. and steel shipbuilding
yaF4at the south side of the city.
Why not, therefore, take measures
for building a irst-cIass dry dock at
Honolulu, where sufficient depth of
water and good foundations are avail
able As an investment tits GER
tain TO pay. IN combustion with,
lalianet to free port it would
be fully occupied, finding profitable
employ nlent- for highly paid labor
and contributing in a multiplicity OF
ways to the business and industrial
prosperity of the city, and indirectly
also to the islands generally. $50
In the case of Sydney the docks
were early built by private capital;
and the San Francisco docks, old and
new, are similarly the result of JOINT
stock enterprise. The Canadian Gov
eminent ffflds the money for the
Victorian dock; but the Melbourne
and New Zealand docks have been
built by money borrowed in London,
on the security of harbor dues and
endowments. They pay interest, and
create sinking fund for the ultimate
extinction Of the debt. sal
We go somewhat into details to
show what has been accomplished by
other communities, some of which
are no stronger than Hawaii, as is
notably true of the New Zealand
seaport towns. What the colonists
of New Zealand have done, Hawaii
should be able TO do in the way of
dock building. One. dock only is
needed for these islands, but it should
be big enough to dock any man-of-
war on the North Pacific station. If
We had suitable dock here, English
and American national ships would
more frequently visit US. ,t T.ahua.
What might be accomplished by
the simple expedient of free port
may be seen in the rapid growth of
Hongkong-speaking of the settle
ment az . whole-ands Singapore;
also, in the case DIST. Thomas, In the.
West Indies. We are certain that it
would help to build up great mari
time city here faster than any other
way, by abolishing all charges upon
shipping and raising the small amount
Of revenue that may be needed for the