The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-12-02

THE AUSTRALIAN MAIL SERVICE
AGAIN.

When our evening contemporary picks
up points promiscuously, as it were,
upon the wharf, it is apt To be imposed
upon, as it was in the case Of the nativity
of Mr. Pearce, of the firm of John Elder
& Co., whose name has been mentioned
very frequently of late in c6nnection with
the Australian mail service 1t does
not matter, however, what his hati9nali-
ty is--Scotch or English-it is plain that
he is being put forward 10y, the Pacific
Man G0mpany,,or that his boats have
been chartered by it for trip or two. in
order that claim for compensation
might be trumped up against New Yea
land. The opposition in Sydney is well
understood. The honor and credit of
the Government OF New South Wales are
pledged to the new service, and the re-
ply of the Postmaster General to the
deputation from the Chamber of Com
merce gives very little room to doubt
the intention of the Cabinet to stand by
the joint contract with New Zealand
entered into by their predecessors.
1t is absurd for our. contemporary to
speak Of Mr.! Pearceis dfsappf6Ral of Ahe
sell-out by the Pacific Mail to gthe
Oceanic Company. He was in position
TO withdraw his steamships, without
which the Pacific Mail Company was
unable to perform the service. But he
did not withdraw tif4iA, hence the in
terence is that he lrepeived his share be
cause it is notorious that the terms of his
agreement with the Pacific Mail Com
pany were that the subsidy was to be
divide pro g.Eta, and that each ship Was
to be credit cd with its own earnings 1sit
credible, therefore, that Mr. Peafce aban
doned all claim to the profitable freight
and passenger trade between these
Islands and San Francisco without ade-
quate compensation, and yet continued
&c, run his two vessels here regularly
simply to carry the mail? We detnSt Be
lieYe it, and no man with the least bust
ness knowledge would believe it. For
this reason it is clearly Impossible to
base any claim to merit on the part of
Mr.. Pearce, upon his assumed disap-
prevail of the business methods of the
Pacific Mail CompaIiys which diseounted
itH chances of profit and loss for two
years operation aud peeketed the met
amount at once. Mr.. Pearce might not
have thought it a favorable business
transaction; but as his share would be
two-thirds of the total, assuming that
there vas a fair division of the amount
we do not think his objection went to the
length of refusing it. The fact that the
Zealandia and Australia came here regu-
larry and barred out the trade of the
Islands is strong presumptive evidence
that the transaction was mutually salts
factory, although Mr.. Pearce may no
have been consulted by the Pacific Mail
Company, which, being the principal il
the contract, was alone in position to
act.
Equally absurd is it for the g Bulletin
10 speak Of relief from the monopoly o
the Oceanic Steamship Company. There
has been no monopoly. There is M
monopoly. There can be 20 monopoly
of the high seas fol, commercial purposes
except by superior energy and enterprise
Now, if our contemporary admits tina
the Oceanic Company displays create
energy and enterprise than its business
rivals, and has, thereby captured TIN
bulk of the. Islands trade, to that extern
we are are prepared to agree with 1t. |
is this superiority on its part that ha
excited so much bitterness and asperit.
of feeling in certain quarters, but it i
about time that sober common sens
views should assert themselves. The sue
eess of the Oceanic Steamship Compan,
paeans the business prosperity of Hon
T-Oaulu and the develepmentof the indus
trial resources of the Kingdom
Means an accession of wealth, enter
prise and skill WHICH will go far toward
building up the Kingdom. Is that no
3 better than the btIilding-u OF foreign
and uIsympatEIetic rival which has nj
property or vested interests in the King
dom, and which only sends its ocean
tramps to our, ,harbOr seeking W.
think it is; and we believe and feel tina
outside very limited circle, which TO
special reasons oppose the Oceani
Company, the bulk of the intelligence
wealth. and standing of this Kingdom
) think as we do on the point. ,s
If the Oceanic Company had attempte'
70 use lis rosition toSl Impose ''cincl
freights" upon our shippers; il it has
discriminated against individuals o
firms: if it had in short done any OF the
things. szEluielB elaancterize = monopoly,
pure and simple, as business men under
stand the term, something might be sale
against it. Having done none OF thes'
things, but on the contrary, having use,
its commanding position solely to pro
mote the public good while, proceeding
mon prudent business lines, it is mos
unfair and uncalled for on the part o
any Honolulu newspaper or firm Il
speak of it disparagingly, or divert Z
ton OF freight from its ships which they
are in a position to carry. We make
this statement broadly and without fear
of contradiction, and we make it also in