The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-01-05
THE VALUE OF THE OCEANIC s. S
LINE TO HONOLULU.

nection with the Coast, the Opposition
press attempting to make political CAPT
tai out of it, as indeed one of the speak
ers at the recent Armory meeting like
wise did The drift of all was to the
effect that it would be very good thing
for the country if the steamers of the
Oceanic line were withdrawn and their
place supplied by sailing vessels. In
deed this was put very pointedly and
with considerable force by the Gazette"
September 9th, in an article descanting |
upon the contract of the planters agents
syndicate with the American Sugar Re- |
finery of San Francisco, and the other
newspapers controlled by that combina-
ton piped to the same tune then and
subsequently.
We have made inquiries regarding the
probable effect of such withdrawal upon
the business and commercial interests
of Honolulu, and find that opinion, out
side a small interested clique which
wants to control freight, exchange and
interest, is decidedly favorable to steam
ship connection and against return ex-
clusively to sailing vessels, were such a
thing probable, which it is not. Since
fine Oceanic Company's steamships were
placed on the trade between this city
and San Francisco very large sum has
been saved directly and indirectly to
business men and planters. Storekeep-
ers have been enabled to carry on their
regular business with much lighter
stocks than formerly, the certainty
of always being able to fill any order
twice 2 month to an hour putting them
in that favorable position. The saving
thus effected in interest on capital and
depreciation of stock must have been
very considerable; and in like manner
the planters were benefited by cheap
freight and rapid transportation, thus
effecting a saving In interest and ex-
penses for them not to be despised
But this was not ALL These steamers
created employment for native labor,
and put money into circulation, which
would not have happened without them.
The handling of cargo and coaling the
Alameda and Mariposa since they were
placed upon the trade between San
Francisco and Honolulu, has involved
the payment of ten-fold more money for
labor here than has been similarly spent
by all the sailing vessels that frequented
the port during the same period, and
therefore was of ten-fold more value to
the community in this respect than the
aggregate sailing feet. The most recent
example win illustrate this point. The
Mariposa was in harbor exactly seven
teen hours on her through voyage to the
Colonies, and during that time dis
charged $50 tons of cargo and loaded $50
tons of coal. The money paid for labor
in discharging and coaling was 81 ,040, or
more than 81 ton for all the stuff
handled. All this money went to natives.
many of whom earned So % each.
Under no circumstances, except by the
labor requirements of a steamship line,
could such sum of money have been
paid out for handling the same amount
of cargo and coal, because a sailing ves-
sci can take her time, and as matter
of fact always discharges and loads with
very little extra labor added to that OF
the regular crew With steamship it
is different, and especially so in the case
OF subsidized mail line, which is com
PEELED to run close upon schedule time,
no matter at what inconvenience or cost
as to labor.
The sum quoted for the Mariposa is a
fair average of the labor disbursements
in this port, twice a month, for the
Oceanic Company's steamships Alameda
and Mariposa. On the occasion of the
Alameda's trip to the Colonies the labor
bin was larger than that incurred by the
Mariposa. Now, here we have 81 600 q
month, or $4,000 year at the very
lowest calculation, paid bTdte agents of
the Spreckels4li5~ of steamers, as they
areaaifed, every dollar of which goes
into the pockets of the native Hawaiians
who are employed by Messrs. Irwin &
Co, agents of the line, discharging and
loading cargo, yet the Opposition news
papers and Opposition candidates for the
Legislature are clamoring to have these
steamers taken off this trade, and the
payment of this money for labor stopped.
Let the Hawaiian natives understand
that this is what the Opposition speak
ers, Thurston and Kinney, at the
Armory meeting meant, when they at
tackled the mail subsidy to the Oceanic
line and Colonel Spreckels' business en-
terprise; that is what the Opposition
papers mean when they suggest the
transference of the Islands freight from
these steamers to sailing vessels. With
out freight and a subsidy for carrying the
mali a6Foss the ocean, just as New Tea
land pays for carrying its mail, and as
nearly all other countries also do, the |
Alameda and Mariposa would neces-
sarily be withdrawn because there would |
be nothing for them to do. And what |
would follow? Why, simply this: Two
hundred native Hawaiians, heretofore
employed few days a month, and earn
ing an average of $40 each working at
the Alameda and Mariposa when in port,
would be that much poorer, while store
keepers would miss $4,000 a month in