The morning call., 1890-11-30
IN THE SOUTH SEAS.
The French at Tahiti Eager for a
Steamship Line.

BY the brig Tahiti, Captain Paulsen, which
arrived a few days ago from Papeete, latest
adyices were received from the French
colony in the South Pacific. LIE Messenger
de Tahiti, the official organ, published at
PGpeete, said i'll its issue OF October 9th A:
The Colonial Assistant Secretary has au-
thorized the Governor TO treat with the
house Of SpreckelS & Co. for the establish
ment of line If steamers between Homo
lulu and Papeete and as soon as the. question
is settled With the Government of tile Sand
witch Islands the steamers Claudius and
Khan will be placed on the line.
4 representative Of The CALL visited tn 9
office of Spreekels Bros. yesterday and
found that John D. Spreckels, the head Of
the firm, is on a visit to the East and would
probably not be back for ten or twelve days,
and the employees Of the firm said that no
information regarding the matter could be
given until his return.
L. j. Creighton, correspondent and resi-
dent agent of the New Zealand Government.
was seen, and in answer to queries said :
Yes, have seen the article You refer to,
and | know that the legislative body at
Tahiti has been authorized TO contract with
SpreckelS Bros. for monthly mail service
between San Francisco and Tahiti. il being
understood that the service should be Coz
Quoted by a line of steamers running be-
tween Honolulu and Papeete, composing
with the regular steamers Of the 0s, anic
Steamship Company's line at Honolulu.
That would give four weeks service be-
tween France ard Papeete; that is. mail
would reach Papeete every four weeks from
France, and vice versa.
i cannot speak positively as to what ac-
ton the legislative body at Tahiti took. but
| brlieve it voted o subsidy of SIS, 600 or
$40, eco year to the line II established. and
sent communication to the Hawaiian Gov
erument informing it of what it had done.
by adyieeS just received from Honolulu,
| find that the Government there has appro-
priated the sum of $4,000 year as sub
sidy to the line. The aggregate subsidy is
very small, and whether it Will justify the
line being started cannot be told until Mr..
Spreckels returns from the East, but the
chances are that mail service will be es tab
lShed between here and Tahiti.
"A line of steamers subsidized by the
New Zealand Government now runs from
New Zealand to Tahiti and the Marquesas,
Tonga Tonga, Rorat0nga, etc. The climate
seems to be against stOck-raislng in Tahiti
and the Marquesas and large quantities of
beef and mutton are shipped there from
Auckland. In Hawaii they have as fine
cattle and sheep rs there is in the world
and il the line is started the hawaiian
Islands may supply the French colGny with
its beef and mutton. OF course the line could
not possibly pay at first, but there is no
doubt that good trade could eventually be
built up All the trade OF the islands down
there now goes to New ZEALAND. and no
doubt If the proposed line is started large
portion Of it woold, after time, be diverted
here.
another thing is the fact that Marquesas
is Gods own country and has the finest eli
mate in the world, and | am sure II the line
starts that hundreds of tourists, who du ring
the winter cannot visit the Yosemite. but
knowing that regular line is running and
can depend upon regular time being made,
will take advantage of the opportunity of
visiting a part of the world of which COM
paratiVely little is known, and which at
present can only be reached by small sail
ing trading vessels"
For Ten Years Each.
Timothy Corcoran was sentenced to i'm
prisoDment at San Quentin yesterday by
Judge Murphy for ten years. he was con-