The Hawaiian gazette., 1890-02-11
OUR OCEAN MAIL SERVICE.


Germ our merchant marine. The Alta
hiss consistently advocated the in
crease Of such mail facilities, and be-
heves that the same principles
should 0e applied to the carrying OF
ocean mails as have always prevailed
in similar service on land. From
the very beginning Of our postal
system 1t has been the policy
of our Government to induce and
stimulate settlement, production and
commerce by the establishment and
liberal maintenance Of mail routes.
The mail contractor has been, in
deed, the pioneer of civilization
across the continent The Govern
ment has never stopped TO ask whe-
Their the Treasury would get back
what it spent TO carry mails. 1t has
established routes and paid well to
have them run where, in the begin
ming, there was hardly any mail TO
carry. One great motive for Gov
eminent aid TO the first Pacific rail
ways was 10 secure adequate mail
facilities for the benefit of commerce
and 70 extend our interstate trade.
The effect of constructing those
roads was 10 supply also an induce
ment for international commerce.
to attract 1t to this port, and TO give
at s highway across this continent.
Bat that external commerce needs
adequate mail facilities also. 1t was
poor policy TO stop at the shore. The
trade between this city and Hawaii,
10 tered by the reciprocity treaty of
which the Alta was the only news
paper advocate here when its abro-
CATION was sought during the last
Administration. has grown so that
there Is demand for more frequent
steam communication The total
foreign commerce of Hawaii in
1887 was S14473,0O0, of which
San Francisco handled at least S12-
100000. The area of that kingdom
Is only about 1000 square miles and
Its population 5000. but it is most
important factor in our commerce.
The reciprocity treaty has been so
long maintained that neither coun-
try viii now consent TO its abroga-
ton, and both would freely seek
closer relations rather than weaken
those which exist. This reciprocity
treaty was one Of the results of a
railway mail route across the CONT
nent. The commerce built upon it
needs a more frequent communica-
ton with Hawaii than is now en-
ioyed- The distance is about seven
days by steam, and yet the interval
between mails from San Francisco
Is about twenty days. The mails
should pass every two weeks at least
or twice a month. instead of twice in
each forty days. Better facilities
would be at once reflected in in
creased enterprise on the Islands
that would appear in an enlarged
commerce at this port. The mails to
China, Japan and Australia should
doubled also. Two should go
yfr1m San Francisco and arrive at
San Francisco where one passes
now. II the government should give
q million a year to this Pacific ocean
mail service, every dollar would
finally produce five dollars in the en-
Aargement Of our commerce. There
Is another consideration which we
hope to make plain without being
misunderstood. Under our treaties
with China a certain traffic was fOs-
tered with that country which our
laws have since terminated. While
that traffic existed, it was lawful.
The investment in steamships and an
establishment adequate to carry it
was the direct result of laws and
treaties which the investors had not
promoted, but which created a com
mercial Lecessity that they supplied
1t Is surely craftsmanship and com
mercial wisdom now to enlarge the
facilities Of trade so as to encourage
the substitution of other forms of en-
terprise to take the place of those
which are outlawed by a change in
our national policy. How can this
be done so well as by a generous fos-
tering of our postal intercourse with
the countries where that commerce Is
to be founda We have often pointed
out the advantages of trade with
Australia and New Zealand. Those
viii be great countries; indeed,
they are great now. They pre-
fer that even their commerce with
Europe should come this way. Their
travel would nearly all come here
- they had more frequent steam
communication from Auckland, sgd
ney and Melbourne. The route is
pleasanter and safer than through
the Indian ocean, and we believe it
is quicker also. The people whose
commercial interests center IN those
three great Australasian centers are
traders and travellers We believe
that no other British colonies gen
crate as much commerce per capita
as they do. They are of our own
kind and kin. They respond quickly
to every evidence of enterprise. San
Francisco Is the nearest great Eng
disappearing city to them We are
k,,4-,1.4oTr- Iooafa1 for raaohfuO