The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-05-25

tween San Francisco and Honolulu
giving the United States Government
the full control Of the line and the OPP
ton of buying it at any time. 1t is this
company that Colonel Spalding is inter
ested in and which holds the Hawaiian
! concession.
When the matter was brought before
the House it was thought that the
amount of subsidy in the Senate bill
was too large, and $4,000 per annum
was suggested. The bill was accord
ingly changed so as TO make the com
pany's project a commercial venture
without government guarantee of cost
I but reserving to the United States Gov
/ eminent the right to control the line
/ Colonel Spalding also offered to make
over to the United States his exclusive
right to land cables on the Hawaiian
Islands for twenty years. This bill was
favorably reported on by the sub-com-
mittee, to the whole committee.
Another HOtspur then came into the
field, under the name of the Pacific
Gable Company of New York, and in
troduced bills into both houses pro-
viding for a cable to Japan via Pearl
Harbor. This company has for its head
Mr.. Scrymser, who is largely interested
in Central and South American cables.
Later it was discovered that John w.
Mackay, the controlling owner in the
Canadian Pacific Telegraph system and
in transatlantic cable lines, was the
instigator of the bills.
This company has opposed the New
Jersey company very strongly Mr. /.
Scrymser stated that he considered the /
Hawaiian concession carrying with it
an inter-isIand cable impossible. The
most glaring misstatements have been
refuted, but the New York company re-
fused to correct Among other state |
ments it was said that the Spalding
project meant English control of the
line.
The real objections to the Spalding |
line from San Francisco to Honolulu |
and so to Japan are TO be found in the |
fact that such a line would cut into the
business with Japan, China and the |
East now done by the Mackay-
cables in the North Atlantic and the |
Scrymser line from Brazil to Portugal
in the South Atlantic
The tactics of the Scrymser company |
against the SpaIding company have |
been such as would prevent the laying
of a trans-Pacfffc cable, and the fact
that they would hear of no methods on
accommodation, and have constantly
changed their offers, has made the
company unpopular with the members.
The offer Of subsidy made by the Ha
waiian Government, and the fact that
the amount voted by the Hawaiian
Legislature was on the express under
standing that the United States shall
join in the undertaking by the grant
Of substantial assistance to the con-
tractor" has made the New Jersey or
Spalding company popular.
AS the House committee voted to sub
sidize a Pacific cable, it became neces-
;ary to change the plan of action. The
lttorney for the Spalding company ad-
dressed a letter to the Hon. w. p. Hep
)urn, chairman of the House Commit =
ee on Commerce, asking for the dis
,harge Of both the contesting parties
rom further consideration and the
bringing in of a bill authorizing tho
General, on or before Sep
ember LIST, to contract with the lowest
bidder for transmitting cable messages
San Francisco, the city of Ho-
LoIulu and Japan, for the term of TWEEN
Y years-the sum named not to be
more than 100000 year, and the mes e.
ages of the United States to be trans
litted without charge, the performance
f the bid to be guaranteed in the sum
f 100000.