The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-11-16

tai. No proposition had been made
with regard to the extension OF the
present Spalding contract, because Il
was hoped something could be done in
the next six months.
MIR. Thurston then presented a
! strong argument for the scheme. lay
ing great stress on the advantage
gained to Hawaii by the purchase OF
the Government bonds. thereby giving
a start to the bond scheme and giving
Hawaiian bonds an immediate place
! and an established credit in the mar
! kets of the world. The Government
could well afford to give something for
that alone; capitalists would not make
| the immense outlay without an ex-
| elusive franchise He also called at
tention to the cable rates. and TO the
fact that the contract would fix the
maximum charge for rates not in ex-
cess of 81 a word to Australia and
Japan and other companies would
guarantee to give them the same rates
as charged on their own lines to other
| parties. The rates to San Francisco
would not be over 40 per cent of this
figure, and the press rates not over
one-quarter. The opposition from the
| Atlantic cable companies was tremen-
dous, and it would be impossible TO get
men to go ahead with the cable with
| out something to secure them. The
| time for a cable as a purely business
enterprise may be yet long way off,
After Messrs. Thurston and Foster
had expressed their views and an
swered questions, they withdrew.
President Dole read a letter from
| General Hartwell, in which he called
attention to the work he had done on
| the cable scheme, and how near he
had come to success. He requested
that the Government again give him
an opportunity to take the contract on
$4,000 subsidy for 20 years. Gen
eral Hartwell also submitted drafts OF
contracts and intentional agreements
on cable matters. These were not read,
but their Importance must be recog-
niZed when 1t is considered that the
cable must be used by all nations Of the
world in times of war and peace.
After Messrs. Foster and Thurston
had withdrawn a general discussion
followed, which was participated in
by Messrs. Lansing, Dillingham;, Wood,
Schaefer, Alexander, McCandless
Swanzy, Judd Young, Irwin, Phillips
Isenberg, Waterhouse and Hackfeld
OF these Swanzy, Irwin, Young lsen-
berg, Hackfeld, Phillips and Anterior
expressed themselves as strongly OPP
posed to making a contract of this
character.
Mr.. Swanzy very well expressed the
opinions of these speakers in saying
that in the immediate future, especial
ly with the completion of oceanic can
ais the progress of the Pacific must be
very great There must be an i'm
mense increase in the commerce, and
the ships must increase in tonnage
and improve in character The neces-
stiles of this increase brought about
by the development of Japan and the
progress of Russia, in consequence of
the completion of the Siberian Rail-
way, must create new requirements
and demands that can hardly be con
templated or measured at the present
time. The Importance of Hawaii is
it's geographical position which is OF
a most commanding nature. Steam
ships and cables must be landed here,
and it would be a great national and
commercial error for Hawaii to tie it
self up to any one concern by a 20-year
exclusive franchise. Before the end of
20 years the people might find they
had made fatal mistake. 1t was.
therefore to be hoped that the Gov
eminent would not commit itself with
out most careful and mature consid-
Grafton.
w. G. Irwin sald this cable matter
was a pretty important one TO discuss
at practically a moments notice. The
full nature of the proposition had not
been understood until a very few hours
before. He felt sure the country would
get the cable when the demands of
business required it, and to shut out
other nations of the world by max
ing this contract would be a mistake.
He was sure the time would soon come
when Hawaii would get cables without
making concessions and without great
expense to the Government. He
thought if the Government had money
to offer the fact had better be made
known, and he would be willing TO
guarantee the offer would be taken up
without requesting a 20-year franchise.
Mr.. Irwin also spoke upon the imprOba-
bility of the Japanese Government
granting large powers to foreign
company.
DR.. Wood and the Attorney General
spoke of having learned from an au-
thOratative source while in Japan that
the japanese Government in it's pres
ent mood and with its ambitious spirit
for extending it's power, might Of itself
very soon lay a cable At any rate il
would not look with favor or grant
concessions to a foreign corporation; il
must be a Japanese company with Jap
anese capital.
Alexander Young said that while he
felt that in view of the great outlay
required for a Pacific cable, no capital