The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-09-30
FUTURE COMMERCE..

importance of the Pacific and the
relation of Hawaii to the commerce
of the ocean, Mr.. Proctor points
out that this Importance is primarily
due to the use of steamers. These
have brought lands which were
widely separated comparatively near
to one another, and competition has
brought the freight rate so low that
measured by freight cost Honolulu
is nearer to San Francisco than
many California towns, and Auck-
land, Sydney and Hongkong are
nearer to London than Omaha is to
New York. In fact he r-asons that
the Intervention of seas is of greater
advantage than a continuous strip
of land, and argues that British
India, South Africa, Australia and
Canada are more compact as a COM
tnercial unit than the various parts
of the Russian Empire, between
which no seas intervene.
Mr. Proctor then enters upon an
able analysis of the future trade of
the Pacific. More than half the
population of the world is on coun-
tries facing the Pacific and Indian
Oceans, and the amount Of their
trade at the present time is over
So, $50, 900, 900, with almost I'M
limited ability of expansion. Of
this commerce the United States has
now but a small fraction. OF the
total commerce of the United States
only five percent goes in Westerly
direction. The teeming millions
of China, Indo- China and India are
great consumers and the day is
coming when American manufac
lures will be used by them. They
are easily accessible, for their large
rivers afford means of cheap COM
mercial transit, and thus the manu-
features Of the United States could
be brought to their very doors.
And this vast trade would not be
confined to the West coast of
America The question of a water
way between the two oceans is out
of the line OF debate, it only needs
money and energy to complete.
The twentieth century, upon whose
threshold we are standing, will see
the marriage of the Atlantic and the
Pacific, and will see fleets of laden
merchantmen passing and repass-
ing from the East to the West.
The prospect before the United
States is vast commerce, I'M
dreamed of in the days when the
colonists fought for their liberty and
their earliest statesmen built better
than they knew.
But here comes the importace Of
Hawaii. If there is this mighty
commerce it must be protected.
Modern ships of war and of COM
merce need facilities for coaling and
also for docking A halfway station
between the great Continents is a
necessity. The great distance
across the Pacific" says Mr.. Proc.
ter, would render it impossible for
a war vessel to cross the ocean and
return without recoaling." And he
adds that neutral port cannot, in
war time. be used as base of sup
plies. The nation that possesses
Pearl Harbor would then be the
nation that commanded the Pacific.
To possess the Islands would save
the much fortification of the West
ern coast of the United States.
With the Hawaiian Islands held by
the United States no foe from a dis
lance would dare to send her ships
against the sea coast of California,
for the steam vessels would be too
far from their base of supplies, and
they would easily fall a prey to we'll
equipped vessels of the United
States. But let the Islands fall into
the hands of another power, and
let that power erect docks and forts
and make this the rendezvous of her
ships, and the Western coast of the
United States which is now protect
ed by 5000 miles of sea, would be
only 1000 miles distant from the
enemy, and would have to guarded
far more carefully than it is now,
The imminence of this danger
has been pointed out again and
again i'll these columns, and is better
understood by those who live here
and watch events, than by those in
the United States. 1t will require
no actually aggressive policy for
Japan to quickly get control of the
Islands. A steady pouring in of
Japanese Students will soon drive
out the Americans and Europeans
from these shares, and the Hawaiian
will be engul fed in the tide. From
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