The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-09-01
10 SMASH TRUST RATES
NEW LINE or CLIPPERS VIA CAPE
HORN.
Fast Steamers viii Also uc Pat ,r
the Ser,ice-ilonolulu Shippers are
Likely to be Interested.

\ combination has just been effect
ed among San Francisco and Eastern
capitalists for the establishment of IA
line of clippers and steamers to car
ry freights around the Horn. The OBJ
ject of the new enterprise is TO smash
the trust in freights between San
Francisco to New York.
Honolulu will likely be a calling
port for the sailing vessels. The ship
Iroquois, which has just arrived in
New York with a cargo of Hawaiian
sugar. has been commissioned by the
Merchants Shipping company of New
York and Philadelphia, the starters Of
the new line. 1t is to be known as the
| Argonaut Line. Henry ID. Walls of
New York is the general manager. He
was formerly the manager of the
Ward line of steamers. The Johnson
Locke Mercantile company of Sah
Francisco is to act as the general ag-
ent of the new line for the Pacific
Coast.
1t is proposed to start the new SER
vice via Cape Horn with a fleet of sail
ing vessels which is later to be aug
mented by the addition of a number
of fast and commodius steamers. The
latter will make the trip in about fif-
ty days, taking only five days more
than is now made via the Tsthumus of
Panama, and there will be no break
| ing of bulk, which is one of the un-
desirable incidents connected with
transhipment at the Isthumus.
! The Iroquois, the first vessel to be
| placed in commission, is Il ship of
about $500 tons capacity.
1t is expected to be ready for her
| inaugural trip on the new line in two
weeks. She will carry all kinds of
merchandise, except pershable goods.
The Iroquois will be followed by 9TH
er vessels at regular intervals of about
three weeks.
! Negotiations relative to the new line
have been in progress for several past
months. From one of those intimate
ly connected with the enterprise has
come the statement that the new line
is to be perfectly Independent and free
from any entangline alliances with
the existing lines. This gentleman adj
ded that the enterprise is not in any
sense experimental. but that the new
line had come to stay.
At the present time it is claimed
by well known shippers there is no
genuine competition in the freight
carrying trade between the Atlantic
and Pacific seaboards, despite the fact
that there are no less than five dis.
tinct channels in which the traffic can
move between San Francisco and At
lantic seaports. These are the Central
Pacific railroad, the Southern Pacific
railroad. the Panama route. controll-
cd by the Panama raiGoad. fhe Dear
born Clipper line, of which Williams,
DimOnd q Co. are the agents. and the
Flint Clipper line.
All of these are said to be one great
trust to maintain rates, and form Il
combination that its projectors b.
lieved to be strong enough and diver
sified enough to etfectually strang!e
any attempt at Independent and le-
gitimate competition between the two
great ocean highways.
This combination was formed since
c. p. Huntington was successful in
breaking up the Independent service
of the Panama company, about nine
teen months ago. The ruling spirit Of
this shipping trust is said to be this
same Huntington.