The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1898-07-21
SEEKING TO BUY o. g. o. YES
Sells.

racine Mail Company DESTROYS OF
Adding to Its Fleet-o. & o.
Steamers, Being Under the Bri-
tish Flag, Cannot Ply to Homo
lulu-one Effect of the Recent
Annexation of Hawaii by the
United States.
The Pacific Mail Steamship Com
pany is seeking to purchase the
steamships Belgic, Gaelic, Coptic
and Doric, operated now between
this port, Honolulu, Yokohama and
Hongkong by the Occidental and
Oriental Steamship Company. The
annexation of the Hawaiian Islands
has given an impetus to the move
ment, added to which is the fact
that the Pacific Mail has now no
ships Of it's own left wherewith to
operate its trans-Pacifc service. All
OF the vessels of the latter line have
been taken for troopships by the
Government, and the Pacific Mail
service has thereby been very seri-
ously interfered with, to say the
least. The annexation OF the ISL
ands, likewise, has placed the Occi-
dental & Oriental Company in a
bad predicament. Though none of
the vessels OF this corporation have
been taken by the Government, the
company will no longer be able to
continue its service between San
Francisco and Honolulu. All of its
steamers are under British regis
ter. The Hawaiian Islands now be-
ing American territory, no foreign
ships will be permitted to carry
freight or passengers between any
of the island ports and San Fran
cisco or any other American port.
The laws of the United States
prohibit this in order to protect
American shipping. AS the o. & o.
Company does not own the vessels
in question, but merely leases them
from the White Star Line, a British
corporation, no change of register
can be obtained. OF course, the
company will be permitted to main
tain it's service between Hongkong,
Yokohama and San Francisco,
making Honolulu merely port of
call, but it is merely doubtful if the
line, operated under such condi-
tions, could be made to pay.
Another serious difficulty that will
seriously affect the o. & o. line is
that under the conditions whereby
Hawaii became part of the United
States the immigration Of Chinese
to the islands will be prohibited.
The importation of Japanese con-
tract laborers will also be stopped in
all probability. This has been
source of much profit to both trans
Pacific lines.
Though the Pacific Mail would
like very much to obtain the
steamers of the Occidental and ORR
entail line, it is quite possible that
the latter line would refuse to part
with them and refuse to surrender
the leases for this purpose. Indeed,
General Manager D. D. Stubs to,
day very positively stated that the
Occidental and Oriental line would
not be discontinued. "We may not
be able to carry freight and passen-
gers between San Francisco and
Honolulu in ships under British
register" he said, "but we will make
some arrangements whereby we will
continue our service. We may have
to give up our present vessels, and
it is possible that we will build
American vessels. / can not state
definitely what will be done, as the
matter is not yet determined, but
this much | know, we will continue
the service"
The Occidental and Oriental Com
pany is an American corporation in
corporated under the laws of the
State of California.
GIN this respect at least, we are