The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1898-04-06
COL. MACFARLANE NROIH
CANNOT SECURE REGISTRY FOR
S. S. PETER JEBSEN.
Says He is Blocked by Illegal Meth
ods-Nessel Tied Up at San Francis
co-History of the Case.

ne f,ouO Ton y. >. Geter JeDSen is
tied up at the dock in San Francisco.
awaiting sea letter which the Ha-
Waiian Consul refuses to issue, for her
TO proceed to this port to secure a
Hawaiian registry. Colonel Macfar-
lane, the flag owner, occasionally calls
on the Minister OF Foreign Affairs
here to remind him that the expenses
of the ship are piling up, and may,
eventually have to be paid by this gov
ernment, unless the instructions to
Consul Wilder to refuse to grant to
any vessel a provisional registry. are
withdrawn and the vessel permitted
to proceed on her voyage to this port.
All of which may explain why Min
lister Cooper's new registry bill is
meeting with such violent opposition
in the Legislature.
Colonel Macfarlane is angry over the
matter. for he claims that the Minis
ter of Foreign Affairs is holding him
self higher than the law in proceed
ing as he has done. Said Colonel Mac
farlane in an interview last night:
The Peter Jebsen is now practi-
cally without flag. so that we can
not engage her in trade. Charters are
high and there is plenty of work for
her to do. We are in the right. and if
we can chrry our point this govern
ment ought to pay the damages.
Let me give you brief history of
the case. The Peter Jebsen was for
merly Norwegian steamship. but is
now owned by John Rosenfeld Sons,
a prominent ship owning firm. of San
Francisco. and has lately been in
the coasting coal trade. Early in De-
cember last they asked me to place
the vessel under the Hawaiian flag. as
l had done the S. S. China. Or. rath-
er, the case is identical with that of
the 5. S. Aztec, which is engaged in
similar coal carrying trade between
San Francisco and Nanaimo, as the
Peter Jebsen, both of which vessels
are owned and controlled by Ameri-
can shipping firms. 1t was desired to
change the nationality of the vessel,
because while she remained under the
Norwegian flag, all her business had
to be done through the Consul of that
country, in the Norwegian language.
entailing so much red tape as to De
irksome; her officers had to have Nor
wegian papers and all reports had to
be made to that country.
Il made formal application for the
registry of the vessel here on Janua-
ry 10Th at the Custom House. and FL
ed the necessary papers. sending the
duplicates to San Francisco. with in
structions to send the vessel here as
soon as the arrival of the papers from
Norway reached San Francisco,
transferring the owneship to
may name. Soon afterward the bill
of sale was duly filed here, and the
Norwegian flag lowered on the yes
sci at San Francisco. My bond was
also duly executed.
Then came the hitch. When Ros-
enfield Sons agent went to Consul
Wilder at San Francisco for sea let
ter to permit the vessel to come here.
Mr.. Wilder refused to issue the docu-
ment, because of recent instructions
from Minister Cooper not to grant
any more sea letters. and this. not
withstanding the decision in the Chi
mas case. | called on Minister Coop
er here, but to no advantage. He adj
mitted that were the vessel here,
nothing could prevent her from get
ting a permanent registry. Asked
how it was possible to get her here,
he shrugged his shoulders, and stated
that it would be no use to send for her
as he would have law passed to
prevent her registry, while she was
on the way.
$50 the matter stands. | have en-
gagged Paul Neumann to look into the
matter, and he tells me that as no law
can be retroactive, he does not see
how the vessel can be prevented from
getting her registry even in the face
of the threat of Minister Cooper. Mr..
Cooper merely states that it is the
policy of the government to prevent
the further registration of vessels. OF
course, this does not concern me. |
can only ask for what the law en-
titles me to.
Like many others, l am at loss
to understand why such law as the
one now pending should be entertain
ed by the legislators for one moment
! failed to see single comment in the
American papers adverse to the China
decision, and Mr.. Cooper admitted to
me that he had not seen any.
with the Peter Jebsen, | will have
brought into this country over $1,000
900 worth of taxable property. Is
there any easier way of creating
wealth and revenue for the Republic
than increasing the Hawaiian mer-
| chant marine and making it of respec-
table proportions? Have I done any
| serious injury to this government by
registering the China, Aztec, San Ma
teo and Barracuda, all of which yes.
sells were transferred in London to
me? On the contrary. we can boast of
having under our flag a fine fleet of
Ocean steamers. and in the case of
the China, the finest steamship on the
ecific Ocean"