Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1900-11-21
URGE THE struggle
FOR HAWA|rS TRADE.
Puget Sound Cities Ask
ed to Act
Unitedly.
BY GIVING PREFERENCE
TO HAWAII PRODUCTS
Splendid Opening With Steamship
Line Established---L Of
Refinery May be
Overcome.

The merchants of Puget Sound have |
been looking for some years with long
ing eyes on the trade Of Hawaii, but the
returned prevented the transportation
companies from furnishing the facili
ties for the business. We have plenty
to send TO Hawaii. but Hawaii has little
to send here. A steamer cannot pay II
she carries a load but one way. AS a
consequence our trade with Hawaii
has been limited to sailing vessels car
rying lumber and coal. Hawaii takes
approximately about sixty million feet
of lumber per year from Washington,
and nearly one hundred thousand tons
of coal per annum, which can be raised
to over 100000 tons when charters and
coal are obtainable. We have sent car
goes of lime, but the greater part OF
our lime goes by Canadian Pacific
steamers or is trans-shipped from San
Francisco. Our flour. butter. vegeta-
bles and many of our manufactured
products go to San Francisco for trans
shipment to Hawaii. The cargoes that
go from San Francisco are made up
chiefly OF goods forwarded from the
east. OF the cargoes that are the pro-
duct from the Pacific coast nearly 30
per cent carried by the San Francisco
steamers is furnished by Washington
and Oregon.
The merchandise for Hawaii from the
east could be as well sent from Puget
Sound as from San Francisco, but the
steamer returning to Puget Sound
would come back empty, while the
steamers to San Francisco carry, in adj
dition to some tropical fruits, heavy
cargoes of sugar. The sugar Is for the
San Francisco refinerles, and some for
trans-shipment to the east. There Is
no refinery on Puget Sound, and our
railroads have not heretofore entered
the field for a part Of the sugar for
eastern refineries.
The starting Of new steamship line
with large steamers and apparently
ample financial backing, which make
Puget Sound port Of call, indicates
that the railroads entering on Puget
Sound are to compete for the sugar
trade and will get a part of II.
The steamers can get their coal here
for the return trip for one-half what II
would cost at San Francisco or Hawaii
and the fact that Tacoma furnishes the
cilities for loading will undoubtedly
make this port the chief port of the
Hawaiian line on the north Pacific
coast.
Here, then, is the opportunity our
merchants desired, brought to their
very doors. II behooves to take full
advantage OF 1t, and in securing the
business of Hawaii we will also assist
the steamship line by making II pay to
visit Puget Sound. All OF our products
that have heretofore been trans-ship-
ped at San Francisco can now be ship
ped direct from here, but the important
question of the return cargo is the one
that should attract the attention of
our merchants. The sugar will be TAX
en- care of by the railroads until a re-
finery is established at Tacoma, but the
tropical fruits and vegetables and
other merchandise Of Hawaii, that is
now or may be marketed here, should
be imported directly by our merchants.
We get Hawaiian bananas and other
fruits, but they are sent through San
Francisco. We consume great quant!-
ties of sub-tropical fruits raised In Cal
ifornia, which can be raised just as well
sary, In order to put the trade on a
paying basis, to have our merchants
create n sentiment in favor Of the Ha-
waiian fruits and products and to have
our consumers ask for them in prefer
ence to others.
The Hawaiian trade Is important
enough to warrant great efforts for its
control. 1t is important enough to JUS
tify combination of the merchants
of the various Puget Sound cities in
favor of pushing the Hawaiian article
II sectional jealousies were put aside
and combination of this kind formed
for the merchants of the different ci-
ties TO assist In the creation and ex'
tension of the Hawaiian trade, II might
mean, after the establishment q re-
finery on Puget Sound, the complete
control OF the trade Of the islands. Cali
fornia is a sub-tropical country and
has little to offer to Hawaii Washing
ton has a north temperate climate and
raises what Hawaii wants, and cannot
raise what Hawaii has to export. III
addition to this California can send
neither lumber nor coal, She cannot
send the manufactured products o
wood and the trade In machinery anf
iron should be entirely centered on PG
4 get Sound, There Is great oppOrtuni
q ~ here, ana broad and aggressive
spirit on the part of the merchants o
. Puget sound win produce great result :