The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1902-08-19
DECLINE or THE
SAILING FLEET

There We're no arrivals or departures
yesterday at Honolulu, and of course
the old question as to the decline of the
sailing fleet was talked over again.
Among all the sailing vessel arrivals
during the past few weeks only one
from the coast has come with a fun
cargo. This latter was the schooner
Rosamond. Even she did not nave a
cargo that could be counted as a fun
one, as compared with former days, as
II only represented two-thirds the
amount of money in freight that a full
cargo would have been worth before
the $3.50 rate from the coast on general
merchandise went into effect.
When all the big steamers of the
American-Hawaiian line are completed
II is doubtful where the sailing ship in
the Hawaiian Islands trade Is to fit in
Many people think that the wind lam
mer VIII not fit in at all, and that near
lS all the sailing fleet which has been
engaged in this trade for years will be
taken off this run and placed in more
profitable work to foreign ports. Amer
ica's foreign trade is pushing ahead ct
q surprising rate, and there is really
no reason why the sailing fleet should
not find considerable business in car
rytng 1t out. Take for instance the ORR
entral trade. In the long passage to
Oriental ports the sailing vessels have
much better opportunities to compete
for the trade than the steam vess As
our trade has shown an enormous in
crease with Australia and with the
number of American ventures that
nave been started in the drought strick-
en- country there should be great OPEN
ings for the sailer.
we'll known exporter said yester-
day: Il believe that every month will
show less number of sailing vessels
coming to this port with general mer-
chandise. The tendency is constantly
toward steam, and the rates are now
such that the windjammer is paying
very little to its owners when engaged
IN tins trade, and the profit is certainly
not worth the risk. Then again. bust
ness is now conducted in such a man
ncr here that the merchant when or
dering goods prefers to get them much
sooner than the sailing vessel can bring
them to him. We have heard lot
about the sailing vessels being owned
in Honolulu. but the interest in them
now held in the islands Is very small,
and their owners in the islands find It
more convenient to send by steamers
and certainly cheaper in the long run.
The bigger part of interests in the fleet
now trading here is held in San Fran
,lsco, and the owners Will certainly
put them into other trade as the bust
ness falls Off here. | believe that the
hat8On Company has taken one or two
vessels from its Hilo line and is send
ne them To- South American ports with
Another said THE trade between
honolulu and the coast is slowly chang
ing from sailing vessel to steamer. The
ease Is identical with that of Australia.
\ ears ago an enormous fleet was en-
gagged in the coastal and inter c olohial
trade of Australia, New Zealand and
Tasmania, but this has now nearly all
been changed to steam, and the big
lines of the Union Steamship Company
IF New zealand, the Adelaide Steam
ship Company, the Howard Smith COM
pany. and the Huddart- Parker Com
pauy have resulted. Nearly an the
coal used for the South Australian
shelters is now being taken around by
steamer from Newcastle. This trim Is
about the same as that from the coast
to Honolulu. Recently the government
made contract for coal to be trans
ported from Seattle to Honolulu for the
army transports which are to call here.
Under conditions OF five years back one
would have expected that this contract
would have been secured by sailing
vessels. But no, the Globe Steam Navi-
cation Company stepped in with cheap
er freight rates and secured the plum.
II Will soon be the same In most other
lines"