The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-08-19
DECLINE OF THE
SAILING FLEET
Windiamners Coming to This
Port Fast Lessening in
Numbers.

There were 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 full
cargo This latter was the schooner
Rosan4ond. Even she did not have a
cargo that could be counted as full
one, as compared with former days, as
it only represented two-thirds the
amount of money in freight that 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
INSTRUMENTATION line are completed
it is doubtful where the sailing ship in
the Hawaiian Islands trade is to fit in.
Many people think that the windjam-
mer will not fit in at all, and that near
ly 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 at
q pIlSlIi5 AdlS, anu bAlCAC 10 lCoAAS
no reason why the sailing fleet should
not find considerable business in car
rying it 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 vessels.
Our trade has shown an enormous in
crease with Australia and with the
lumber of American ventures that
have been started in the drought strick-
en- country there should be great open
ings for the sailer.
A well known exporter said yester-
day: II believe that every month will
show a 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 it's owners when engaged
in this trade and the profit is certainly
not worth the risk Then again, bust
ness is now conducted in such a man
ner 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 a 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
cisco, and the owners will certainly
put them into other trade as the bust
ness falls off here. L believe that the
Matson Company has taken one or two
vessels from it's Hilo line and is send
ing them to South American ports with
lumber"
Another said: 1.-The trade between
Honolulu and the coast is slowly chang
ing from sailing vessel to steamer The
case is identical with that of Australia
Years ago an enormous fleet was en-
gagged in the coastal and inter-colonial
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
of New Zealand, the Adelaide Steam
pany. and the Huddart-Parker Com
pany have resulted. Nearly all the
coal used for the South Australian
smelters is now being taken around by
steamer from Newcastle. This trip is
about the same as that from the coast
to Honolulu. Recently the government
made a 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.
1t will soon be the same in most other
lines