The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-02-13

q YDNEY, Jan. 31.-The following is
the full text of the letter sent by
- Messrs. Burns, Philip & Co., Aus
tralasian managing agents for the
Oceanic Steamship Company, to the
Federal Postmaster-Generalr relative to
the question of future mail services
across the Pacific, which was referred
to in our cable news from Sydney last
week:
January 2, 1902.
.'To the Honorable the Postmaster
General, the Commonwealth of Aus
Eraiia, Melbourne.
"Sir-We had the honor on the 10th
ult to briefly intimate to you that the
Oceanic Steamship Company of San
Francisco, for which we are the man
aging agents in Australasia proposed
in the course of short time to lay be-
fore your government important prop
ositions relative to the mail service OF
the future across the Pacific.
1--WE now respectfully return to the
subject for the purpose of placing be-
fore your government certain matters
which we submit should be borne in
mind when the subject of the mail con-
tracts has to be dealt with The
Oceanic Steamship Company, well
backed with capital as it is. is very
confident of its ability to render con-
spicuous service to the commonwealth,
not only with regard to the mails for
the American continent, but also with
regard to those for the United King
dom itself.
As to the mail service for the Amer
lean continent there appears to be ev-
,yo nI,at Of
ing rapidly in Importance. The COM
merce between the United States and
Australia has expanded in a marked
degree during the past ten years, and
a still greater degree of expansion in
the early future may certainly be look
ed for in view of the trend of thought,
policy and enterprise in the United
states 1t is more than thirty years
since direct communication between
Australia and San Francisco was first
established, yet it is only ten years
since the United States government
was induced to do anything by way OF
subsidy to maintain or to improve the
service, but having once moved in this
direction it has continued to move step
by STEP In 1891 the United States gov
ernnent authorized the first payment
to this service, and in 1897 the sum was
increased, and in 1900 subsidy upon
tonnage basis equalling about G5O,OOo
per year for ten years was contracted
to be paid to the Oceanic Company,
and this contract made possible the inn
proved service now being run. The in
creased interest shown by this subsidy
to be felt by the United States In the
commerce of the Pacific Is no isolated
incident but is, We submit. to be look
ed upon as Indicative of the general
poIicy likely to be pursued in the flu /
t,1re by the United States with regard
TO external trade.
.sThat we are not exaggerating the
possibilities of the outlook may De
Judged by reference TO various cable
messages from the United States that
have appeared in the press within the
last few weeks, and to which we Will /
briefly refer. On November y, Presi- |
dent Roosevelt was reported TO have
said that American interests in the Pa /
cific were destined to an indefinite de-
xaIopnent. On December it appeared
mat in his Presidential message to
congress President Roosevelt referred
to the desirability of making recipro-
c;.v .resries with other countries The
oaxt day. December s, message re-
norted that the United States Isthmian !
recommended the con-
of the Nicaraguan Canal at a
cost of $3.50. .OOO. 900. A day later, De-
carnber :. the cable reported that Mr.
yrnau ]. Gage, Secretary to the Unit
cd states Treasury, in his annual re-
MORT announced a surplus of e16,19l,-
9as and urged that the surplus should
he ayailed of for the establishment OF
a compIete mail service with Europe,
Asia. Australia and South America
which service, he thought. should con-
stitute the backbone of the American
of oversee communication.
Further. il will be remembered that. In
the very last speech delivered by the
lata President Mckinley reference vas
made to the desirability of increasing
the external trade of the United states
This speech of President Mckinley
and the various events which nave
lately transpired. to which reference
has been made, are ample justihcatlon
for the belief that an era OF enlarged
and more active commerce between the {
United states and Australia IS now be- 1
ing entered upon. 1t is needless TO !
saw that this new attitude on the part
IF the United States, with their popu- .
alton of nearly eighty millions Of Well