Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-11-12
NEW FRENCH LINERS.
NEGOTIATING FOR ENTRANCTI
TO SAN FRANCISCO TRADE
FURTHER STATEMENT REGARD.
ING THE MessAeERIes MARI.
TIME DE FRANcE-Lo.
CAL TRADE.

San Francisco Nov 4.--The Mesa
geries Maritime de France. French
line of steamships, Is negotiating for
entrance to San Francisco for the pur.
pose Of obtaining part OF the trade be.
tween this port and the Hawaiian Isl.
ands, and Australia, the Far East and
Europe. New Caledonia and Tahiti al.
so will be on the route proposed. Roth,
Blum & Co., agents for almost all the
French sailing vessels that come to
San Francisco, said yesterday that
plans were being laid for the new sys.
TEN, but they might not be completed
for some weeks. From man recent.
ly from Honolulu, however. II is learn.
ed that the French Consul at that port
has been advised officially that the
sailings are promised this month.
The Messageries Maritlmes is one
OF the largest fleets sailing between
European, Australian and Asiatic
ports. 1t was founded in 1851, and ten
years later obtained the French India
and China mail contract. Il has sixty.
two vessels. and a total tonnage of
nearly a quarter Of a million. II also
has service down the west coast of
Africa, besides one covering the whole
Mediterranean sea and the Black sea.
The line which Il Is proposed to ex.
tend to San Francisco now runs be.
tween Marseilles and Sydney. Austria.
liu Tha l.
the start, and will be made more FIRE.
quent II the trade demands II. The
vessels will touch at New Caledonia
and Tahiti on their trips each way A
statement from Honolulu is that the
French mail contract, now held by the
Oceanic Steamship Company for the
Tahiti mail. will be transferred to the
new line by the French Government
This. with the regular profits from the
ordinary trade. It is believed will
make the venture profitable from the
outset.
The Messageries Martimes also. II
is said. will break the rates now oh.
tanning between Pacific ports. and the
people of Hawaii are hopeful that this
will be the fact At present there are
three or -four lines between American
and Asiatic and Australian ports
which touch at Honolulu. but these
have an agreement by which passen.
ger and freight rates are kept up, and
a passage to Honolulu costs about as
much as one across the Atlantic. The
new French line. II Is expected will
enter into strict competition with the
American and Oriental lines. and the
Hawaiians believe they will get a diff.
ferent set Of rates. The trade between
the coast and the islands Is now in the
hands OF the Oceanic. the Pacific Mail
and the Canadian.Australia steamship
companies. the Oriental and Occident.
al and the Togo Kisen Kaisha being
kept out of business by the American
coasting laws. The French line also
ness between this port and Hawaii by
the same laws, but II can compete for
trade between Hawaii and the other
ports and between San Francisco and
any foreign port.
The people of Hawaii" said the Ha.
waiian referred to, welcome the com.
ing of any line. even though II Is a
foreign line that cannot enter into the
local trade. All efforts to secure con
ccssions from the present companies
Nave either been refused or entirely IL.
nored. the monopoly at present enjoy
ed by the combine preventing any de-
sire on the part of the steamship mag.
mates to accommodate the public. This
Is one of the reasons II has been i'm.
possible to build up the tourist traffic.
The steamship lines have refused to
make excursion rates. But the people
hope that. with the coming of the ca
bic and the new French line. they will
be able to draw tourists, especially
for the winter season. The new line
also will give them an advantage in
rates to the south and east over those
they now have"
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