The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-01-25
FIGHT FOR SERVICE
j. J. HILL AND PACIFIC MAIL
REACHING FOR CONTRACT.
Close Competition for Business of Army
Transport Service-Pacifc Mail Seems
To Have Inside Track

The San Francisco Chronicle in COM
menting on the proposition to do away
with the Army Transport Service, |
says
If Secretary of War Root secures the
sanction of Congress for the abolition
of the Government transport service
between here and the Philippines, the
public will witness an interesting con-
test for the big transportation contract
which the War Department Will have
at its disposal. According to indica-
tons the prize is worth competing for
since the company which succeeds tot
the transport business will be given a
practical monopoly of the carrying
trade between this Coast and the cOun-
tTy's dependencies i'm the Orient, and
there is evidence that at this early day
two rival steamship lines are already
planning to make grab for the plum
when Congress gives the signal. The
rival steamship lines are thase con-
trolled by the Hill and Hartman inter-
ests, the one being the Great Northern
line from Puget sound and the other the
Pacific Mail.
Secretary Roots reason for recon-
mending the abolition is that the SER
vice can be conducted by private cor
pOratiOn under contract for two thirds
the present annual cost to the Govern
ment, which amounts to 100000 and
that the maintenance of the transport
service is preventing the establishment
of commercial lines between this Coast
and the Philippines. 1t goes without
saying that a strong commercial line
viii be established the moment the
Army transport service ceases, for a
contract for the handling of all the
Armys business is involved in the con-
tingency. AS this business includes the
transportation of many thousands Of
tons of freight every month, together
with all the recruits invaded and dis
charged soldiers, who pass back and
forth across the ocean, the company
that secures the Government contract
will find that it has enough guaranteed
business to place a new steamship line
between here and Manila on a self-sup-
porting basis
There is no secret about Hills desire
to have the War Departments trans
pOrtatiOn business transferred from
this port to Puget sound. Hill is plan
ming a gigantic piece of strategy that
is calculated to remove a large volume
of commerce from this port to Puget
sound. Hill has not secured the con-
tract as yet, however, and from present
indications his plans are likely to meet
with surprising upset before the War
Department finally and satisfactorily
dispOses of its present plans. The PaCi-
fic Mail, it is known, is i'm the fight
ana 1t looks as if the company has been
quietly preparing to take over the trans
port business for some time. The aC-
cOmmOdatiOns for 1900 steerage passen-
gers in each of its new 10 600 ton steam
ers can hardly be explained on any
other hypothesis.
By well-informed people it is regard
! ed as probable that the Government
will not consent to the transfer of the
Army transport business to any line
not operating vessels out of this port,
and the Pacific Mail would therefore
be in better position to secure the
| traffic than it's northern competitor.
| The principal reason for this is nat
san Francisco is the natural gateway
| for all traffic to and from the Philip
pines, and the Army has better faciit-
ties here for handling large bod
les of troops than II could secure at.
and other coast point. The extensive
| improvements made at the PrcsiliO
would be rendered useless if troops were
TO be handled by way If the sound
ports. This is regarded as one import
ant reason why the War pepa .tlneqt
VIII contract for the handbag of the
business by way of this pO"t. The War
Department is now engaged iu selecting
an immense tract of land in California
for Army maneuvers and gen-.u ere
equipments and it is being selected
with regard to accessibility from san
francisco 1t goes without saying that
troops would not be brought down.
from Washington to be drilled on a
california drill ground, and this fact.
seems to offer further and more cOn-
Vincing evidence that the War Depart
ments policy win require the depart
ments business between here and Ma
Mia to be handled by way of tins port