The San Francisco call., 1903-12-19
Future of Pacific Trade.
BY SOLOMON NELL SHERIDAN.
philippine War Correspondent New York
Herald.1

(Phtippine War Correspondent New York
Herald.)
Copyright. 1908. by Joseph B. Bowles)
The Pacific is the ocean of the fu-
ture. Upon its waters there is des-
tined to grow up, within the present
century, the worlds greatest COM
merce, and the nation that holds the
key to the Pacific will become the
worlds greatest commercial nation.
Men who see far have seen this for a
long time past. The lands that border
the Atlantic are old lands. destined to
slow growth, while the Pacific lands
are new, with their natural resources
hardly yet touched, or old lands only
just beginning to feel the awakening
touch of modern commercial progress.
The Pacific Ocean is the ocean of the
future and the key of the Pacific is
the Isthmus Of Panama.
AS the trade of the world stands
now and has stood since the decline
Of Venice, England occupies precisely
the best business stand on earth. Ma
cauley once said something like that
without the added truth that nations
change, and the routes of commerce
change with changing conditions. With
reference to the commerce of the fu-
ture, the United States holds the key
Of the Pacific and occupies in addition
the best stands for business on both
sides Of the worlds coming trade high
way.
Following the Great Circle trade
route from the Isthmus of Panama to
HOngkOng and Manila, it will be found
that the United States, starting at one
end Of the route and ending at the
other, has a position of such vantage
as no other nation can hope to equal
The only possible rival in fact, is
Japan, and the Japanese, contrary to
the generally accepted notion, are not
a maritime people. The japanese live
on islands, it is true, and have always
been boatmen, but they are boatmen,
merely, fishermen and not sailors. The
only line Of japanese ships trading
across the Pacific to-day is Differed by
Englishmen, and the japanese do not
make the best sailors even under for
eign command. They are inferior to
the Chinese, and not to be compared
to the Manila men. In fact, it is an
aphorism among sea captains along
the Asiatic coast, that when Japan
ese steamer comes along it behooves
everybody else in the neighborhood to
get out Of the way, for the japanese
skipper needs all the sea room there
is-and some more. A nation of bad
sailors never becomes really CONNER
cially great Note, in this connection,
the difference between the French and
the English.
Apparently the commerce of the Pa
cific has been of slow growth. In fact.
il has seemed to become of great i'm
pOrtance only since the Spanish War
But far-seeing men the world over did
not need the sound of Dewey's guns
to awaken them to a perception of the
future trend of trade. The Spanish
War resulted in putting the United
States in the most advantageous possi-
bic position with reference to the COM
merce Of the Pacific, and with the key
in possession of this country it is not
difficult to see that this commerce will
fan more and more into American con-
troll as the years go on. It has not
been so many years since one small
]
the colonies of Australia and New Zea-
land, and another to Asia, with a
coastwise line to Panama and smaller
eoastwise lines along the western part
Of this country, sufficed for the bulk of
the carrying trade on the Pacific, al
though, Of course, there was in addition
to this the island sugar fleet and the
big wind TANNERS carrying the Cali
fornia wheat crop from San Francisco
TO Liverpool. On the Asiatic side a
feet Of slow junks crept up and down
along the Chinese coast, running their
noses far up into the rivers, but count
ing for nothing in the commerce of the
world.
The Chinese are abandoning the
junlzs now for iron freighting tanks:
three splendid 6O00-ton steamers hard
ly suffice for the trade between San
Francisco and the colonies, helped as
fer as Honolulu by a smaller vessel to
take off some Of the burden Of the ex-
elusive island trade; not less than six
great lines carry freight and passen-
gers between America and Asia, run
ming some Of the largest vessels on the
sea; steamships carry freight and pas
sengers direct from San Francisco to
Europe, and new lines are projected
from the Pacific Coast of North Amer
lea to Vladivostok and Port Arthur.
When the Isthmus Of Panama is
pierced, cutting off 10000 miles of sail
ing distance between the Pacific ports
Of America and the great commercial
centers of the world, a tremendous i'm
petus viii be given to the carrying
trade Of the western ocean