Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1903-06-01
aASHING THE RATES
NEW PLAN OF PACIFIC
MAIL STEAMSHIP co.
SIBERIA TO INSTITUTE A NEW
scHEDULE-APPEARANcE OF
NEW COMPANY THE
CAUSE.

The Chronicle Of May 20, contains
he following;
when the big liner Siberia of the Pa
rinc Mail Steamship Company sails
from this tort for the Orient on her
next trip she will carry freight at a
cheaper rate than ever before. This
does not mean that the Pacific Mail
Company contemplates a reduction all
along the line as a permanent thing.
but II points to the fact that II Intends
TO institdte rate war in the carrying
OF freight to Oriental ports. The APP.
pcaranCc Of new competing trans
oceanic line Is the cause of this most
recent move by the Pacific Mail people.
II Is evidently their purpose 10 begin
the competing line before
Il gets fairly started. The agent or
the Pacific Mail Company announced
unoiIicially yesterday that rates would
be 50 cut that a ton Of freight could be
shipped to the Orient for 81. by car
rying freight ut this rate II Is hoped
u at the new rival company, the China
Commercial Steamship Company, will
be unable to compete,
About the first of this year the new
company was organized. II Is distinc-
lively Chinese affair, the stock all
being owned by wealthy Mongolians,
The promoters Of the company stated
that the primary object Of instituting
this new line, was to built up trade be-
tween China. Mexico and the South
American republics.
From later indications, however, II l.
apparent that the new company In
tends to enter the local field To u GER
tain extent, hence the alarm Of the
Pacific Mail and It's hasty cutting o
rates. The China Commercial Steam
ship COmpGnys boats are not equipped
to compete In the business Of carrying
passengers, as provisions are made
principally for the accommodation o
steerage passengers. although arrange
ments have been made for the accom-
mediation OF few cabin passengers
Mexico Is to be colonized by Chimes,
and most Of these will come over al
steerage passengers and be dropped Of
at the ports OF ManLanIllO and Mazat
Ian on the coast OF Mexico. But II hal
been planned to make san Francisc,
a terminal port, and on all return trip
to the port Of departure, HongkOng
the steamers are planning TO carry al
much freight as they can get, TIT
ports of call In the new line include
Hongkong, Shanghai. Mol, Kobe. Yo
kOhama, Honolulu, Manzanilla, Mazat
Ian and San Francisco, In the orde
named. on the trip coming over no
50 much attention will be paid to III,
business of carrying freight to thl
| port, ms the steamers will carry larg
numbers Of Chinese steerage passen
GERS for Mexico, and freight for tn
South American ports, But on the re
turn trip no such conditions Will eX
list. Every effort will be made TO sc
ms much freight rs possible In Orde
TO have the ships not go back In bal
last. That the local shippers to ORR
entail ports will benefit by this compe
tition has already been demonstrate
by this first move Of the Pacific Mai
Steamship Company. Whether a grea
er cut will be made depends entirel
on the yigor with which the new CON
pany canyasses the field.
II seems that II Is well equipped /
do so. The officials are all men Of Wild
experience and known ability. j.
Van Buren,, the general manager, ha
been a general agent for the Pacif
Mail, the Togo Kisen Kaisha and tn
Occidental and Oriental STEAMSHIP
companies. lie has looked over III
field thoroughly, both In this cOuntr
'and In Mexico, and Is confident thf
the new company can hold It's own,
~ c. Comfort has been appointed rel
ident general agent In this city. II
Is one Of the best known steamshi
men on this Coast, having acted In III
capacity Of purser In both the Toy
Kisen Kaisha and Occidental and Or
entail lines,
The company will have three ne
steamers Of 5000 tons each. They ha,
been buff expressly for them In En-
land.
The company Is financed entirely |
Chinese, The president Is Eng II
Fong and the vice president Luen IA
Ming. Both these gentlemen hay
thoroughly Canvassed the territOl
I their company intends 10 invade, AZ
have soon sufficient promise 10 inYe