New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-06
ON THE PACIFIC SLOPE.
Bitter Var for Oriental Steamship
Traffic.

San Francisco Dec. 4.-There is bitter war
fare between the Pacific Mail Company, the Oc-
cidental and Oriental and japanese steam
ship lines on one side and the New China Com
mercial Steamship Company on the other. The
ChipR company has chartered three big steamers
to &rry -four and wheat from Portland and
Puget Sound ports to Hong Kong, and 1t is said
to have full return cargoes engaged for all three
vessels Meanwhile the Pacific Mail has cut
the freight rate on -four to Hong Kong to 81
ton the general freight rate to 81 ton. and
the passenger rate to 81 head This last cut
was too late to secure any Of the six hundred
Chinese who started this week for China for
the New Year festivities. These Chinese paid
SIS a head to the company. AS II costs SO
each to furnish the Chinese steerage passengers
with rice, it will be seen that the latest cut IN
passenger rates means heavy loss TO the Pa
cfc Mail Company. E. II. Hartman. as head
OF the Pacific Mall is determined to drive out
competition from this port. He argues that the
China Steamship Company viii not make this
city port of call If there is no money In it,
Meanwhile the big shippers to the Orient are
saving thousands of dollars freight rates
and are anxious to see the merry war continue
The Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda trains OF
the Southern Pacific Company will soon be
operated by electricity. The traffic is becoming
so heavy and the competition of the new ferry
line to Emeryville Is SO keen that the changes
must be made. Allen H B~bcock who recently
installed third RAJ electric system from Sau-
saIito to San Rafael has just been engaged as
electrical superintendent for the southern Pa
cifc Company. and his work will be to develop
electrical roads for suburban travel.
w. P Harrington, pioneer and well known
banker OF Cousa. died this week. He came here
from Maine in 1S49 and opened a general mer-
4
Quoted for eighteen years. Then he entered the
banking business. and at his death presi-
dent of the banks of Colusa and Willows.
! Experiments in self-government by the Ha-
waiian natives have not been very successful.
Charges of malfeasance are made against two
native officials of the legislature. No less than
$4,000 was squGndered at the last session
Colonel Curtis P. Iaukea has been chosen head
of the Home Rule party. to succeed Mr.. Wilcox.
Colonel Iaukea is rampant monarchist and is
also bitter enemy of the Japanese. whom he
would exclude from tie islands. His ideas on
finance were shown in a recent speech. in which
| he said that the government should coin Japan
csc money so that returning Japanese would
not drain the islands Of silver and gold.
The Hawaiian sugar crop is the largest ever
raised In the islands being estimated at 437. 991
tons. against 3G0O3S tons in 1901. the largest
previous yield. The Hawaiian Commercial Com
pany had $500 tons. which makes it's property
the most productive sugar plantation in the
world
Judge Bellnger. of the United States District
Court at Portland. Ore, decided this week that
1t was crime to feed lead sIugs into slot
chimes unless they interfered with its working
The weak part of the prosecution was that 1t
could not show who made the machines. and
consequently no one could be defrauded except
the machine itself.
In Santa Barbara this week the saloon men
defeated the referendum, which was of the
clauses Of the new charter. They declared the
initiative and referendum plan to fight the
saloons. and they secured enough support to
beat II.
The first Of the mines in Tonorah to pay
dividend is the Montana-TOnopah. which this
week declared a dividend of five cents share
on one million shares. T. Loddie, manager of
the big Tonopah Mining Company, married this
week Miss Clara Macdonald of Carson, New.
| daughter of Richard and Clara Belle MacDon-
| add whose divorce was one of the sensations OF
| San Francisco ten years ago.