The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-01-01
WANT SHARE
OF TRADE
Merchants Would
Bid on Army
Supplies.
MOST OF GOODS
ARE IMPORTED
Association Commit e
Will Inquire Why Local Deal
-. T-A NJ TT

The Merchants Association will in
vestigate the reason why the army
commissary located at Honolulu obtains
most of the supplies from the mainland
for the Camp Mckinley troops instead
of asking for tenders of the local mer-
chants. A committee of three, con-
sisting of Messrs. Hamburg, Won Hamm
and 7. j. King was appointed by Pres
ident Macfarlane. to inquire into the
causes which have SO far governed the
Importation of army supplies, and to
ascertain what means are necessary to
divert this trade to Island merchants.
The. matter was brought up by Mr..
Hamburg of Hackfeld & Co, who said
he had learned that these supplies had
been procured from mainland exporters.
He was of the opinion that, as the local
merchants had to pay duties and taxes
in the maintenance of their business
interests. they should be given a share
of the government trade. He thought
there was some way to get the trouble
rectified, Mr.. Hamburg further stated
that the system employed by the COM
missary department often resulted in
overstocking and a resulting sale of
some of these goods at prices much
lower than those fixed by the city mer-
chants.
President Macfarlane said that the
matter had been brought up once be-
fore as to having the army, or at least
the local post, use Hawaiian coffee, but
the statement had been made then that
the coffee was not of sufficient strength
for 'stiffening the hackbones of the SOL
6iers."
The meeting was primarily called for
considering the report on Hawaiian re-
c. M Cooke and Cecil Brown. which
mas already been published The re-
port was read and adopted unani-
mously.a
bration committee. reported that prog
ress had been made by the committee.
and that a general plan had been de-
cided upon about as follows:
The banquet as originally planned
will not be given. There will be speech
es made by General A S. Hartwell, U.
s. Commissioned Eustis. Hon. H. E.
Cooper and E. S. Dickinson of the Ca
BILE company. These viii be delivered
from the band stand in the Capitol
building enclosure if the weather per-
mits. Upon the reading of the mes
sage from President Roosevelt to Gov
ernor Dole salute of one hundred
guns viii be fired. There will be pa
triotic music by the Hawaiian Govern
ment band and in the evening a fine dis
play of fireworks.
President Macfarlane stated that the
decision to have a general celebration,
IL which everybody could join was
much better than the plan to have a
banquet at which only limited number
COUlu dlltiN re DdtlQ dSl NeNo ASNA4O+
a selfish proposition considering the i'm
portance Of the celebration to the en-
tive group of Islands. The reply to
the communication from the Sam Fran |
cisco Merchants Association was being
drafted and would go forward as soon
as possible. The message to the San
Francisco association could start any
time after the cable was open, no mat |
ter when the exercises here took place. |
AS to the message from the San Fran |
cisco Association he suggested that it |
be held by the local cable office until
the exercises We're ready to take. place
" hen it could be read along with the
other congratulatory MESA ges-
He suggested the sending also of a |
message to Clarence Mackay congratu-
ating him upon the great work Of his
rather and himself.