The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-05-07
MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION
DISCUSSES LOW
RATES
Continued from Page u
PRESIDENT FAvoRs IDEA.

Mr.. Lutted'S remarks are very iloeil
to the point" said President Smith
There is no question but what tourists
are deferred from coming here by ths
high rates"
PROMOTION COMMITTEES WORK
.sJ,he Promotion Committee has taker
M this very matter with each OF the
steamship companies said j. a Gil
man, of that committee Both com
panfes absolutely refused to consider
any reduction in rates, and say that IL
is not practicable. They claim that al
the present rate they are not paving
expenses. Commissions and other
charges make the total the steamship
companies receive something over nIty
dollars, fifty-four or fifty-five dollars. !
think. which they claim, is the actual
cost.
tsWe have tried to get reduction at
least a dozen times. but have always
met with the sssIne result. Perhaps the
Merchants Association may succeed III
hammering them down"
AGENTS GET THE DIFFERENCE.
.swhat do you mean by commits
sions?" asked Mr.. Smith. The com
missions paid to agents -
eyes, replied Mr.. Gilman. Rebates
and commissions to the steamship ana
railroad lines.
THAT means a loss on each ticket of
twenty or twenty-five dollars. suggest
ed the president.
ssJnder the circumstances 1 suppose
the steamship companies can't be biarn-
ed for not cutting rates as they are
carving sll the passengers they want
now without competition, said r. W.
waIdron 1.-THE only way to get them
to cut it is to bring in new lines, by
offefing freigbts, or else by the Mer-
chants Association putting on steam
er and running it, 1 believe we could
run a steamer back and forth and pay
expenses"
.sYou mean for the Merchants Assoc
citation to go into the steamship busi-
ness?y asked Mr.. Smith.
1.-The Merchants Association with the
backing of its members can charter a
steamship and get enough passengers
and freight to fill it, . replied Mr.. VALID
ron.
.sAH the steamers now have bookings
up TO April, 1906 said Mr.. Smith.
TIE HILL LINE.
81 believe if we appoint a committee
to offer inducements to Hill to have his
steamers come here, we could get
thenI,'' said Mr.. Lutted. Perhaps the
American Hawaiian could be induced to
carry passengers; it would cost them
with stateroonls.
HEINRICH WILL ACT.
Senator Heinrich is to take up the
matter with Mr. Hilrs agent at Seat
tie said Mr. Smith. II expect in a
short time representative of the new
line will be down here to see about
freights. The whole question will be
one of sugar rates. or whether the new
company will enter the combine with
other companies"
NO SEATTLE LINE.
Mr.. WaIdron said that connection
should be had with San Francisco, that
Seattle lines had been tried for ten
years and nad never been successful.
Money had been lost on all the business
with Seattle.
G.. b. Mcclellan asked If there wasn't
enough shipping business in Honolulu
to support a large local steamer
Mr.. Gilman said that a steamer Ike
the China, running from here to San
Francisco and to Los Angeles and back,
would make money. He thought that
a steamer from Los Angeles for certain
months of the year would bring lots OF
tourists in.
Mr.. Smith asked if the Promotion
Committee hadn't taken up the question
of putting on the China. Mr.. Gilman
replied that the committee had but not
with favorable results.
Mr.. Brasch said that the steamship
lines had formerly made a rate of five
dollar per. ton for freight. but had
voluntarily reduced it to three and Q
half. He believed that if the shippers
got together and offered to pay q dollar
and half per ton more, the companies
might consent to cut rates Some in.
ducemerlt he thought should be offered
the present companies.
Mr. Gilman said there would be nj
difficulty in arranging to get steamers
if a guarantee to fill them with freigh
and passengers was given.
AMEND SHIPPING LAWS.
]. G. Rothwen said there would b.
more passengers than freight offered
He had been trying hard to get hi
family away for two or three months
and hadn't succeeded. The steamship
companies didn't intend to give Low
rates as long as they were always fllet
an appeal to Congress for modification
of the shipping laws, so that passenger
might go from here on foreign steam
ers, thus relieving the congested traffic
Some times it was absolutely necessar.
to get away, and yet people from her
could not go on these foreign lines with
out paying a $500 penalty. He calie'
attention also to the fact, that steam
er supported by the community fo
twenty years paid no attention to tn
wants of the public, but left at min
O'Clock in the morning. The Aiamed
left on Wednesday, right after inter
island steamer day, and it was impos
sible to write letters for the steame
the next morning. He believed tn
company should be asked to conform
to the wishes OF the people.
Mr.. Hamburg. of Hackfeld & Co.. ais
thought the proper thing was to try an
secure a modification of the shippin
IaWa aS fha ST I.oifiS Fair overcrOw(l