Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1905-03-11
NEED FOR HARBOR MONEY
IS PRESENTED TO HOUSE
EFFECT OF coAsTwisE SHIPPING
LAWs-ExAMPLEs OF PACIFIC
MAILS TWO LARGE NEW
STEAMsHiPs.
The Congressional Record publishes
the following:

The Congressional Record publishes
the following:
RIVER AND HARBoR BILL.
SPEECH OF HON. JONAH X. KALA.
NIANAOLE. OF HAWAII, IN THE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Thursday, February 20, 1905.
On the Bill III. r. 1SS09) Making Ap.
preparations for the Construction.
Repair, and Preservation Of Ger
tain Public Works on Rivers and
Harbors. and for Other Purposes
Mr.. Kalanianaole said:
Mr.. Chairman:-As the appropria.
tion for Honolulu Harbor, reported by
the Rivers and Harbors Committee.
has been called up for consideration.
I desire to state some Of the more i'm
portant reasons why 1t should be re.
tanned In the bill.
It is a noteworthy fact that Of all
the ports and harbors to be directly
bettered by this bill, Honolulu is the
single and only one that is wholly de.
pendent upon marine transportation.
To all these other ports the improve
ments are important. but to Honolulu
1t is vitality necessary. To other ports
It means added facilities and stron-
ger competitive position by means Of
/ 81,
/ means transportation itself, and the
means to secure carriage for our own
commerce and to retain the ships we
already have.
This comparison Is not drawn to
minimize the needs Of other ports, but
to call your attention to the fact that
Hawaii, as an insular possession In the
mid-Pacifc, Is wholly dependent upon
shipping for all intercourse with the
outside world.
The other ports named In this bill
are all served by from one to ten trunk
line railways, which give them a more
or less adequate competing service
both for freight and passenger traffic
but In Hawaii ships are the only trans
portation means for either our com
merce or our people. To lose any OF
our ships means increased personal
and commercial isolation.
Our two best steamers, the Mongolia
and Manchuria, splendid modern ships
OF $4,000 tons each and draft of 81
feet are now unable to enter our har
| ~. f,,Il oh hxyt IA.
cablegram which herewith read:
Honolulu. February 4, 1905.
Kuhio. Washington:
Manchuria, freight laden, draw
Ing 32 feet, unable enter harbor
yesterday. CARTER.
These steamers have omitted oui
port Oh some trips and have on some
occasions lightered their passengers
and freight into our harbor from the
open sea. But unless we can have
early relief we shall lose the service
Of these our two best ships.
When the Republic Of Hawaii con
scented to annexation, under the New
lands resolution In 1898, her people did
not expect that one of the first results
would be the loss Of large part Of the
steamships then furnishing passenger
and freight service to the islands.
But Congress, in the Organic Act
arbitrarily extended the coastwist
shipping laws to Hawaii, although Il
is apparent that traffic with these Isl
ands in the mid-Pacific is not de factt
coastwise trade. BY that single strok,
our insular territory was deprived o
the use OF approximately one-half thu
steamships then calling at the port O
Honolulu.
The Pacific Mail Steamship Com
pany has always made Honolulu por
Of call for It's trans-Pacifc steamer
running to Yokohama and Hongkons
Recently this company has replaces
some of Its old steamers with new an,
larger ships Of modern type.
|. These ships when fully laden hav
n q draft of about SO feet; and as tn
d greatest harbor depth we have is 2
i feet. and that only at O single wharf
@ their two largest steamers have bee
v unable to enter our harbor excep
!. when carrying light or fractional cal
y go. AS already stated. they have o
d a number Of voyages anchored In tn
a open sea and lightered their passel
"a gers and freight into the harbor o
@ steam tugs. This Is, Of course, NJ
commercially practicable, and unles
: we can have our harbor deepened "
=, shall lose the two best steamers no
calling at our port,