The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-06-19
AMERICA IN
THE PACIFIC
A Vast Increase of Big
--Japan's
Rivalry.

The introduction into Congress of the
bill for the subsidising of American
shipping has led to the publication in
the newspapers of the States of ma,5y
comparisons of American shipping " h
that of other nations. The Pacific
and is the subject of conflicting opin-
ions. In an optimistic article in the
May issue of Outing, Mr.. Ralph o.
Paine gives some interesting figures re-
garding the increase in tonnage of
American vessels on the Pacific.
When Mr.. Paine first crossed the
Pacific to act in the capacity of a war
correspondent in the China-Japan war,
he found in use a few boats which had
proved too small and slow for use in
the Atlantic service. Revisiting the
Pacific coast last autumn in the inter-
est of The Outing Magazine he found
the following remarkable change had
taken place
In 1897 the total tonnage of Ameri-
can steam vessels engaged in the Pa
ciffc ocean was % 426; in 1905 it had
increased TO 1865 by which time
more vessels in foreign trade We're
owned in Washington than in any other
state in the Union.
From Seattle now sail the magnifi-
cent steamers Minnesota and Dakota
built for James ]. Hill, which would
loom as giants on the swarming Allan
tic and from San Francisco steam the
new fleet of majestic liners of the Ko-
rea and Manchuria class, created by
the Pacific Mail. Out of Tacoma voy-
age westward the new ships of the
Boston Steamship Company: the China
Mutual Navigation Company has in
vaded the field with a monthly line
from Puget Sound to Liverpool and
Glasgow via Oriental ports, and the
Germans are building up a new service
out of Portland. Besides these regular
lines. unattached freighters under
steam and sail are hurrying to and
from these ports in greater fleets each
year. Far to the southwark the break !
water at San Pedro stretches out a
mighty arm to shelter the coming |
squadrons Of commerce. New ships |
are building to meet new demands and |
yet with almost every voyage the liners |
leave behind them waiting cargoes for |
which they have no space, whose bulk |
is measured by hundreds OF car loads. |
In the first half of last year ten ships |
We're filled with freight left behind by /
steamers out of Seattle and Tacoma.
On the other hand, the New York |
Times, in an article strongly urging |
the necessity of subsidies, draws a |
gloomy picture of the prospect opened |
by the strong rivalry of japanese ship
ping firms. 1t writes as follows
'Japan's shipping is the most heavily
in the world. The ship
building bounties range from eight to
twelve dollars TON for every ship built
n Japan. THERE'S also a subsidy for
every hundred miles sailed at sea. The
result is that Japan's merchant marine
increased from 10000 tons in 1890 to
$4,000 tons in 1904. 1t is considerably
arger now. 1t has more ships afioat
n foreign commerce than has the
United States and its foreign COM
nerce increased from Sill, ,000, 600 in
1874 to S342 000, 900 in 1904. The lesson
or US is obvious. Further: 1t is an
open secret that Japan has an option
IN the Observation-Disclosures line. which
becomes operative if the ship subsidy
1iIl fails; also that she is bidding for
,ur Pacific Mail line. The owners of
he line from Puget Sound TO Hawaii
leclare that they must withdraw their
,hips If the bill fails. We should then
,e without ships on the Pacific. If
rouble arises in China or in the Philip
Zines, or American interests anywhere
n the Orient are imperiled, where will
,ur navy get its colliery or our army
IS transports? In such a case would
he Germans English, Japanese or
french be willing TO carry our troops
nd supplies. even though. as some
ay. it pays US now to let the vessels
f those countries carry the Pacific
orient commerce which we are build ]
ng up against the present strenuous
pposition?"