The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-08-29
ASK COMPANIES
WHAT CAN BIZ DONE
TRUSTEES or THE CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE. START REAL WORK
IN STEAMSHIP MATTER.

At the close Of the address made by
Admiral Very to the Chamber of Com
merce yesterday afternoon, on the i'm
portance of opening Pearl Harbor for
naval and commercial purposes, a short
meeting of the trustees of the Unam-
Der was held, which however was more
important in the character of the ac-
ton taken possibly than the former
meeting.
The committee which had been app
pointed to look into the matter of hav-
ing physicians under control of the
quarantine department placed on each
of the steamships plying between Sa-
lima Cruz and this port, reported that
the American-Hawaiian Steamship Co.
had been asked to have its ships, il
possible in making the triangular trip
from Salina Cruz, to San Francisco, to
Honolulu, make it in the order just
stated, and not make a direct run from
the Mexican port to this place. The
same committee also recommended
putting the matter of better passenger
service between here and the coast
directly up to the American steamship
companies engaged in Pacific trade, in
order that it might be learned exactly
where they stand before the agitation
for the repeal of the coastwise shipping
law as applied to the Territory, is
taken up in earnest. The letter which
it was unanimous resolution decided
to send to these companies follows.
within the last quarter of a cen
fury the agricultural output of Hawaii
has increased nearly, if not quite,
four-fold, and within the same period
the population of these islands has
been more than doubled. While ample
provision has been made by the inau-
guration of line of modern freight
steamers to handle the increased crops
of the Territoryd uring this interval,
no adequate provision has been made
towards the betterment of the pas
| senger service to and from the main
land
THE addition of several large mod
ern passenger vessels placed upon the
Asiatic run by one of the steamship
companies engaged in the island pas
senger business, has proved of little
practical relief of this Territory, as
the accommodations upon these YES
sells are usually filled with through
passengers leaving few, if any, berths
available for passengers to or from
Honolulu, for the above reason, and
owing further to the application to
this Territory of the Coastwise Ship
ping Law, has a poorer and more in
frequent passenger service with San
Francisco than at any time within the
last twenty years.
"Under these conditions not only
have our local residents suffered great
personal inconvenience, but the Ter
ritory itself has been subjected to
heavy financial loss through the fact
that tourist travel to the islands,
which was becoming an important fac
tor to many Of our local industries,
has been diverted to points where
transportation is more readily OBJ
tanned.
"This state of affairs has become so
intolerable to the commercial inter
ests of this community that there is
a strong movement on foot to petition
both the President and Congress for
relief, and ask for a suspension of the
Coastwise Shipping Law, as It applies
to passenger traffic between these ISL
ands and the mainland.
Before taking any action towards