The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-09-14
To PROMOTE
ORIENTAL TRADE
Government Official Proposes
Special Trade Trains
Across Country.

Washington Star: That Chinese
and other far eastern trade may be
accelerated, Maj. John NJ. Carson,
chief of the national bureau of man
ufactures, has called upon the various
arrangements of great railroads and
ting on a special freight schedule Tor
goods shipped to the Orient and run
ming trains to San Francisco on that
schedule. These trains woul1 connect
with regularly departing steamers and
American merchants would be able to
pledge deliveries on given date. The
Pennsylvania road, with its western
connections, looks favorably upon the
proposition, and is examining into the
details.
The idea of the special frsignt train
to the Pacific grew out of the recog-
nized disadvantage under which the
United States works in her attempt
for Chinese trade. Germany, England.
France and other European countries
have direct connections by regular
schedule with the far east, and are
thoroughly entrenched in established
trade with China.
They understand the needs of the
people of the Flowery Kingdom more
thoroughly than does the United
States, and have arranged transporta-
ton facilities accordingly. The United
States, is however, nearer China than
any of these countries, and the feel
ing toward her is so friendly that the
trade would come here if the condi-
tions were similar.
BIG OPPORTUNITY HERE.
Maj. Carson has long reached the
gospel of a specially manufactured line
Of goods for China, especially packed
and shipped. The trade has reached
500, 100000 year, but
it is held that it might be many times
that amount. The Chinese empire is
showing every sign of a regeneration |
and with that awakening the great
of doubling the trade |
many times will come. A readiness
for it depends largely upon the provi-
sion for transporting the product of |
the factory in a satisfactory manner. |
Some time ago." said Maj. Carson |
today, ST requested the heads of the |
freight departments of a number of |
the trunk lines to call upon me and |
listen to my proposition. A number
of them responded, notably the Penn |
ie II Loo 70 CHI
these officials that there was a posi-
bility of vastly increasing the traffic /
with the far east and that every in |
crease in that traffic would prove so |
much profit to them in that they |
would haul the freight. 1t was mere |
" a matter of whether or not it would |
pay that appealed to the railroad men, |
and they were at first skeptical. The |
more they investigated it, however, |
the more the scheme appealed to them. |
FAST FREIGHT TO PACIFIC.
ct asked them how long it required |
at present to freight from the Atlantic |
seaboard into San Francisco, and was |
informed that the period was sixty |
days, and that no guarantee was made |
on even that time. ] suggested that |
the freight for the far east be placed |
in special cars that were not subject |
to stoppage and sent straight through, |
that this freight be collected along the |
line, and when there was sufficient of |
it that it be placed in a train that |
ran on a schedule to the Pacific. I
pointed out to them that a schedule |
could be arranged and advertised, and /
that all such freight could meet the |
fast freight, and it's progress be expe-
dited.
my contention was that the exist
ence of such a train would create the |
trade that would make it profitable. |
The trade even in the face of the |
present difficulties is sufficient to pay