The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1907-08-13
TRAVEL RIGHTS
ARE IMPAIRED

Editor Advertiser: Probably many
Americaps who are patriotic in all that
the word implies, do not agree with
Mr.. Jones in his views about travelling
on foreign vessels. The fact Is, the
coastwise commerce act was passed
when there were no detached portions
of the United States If there had
been it is not unlikely that Congress
would have done the perfectly obvious
thing and excepted such detached
parts OF the country from the opera
ton of the law. No one wants the
law suspended between these Islands,
but it becomes very different matter
when residents or tourists are prac-
tically marooned on little Islands in
the sea. Probably no one wants the
law suspended, except as to passen-
gers. II our patriotism is to be so in
tense and sweeping. why, then, let no
mails go between American ports ex-
cept under the flag Of the United
States.
Mr.. Jones says the Southern Pacific
Railway Company has spent 100000 In
advertising the Islands last year and
will do more this year: and wants to
know If it will be fair to this concern
to allow Japanese and English vessels
to reap the fruits OF their work. 1t
seems to the writer that we can't help
that great corporation better than by
assuring the tourists who will come
over its lines eff they can be sure Of
coming to and getting away from Ho-
nolulu." that restrictions are removed
and they can come and go by every
steamer. Perhaps Mr.. Jones was
thinking of the P. NJ. S. S. boats and
the eight per cent. interest in them.
One would think that Mr.. Jones could
have seen by this time that the p.
NJ. S. s. Co. can not do the business
and that it declines to put on local
boat. 1t is perfectly right not to re-
fuse cabins full OF through passengers
in order to accommodate Honolulu
traffic. We have nothing to complain
of if these boats come into our harbor
SO full of passengers that they can
take nobody or only few out Of
many who are waiting. We have the
right to travel and to ask tourists to
come to our shores, and it is a hard
ship. which the general government
has no right but unfortunately the
power. to infiict in preventing such
travel. 1 may be dull, but confess I
do not see how removing the present
restrictions will make any difference
in the running of fast steamers be-
tween Australia and Vancouver. They
will stop here and take passengers in
any case if it pays them to do so. Nor
do / fear the extinction of the flag Of
our country on this ocean, II passen-
gers are allowed to travel from the
Islands to ports of the United States
on all steamers / do not think any
boats are run for passenger traffic on
~. 1t is freight they want and 1t is
freight carrying which pays. Mr..
Jones says that two new American |
But they run for freight not passen-
gers. A few weeks ago, a young man |
booked in the East to come here on |
the Nevadan. On arriving in San |
Francisco. he found to his dismay that |
she had left a day ahead of time and |
had started for Honolulu via some |
ports, Why? Because some !
freight requirement called her there, |
and she runs for freight and not pas |
sengers- Such accommodations are al |
most worse than none.
Why the P. NJ. s. s. boats will be |
forced to drop Honolulu and go di-
rect, If the restrictions of the coastwise |
act are abolished as to passengers, |
needs explanation. Certainly passen-
ger traffic will vastly increase If all |
steamers calling here can carry pas
sengers, and the fine steamers of the |
Pacific Mail line will carry all they |
happen to have room for. They take |
little or no freight now.
No. Mr. Editor. permitting the trav-
cling public to go and come on all |
steamers calling at our ports, is not
going TO wipe the flag from this ocean,
and / for one sincerely hope Wash |
lngton viii grant US that right which |
our ancient statute now withhoIds.
W. r. CASTLE.
H0n01r11rr 1an1