The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-08-15
CARTER COMES
INTO THE FIGHT
Makes a Strong Argument for
Removal of COaStWiSe
Embargo.

ernor Carter addressed a letter to the
Commissioner of Navigation at Wash
ington, of the Department of Com
merce and Labor, in which the present
strict enforcement of the Coastwise
Shipping law and the consequent in,
Jury to Hawaii's commerce and tour
ist business are discussed from the
standpoint of what the Governor calls
1.-THE common people," in distinction
from those peeuniarily interested in tn
various American transportation COM
panies The letter, which speaks for
itself, is as follows:
Dear Sir: Permit me to acknowI-
edge receipt OF yours of June 18th,
with its enclosure of j. D. Spreckels
& Bros. Company letter, from San
Francisco, under date of June 18th.
l can not hope to compete with paid
experts of corporations, who, as you
are aware, have heretofore played so
important a part in shaping our ma
tional legislation. 1t is but natural
that they should fail to recognize
the position of the common people
and the demands that the public are
now making, in contradistinction to
corporate interests.
An administrative officer has often
to meet perplexlng questions con-
corning his duty No one disputes
that he is expected to enforce the
laws, but every law is an abridge-
ment of a private right as to some
and the granting of privileges as to
others. Thus its justice and per-
maneney depends upon its usefulness
to the majority.
Every rule has its exceptions, and
a law in our country which is OBJ
noxious to the people viii not stand
for any length of time, nor will they
long tolerate its enforcement. An
administrative officer often will en-
force an obnoxious law in order to
secure its early repeal. But we in
Hawaii realize that the coastwise law
has much of merit in it, and do not
believe that your department should
enforce it in such a manner as to
make it obnoxious, with a view to-
securing its repeal, for the lawmak
ing body, as / understand it, give to
the Secretary of Commerce and La
Dor the exclusive power and privilege
of renting such fines for violation
of this Act as in his judgment he might
think wise.
To show how impossible it is to
strictly enforce a law of this nature,
which does not take cOgnizance of
varying conditions, l need only ask
if your department believes that, in
the protection of Spreckels Brothers
shipping interests, it was wrong for
you to consent to the British ship
Restorer carrying supplies to the
marines located on Midway Island to
keep them from starving, after they
had generously divided their stores
and food supplies with the large
number who were landed there from
the stranded Mongolia?''
l need not mention the fact that |
it has already been recognized that |
Guam and Samoa should be exempted |
from the application of this law, it |
being impractical of application there. |
Now, the public OF Honolulu and |
this Territory, prior to annexation, |
enjoyed the passenger service of ev-
cry steamer that stopped here. Thus
commerce was enabled to grow be-
cause of the personal contact between |
buyer and seller, so essential to credit |
md trade. The application of the
oastwise law to these islands, two
thousand miles from the mainland,
las in no way built up or fostered
American shipping. Within the past
-ear the Spreckels Brothers line it.
self, notwithstanding the encourage
of ba |
obliged to withdraw all of it's steam
RS but one. This, in conjunction
With other losses, has deprived the
,eople of Hawaii within the last year
# over one-third of the already re-
tricted accommodations which they
ave been forced to accept since an
lexation.
have it on so high an authority
s that of Mr.. Schwerin, General
Manager of the Pacific Mail Steam
hip Company, that the trade of Ha-
vail was immaterial to his company.
lie stated in an interview lately in
San Francisco that if he had to move
small coal pile from land of the
Naval Reserve or pay ground rent for
heir coal storage (Which is borne by
IL other steamship companies here)
e would sooner cut out Honolulu
rom his service entirely.
For long time every effort has
cen made by the people of Hawaii
0 force the Pacific Mail Company to !
the local trade and permit
small portion of each steamer to be I
ct aside definitely for the Honolulu
rade, so that those who might be s
ere, for business or other reasons,
Ould be sure of accommodations, and '
OF be subject to the inconvenience, {
5 has repeatedly been the case, of {
.arning that they have booked with t
fly or sixty other passengers desir
lg to leave and that the steamer
an only take three or four addition
passengers at Honolulu, thus be- J
lg obliged to await another steamer {
American register, lose their time ;
nd be greatly Inconvenience by the J
clay during which they often see a !
ritish or Japanese passenger steam q
: arrive and depart. In fact. l may -
" the agitation of this question was =
arted, not by residents of Hawaii,
Mt by visitors here, who claimed it :
as the first time they had found :,
lat being an American (and in an :
merican port) was a distinct dis .
Vantage.