Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-29
CONGRESS IS BLAMED
No American Steamship Line
to Australia.
BOATS NOW IN DRY DOCK
Great and Growing Commerce With
the South Pacific.
MUST USE BRITISH VESSELS
Unfounded Report Regarding the
Worlds Oldest Newspaper-New
Story Of Whittier.
MUST USE BRITISH VESSEL
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.

Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald
Owing to 1.-THE parsimony of Congress
we have no steamers running to AUS
tralia. The Oceanic line from San
Francisco was taken off last spring. The
last steamer left that city February q;
the last steamer arrived there from Aus
tralia about the middle of March. The
line was suspended because Congress re-
fused to continue the mail pay, which
was 50 mile for the outward passage
and nothing for the homeward voyage.
This compensation last year amounted
to $133,272 and for. that petty sum our
direct commerce with the Australian con-
tinent. New Zealand and other islands of
the South Pacific was entirely cut on.
We have no communication whatever
with them now except by British ships,
which are paid 80 Gems a pound for carry
ing the mails and will receive during
the next year under that arrangement
about half as much as was paid during
the recent fiscal year to the American
steamers
Therefore, Congress, by cutting off our
direct communication with Australia,
saved the government of the United
States about 500. 600 a year.
The British steamers sailing from VAN
couycr which now carry our mails to
Australia are subsidized both by the Ca
madam and the Australian governments,
and were, therefore, able to cut under
the rates Of freight charged by the
American line. Instead of assisting that
line to meet. this competition our Con-
gress even refused to continue the COM
pensation 1t has been receiving for many
years and compelled it to suspend OPP
erationS.
cfna of ha
are now in dry dock being overhauled,
with the hope that Congress at it's next
session will authorize the Postmaster Gen.
eral to renew the contract even on bet
ter terms than before.
Increase in Australian Business.
During the recent fiscal year ending
June 80, 1907, our commerce with Aus
tralia amounted to S71.OO0OOO, of which
500, 7So,393 were imports and $41, 1856, 1893
were exports. 1t would seem that we
might at least afford to pay $133, 900 a
year to maintain direct mail communi-
cation with countries that are worth so
much to us as d market, and it is un-
fortunate that just at this time, when the
rapidity, our only line of communica-
ton under the American flag should be
cut off.
The following table will show what
that commerce IS worth and the in
crease of imports and exports during the
last three years:
Imports from Exports to
Australia. Australia
1905. ............. $25.3ss, 421 $33. ora. 446
1906. ............ 4,769.65S So, IA. ISL
1907 .........- 90 7S5.3S3 IL, 1S6, 1893
The total imports of Australia, New
Zealand and the other neighboring islands
amount to $242. 26O.S2O a year, and we
might furnish the greater part of them
AS you will notice from the above table,
our share increased from s32, 900 coo to
$41, 10000 during the last three years
and it has been gaining very rapidly
ever since we had direct communication.
We have sent to the antipodes almost
everything that is made in this country
except agricultural products; especially
our peculiar manufactures.
Our Exports to Australia.
The following table will show the char
-acter of the exports from the United