The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-12-16
FOREIGN MAIL SERVICE !
lFrom PresIdent,s Messagel

UNSATISFACTORY COnulll0n Oh our foreign
mail service, which because of the
lack of American steamship lines is
now largely done through foreign
lines, and which, particularly so far as
South and Central America are con-
cerned, is done in a manner which
constitutes a serious carrier to the ex-
tension of our commerce.
The time has come, in my judg-
ment to set to work seriously to make
our ocean mail service correspond
more closely with our recent CONNER
cial and political development. A be-
ginning was made by the ocean mail
act of March 3, 1891, but even at that
time the act was known to be made
quate in various particulars. Since
that time events have moved rapidly
in our history. We have acquired Ha-
waii, the Philippines, and lesser ISL
ands in the Pacific We are steadily
prosecuting tht great work of uniting
at the Isthmus the waters of the At
lantic and the Pacific. To a greater
extent than seemed probable even a
dozen years ago, we may look to an
American future on the sea worthy
of the traditions of our past. AS the
first step in that direction, and the
step most feasible at he present time,
| recommend the extension of the oce-
an mail act of 1891 That act has
stood for some years free from sue
cessful criticism of its principle and
purpose. 1t was based on theories of
the obligations of a great maritime
nation, undisputed in our own land
and followed by other nations since
the beginning of steam navigation.
Briefly those theories are, that it is
the duty of first-class power so far
as practicable to carry its ocean mails
under it's own flag; that the fast ocean
steamships and their crews, required
for such mail service, are valuable
Auxiliaries to the sea power of a ma
ton. Furthermore, the construction Of
such steamships insures the mainten-
ance in an efficient condition of the
shipyards in which our battleships
must be built.
The expenditure of public money for
the performance of such necessary
warranted, nor is it necessary to owen
upon the incidental benefits to our for
eign commerce, to the shipbuilding in
dustry, and to ship owning and navi-
cation which will accompany the dis
charge of these urgent public duties,
though they, too, should have weight.
The only serious question is whether
at this time we can afford to improve
our ocean mail service as it should be
! improved All doubt on this subject
is removed by the reports of the Post
office Department For the fiscal year
ended June 80, 1907, that Department
estimates that the postage collected on
the articles exchanged with foreign
countries other than Canada and Mex
leo amounted to $6,570,O43.48, or So
637 ,226.S1 more than the net cost of
the service exclusive of the cost of
transporting the articles between the
United States exchange pOstoffices and
the United States pOstOffices at which
they were mailed or delivered. In 9TH
er words, the Government of the Unit
ed States, having assumed a monopoly
of carrying the mails for the people,
is making a profit of over $3,600,000 by
rendering a cheap and inefficient SER
vice. That profit l believe should be
devoted to strengthening our maritime
power in those directions where it
will best promote our prestige. The
country is familiar with the facts OF
our maritime impotence in the harbors
of the great and friendly republics Of
South America. Following the failure
of the shipbuilding bill we lost our on
ly American line of steamers to Aus
tralasia, and that loss on the Pacific
has become a serious embarrassment
to the people of Hawaii, and has Who'll
ly cut off the Samoan islands from
regular communication with the Paci-
fic coast. Puget Sound, in the year,
has lost over half -four out of seVen)
of it's American steamers trading with
the Orient.
We now pay under the act of 1891 81
statute mile outward to 20-knot Am
erican mail steamships, built accord
ing to naval plans, available as cruis-
ers, and manned by Americans. Steam
ships of that speed are confined exclu-
sively to trans Atlantic trade with
New York. To steamships of 16 knots
or over only 81 a mile can be paid, and
it is steamships of this speed and type
which are needed to meet the require
ments of mail service to South Am
erica, Asia Gncluding the Philippines),
and Australia. strongly recommend,
therefore, a simple amendments to the
ocean mail act Of 1891 which shall au-
thorize the Postmaster-G General in his
discretion to enter into contracts for
the transportation of mails to the Re-
publics of South America, to Asia
the Philippines, and Australia at a