The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-06-19

ago, there were fourteen steamer:
available for travel between Honolulu
and San Francisco. Today there are
but nine steamers available Tor that
travel; and of these three are freight
steamers, the cabin capacity of al
three not eQualing that of one second.
class passenger boat.
I am informed by the American-Ha.
waiian Steamship Company. which op.
crates two Of those steamers, that
those two will be withdrawn at once
and replaced by exclusive freight
steamers.
The result will be that by the end OF
I this summer. unless this bill is pass
/ ed. we shall have but eight steamers
! carrying passengers between Honolulu
and San Francisco. and Of these two
are freighters with only limited pas
senger equipment.
In other words. Mr.. Speaker, Hawaii
I Will have six less steamers available
/ for travel ST the end of this summer
than she had ten years ago. although
I during that time the volume of travel
Z has increased almost 50 per cent.
II is true that the Pacific Mail Com
pany has replaced its old steamers
with new and larger ones, but the vol
ume OF travel TO the Orient has in
! creased so greatly that there are fire.
quently fewer accommodations avail
able for Hawaii on the big new steam
ers than there were on the smaller
ones ten years ago.
Tourists desiring TO visit Hawaii
have SO frequently been unable 10 Sc
cure passage that that class Of travel
has greatly fallen OF. So great has
been the decrease of tourist travel that
two Of the best and largest hotels in
Honolulu were compelled TO close their
doors last December. One OF these no.
tells. the Royal Hawaiian. had been in
continuous and successful operation
for half a century.
Let il be clearly understood in this
House that Hawaii asks no change OF
the law with respect 10 freight car
riase. We are only asking for the
physical possibility Of travel to and
from the mainland.
Hawaii believes in proper protection
70 shipping. and We believe in ship
subsidy, but until Congress sees fit TO
make such laws as viii give Us suffi-
Gent American passenger boats We are
simply compelled TO ask this tempo
rary privilege
Only a few weeks ago this House
voted almost unanimously TO suspend
the coastwise laws as regards the Phil
ippines. that action being taken Tot
only in the interest Of the Filipinos,
but also of our own export commerce
I am unwilling 10 believe that this
nation in annexing Hawaii intended
that il should be made less possible
for Us 10 travel back and forth TO the
mainland States than was the case
when we were a foreign nation
Freedom 81 intercourse between the
several States and Territories Is one
Of the fundamental principles Of our
Federal system OF government
An embargo upon travel has never
IN our history been levied. save as a
stringent war measure. and I do not
believe that the passage Of this meas
ure VIII be taken BY any sensible pe9-
pie as any assault on the American
shipping laws. but merely measure
10 relieve the practical embargo that
has been created against travel 10 an1
from Hawaii in ever-recurring periods.
L i unsound for the opponents OF
this measure to say il Is g break in the
American protectorate principle. The
strongest advocate OF protection has
never held that il should be carried 50
far ss 70 wholly take away the night 4
10 obtain commodity yet that Is
precisely what constantly occurs in /
Hawai-: for recurring periods Of from
one 10 three weeks American citizens
are denied the commodity Of travel 70. /
and freedom Of intercourse with, the /
mainland Of this nation
The statements made here that this 4
VIII turn most Of the passenger travel /
over 70 japanese steamers is absurd /
and unfounded- There ara only three
japanese passenger steamers calling Al
Honolulu. and their rates are SIC and /,
SIS higher than that charged by either
the Oceanic OF the Matson steamers
The japanese steamers will carry
only the surplus OF passengers and
those unable 10 wait for a later boat
This measure VIII not iniure any
American steamship company Every
one knows that the profits Of 8 steam
ship line are made from freight and /!
not from passengers; moreover. be L
cause Of the increase Of travel made
possible by this bin. the number Of
using the American steam-
ars VIII not be decreased in the slight
sst degree
Hawaii asks only that as American
citizens they be given reasonable free
ION Of travel TO and from the nations
mainland (Appiause.D
I received this paper yesterday I
VIII read q clipping from il 70 show I
rou What We are I'D against L is
Hated May l.: /,
Alex Robertson VIII Stay Home