The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-01-16
COLONIAL LINE
MAY WITHDRAW
Australian Report Says the
Only Line to America May
Suspend,

ed on the last steamer from Australia
uance of the steamship service of tn
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Royal Mail line
which touches here. No rumor to thi:
effect has been heard in Honolulu anC
| the vessels have been carrying pas
sengers to the full limit of their ac
| commodations since the Oceanic yes
sells stopped running. Their freight
has been heavy, though the larger
| part of their cargoes on the trip to
| the north is picked up at Suva, con-
| sisting of raw sugar for the Vancouver
refinery. The following article in the
| Sydney Herald shows the feeling in
| that city, caused by the refusal of the
| Canadian government to continue the
| mail subsidy:
1.-THE disquieting news, practically
confirmed by our cable messages of
yesterday. that there is grave pos
sibility of steamship communication
between the Commonwealth and Cam
ada being abandoned, has created a
profound feeling of uneasiness and
anxiety, not alone among the CONNER
cial men of this city but among prac-
tically all classes of the community.
1t is less than a year since the line of
mail and passenger steamships be-
tween Sydney and San Francisco
ceased to run, and the stoppage of the
Vancouver service would be the re-
moval of the last link that binds us to
the continent of America. 1t is diff
cult. to conceive a period in our history
when communication across the Pa
cifc will be a thing of the past, but
there is a very serious possibility of
such a state of affairs being realized,
unless prompt steps are taken.
1T is generally known that a fleet
of steamships running between Sydney
and Canada could not possibly be
maintained without very substantial
subsidies. The existing service is a
monthly one, and the total subsidy
paid amounts to G66,000, contributed
as foliows:-Canada G37 ,095, Austria
liza g26.620, and Fiji G22S5. The exist
ing contract has some months to run,
but, although the agreement is for two
years. duration, the contracting gov
ernments have reserved to themselves
the right to terminate the contract at
the expiration of the first year. The
renewal of the old agreement specified
the withdrawal of the Miowera and
the substitution of a better class of
steamer, and this has already been
carried into effect.
while it is perfectly true that dur
ing the season-about three months in
the year-large numbers of passengers
are carried from Australia to Canada
and vice versa, taking the year as
whole the tourist traffic is not very
large, while the cargo trade is almost
AS a purely commercial
enterprise the line would have failed
years ago; but, stimulated by subsidies, |
the Union S. S. Company of New Zea-
land, which acts as the Australian
agents, has from time to time fostered
and encouraged the service by placing
vessels on the line.
THE view that the Australian tariff |
is responsible for the contemplated |
action of the Canadian authorities is |
not supported here. The Federal |
Treasurer last night remarked, I do
not for a moment think that it is on |
account of our tariff that the subsidy |
for the Vancouver service has been
omitted from the Canadian estimates. |
When in London I met both Sir Will |
frid Laurier and Mr.. Fielding, and |
had conversations with them on the |
subject of reciprocal trade relations |
with the Commonwealth. AS a matter /
Of fact, communication have been pro- |
ceeding since the introduction of our |
tariff, but We told the representatives |
IF Canada that we could not negotiate |
for preferential trade until the tariff /
lad been finally disposed OF. We were.
to halt for two reasons. In
the first place we do not know with
any degree of certainty what the Aus
-ralian tariff will ultimately be; and, I
secondly, until the question has been
determined we will not know what
position we will be in to enter into
trade relations with Canada.
The negotiations have certainly not
been broken off, and as soon as the
Tariff is completed they win probably
De renewed. Canadians must not for
get the fact Sir William added sig
in conclusion, that their
tariff as it stands now is as high and
perhaps higher than ours F"