The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-06-17
KALAEIANAOLE
ON HIS METT[E
Made a Good Speech for the
Ocean Subsidy
Measure.

After Congressman Kahn of San
Francisco had led, at some length. the
fight on the Ocean subsidy bill, the
Delegate from Hawaii got his innings
| The account in the Congressional Rec
ord proceeds as follows:
Mr.. Littlefeld. Mr.. Speaker, I yield
now five minutes to the Delegate from
Hawaii (NIr. Kalanianaole), and I be-
speak for him on the part of the House
1 careful and quiet attention, because
this is a matter that vitality concerns
his constituents and in which he has
more interest than in any other piece
of legislation pending before the House.
The Speaker. The Delegate from Ha-
wall (A1r. Kalanianaole) is recognized
for five minutes. (Applause.)
Mr.. Kalanianaole. Mr.. Speaker, the
gentleman from California (Mr. Kahn)
little while ago mentioned among
the steamers running to Hawaii the
Ohio and Indiana.
Mr.. Kahn. Only occasionally.
Mr.. Kalanianaole. only once did
they visit Hawaii, and that occasion
was an excursion from San Diego.
They have never been there since that
Mr.. Kahn. If the gentleman will al
low me, my authority is the Commits
sioner of Navigation. That is all
know about it.
Mr.. Kalanianaole. Mr.. Speaker, if
the Commissioner of Navigation re-
ports those two steamers as in service
between Hawaii and California he is
using his official position in a manner
to mislead Congress as to the real
facts.
Mr.. Speaker, the bill under consider
alton is designed only to afford relief
for the congestion in passenger travel
between Hawaii and the mainland
That congestion has become so Sc
we're that some form of temporary re-
lief is imperatively required.
The unanimous report of the Com
mittee on Merchant Marine and Fish
cries clearly states that This measure
is neither asked nor intended as any
departure from the true intent of the
American shipping laws, but is merely
designed to give temporary facilities
for travel till such time as a proper
support of the American merchant
marine will enable it to supply an ade-
quate passenger service between Ha-
wall and mainland ports'
1t is recognized by everyone that the
coastwise laws were never intended to
lay an actual embargo upon travel;
yet that is precisely the result in Ha-
wall.
On the mainland there is always an
alternative of travel by rail if the
coastwise service is deficient, but in
Hawaii we are, of course, limited to
steamer travel exclusively; and as
there are frequent gaps of from eight
to eighteen days between the sailings
of American steamers, the result is
that the people of Hawaii are prac-
tically marooned for those periods.
If a business man has urgent bust
ness on the mainland, or a family re-
ceive cabled news of sickness of some
relative, their only possibility of using
the four foreign steamers sailing for
San Francisco is by paying fine of
$500 in addition to the regular fare.
Only last month one of our prcmi-
nent citizens received a cablegram tell
ing of the serious illness of his son in
an Eastern school. In order that the
father and mother might hasten t. the
bedside of their sick son, they paid a
$500 fine; had they not done so, they
would have been compelled to wait
nine days for the next American
steamer from Hongkong, and they
could have no assurance whatever that
they could secure passage on her.
When in fact that next steamer did
arrive in Honolulu, there were $50 pas
sengers booked for passage to San
Francisco, and of this number the
steamer had accommodations for only
twenty-six.
Some of our citizens and tourists
have even cabled to Hongkong and
paid for passage and staterooms for
the entire transpacific voyage in order
to secure passage from Honolulu to
San Francisco.
These are not unusual or exceptional
conditions, but are rather the prevail
ing conditions throughout the year.
On the Sth of this month 1 sent the
following cablegram to the Chamber of
Commerce of Honolulu:
Gable me what proportion of pas
sengers booked for Pacific Mail steam
ers last year actually secured passage.
To this 1 received the following
cabled reply;
| Unable to secure exact data Steam