The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-04-21
ALL TRAFFIC
WILL BEAR
The High Comparative Rates ct
Travel in Hawaiian
Waters

The world s record highest fares
charged for water voyages of between
two and five hundred miles are as fol
lows.
THE 200-MILE RECORD.
Hawaii-Honolulu to Kappa, Kauai
(return), 200 miles, $l4.00, or seven
cents per mile.
AustraIia-Maekay to Bowen IRE
turn, 30 miles, $11.00, or ga cents
per mile.
New Zealand-Gisborne to Napier
(retnrn), 172 miles, $3.50, or 5 cents
per mile. !,
Hawaii wins hands down, Australia
comes second. New Zealand third, and
the rest of the world, including Amer
lea, is out of the race.
THE 3O0-MILE RECORD.
Hawaii-Honolulu to Laupahoehoe
(return), 374 miles, $25, or seven cents
a mile
New Zealand-Taumaranu to Wanga-
nui (return), 800 miles, 1925, or 61@
cents mile. (Piver trip down and up
rapids-lower rates to actual settlers.)
Australia Maekav to Cairns Zone
way), $40 miles, $500, or 4 cents a
mile. (Return fares "a greatly reduced
rates.)
In transportation charges by water,
Hawaii stands superlative; hers are the
highest in the world, and have been for
half a century In 1865 it cost $25 to go
to Hilo and return from Honolulu, and
that is the fare today. Until recently
it cost 1925 for the round trip from
San Pedro to Catalina Island, Califor-
MIA, nearly cents a mile. The Cali
fornians cried extortion, and the rate
was lowered to 21s cents mile, but
Hawaii seems content to forever stand
still, so far at least as the transporta-
ton problem is concerned. All inter
island fares are quoted at or about
seven cents mile-the highest water
mileage rates in any part of the seven
seas.
New Zealand thought until recently
that hers was the glory of charging
the tourist the highest regular rates by
water. On the Wanganui river, the
pride of Maoriland, charge of 1920
is made for a round trip of 300 miles;
but the government, public and tourist
bereau raised such a protest that the
rates were lowered for the actual resi-
dents on the river, and in all probable
ity the government viii be compelled
by public clamor to either take over
the Wanganui line, or authorize the
Tourist Department to purchase and
run rival boats at taIr rate of pass
age. 1t is due the Wanganui Company
to state that it has spent tens of thou
sands clearing the river of obstrue-
tions. The start of the journey is made
with steam launch strong enough to
thump broadside over shallow lodges of
solid rock, and change of steamers is
made twice before the end of the run
is negotiated. Then, again, these boats
are handled up stream by chains and
wire ropes Talk of expensei And yet
we hold the world record of over
charging the passenger, and have held
it for fifty wears.
Australia has tried to compete with
New Zealand and Hawaii In startling
the tourist by charging what she be-
lieved to be the highest passenger
rates in the world, but she comes poor
third, with barely , cents mile to her
credit, and that for local run along
the forlorn coast of North Queensland
between Mackay and Bowen.
1t IS the boast of Australasia that
her laborers are the highest paid in the
world. and that the minimum wage of
two dollars a day of eight hours, with
double pay all round if Marlinspike
is turned over by one of the crew of a
Sunday, makes it necessary to charge
fares that startle foreigners; but even
then she falls far below the high-water
mark set by our Hawaiian inter-island
transportation companies half a cen
fury ago. and still maintained
In other parts of the world the cost
of transportation has steadily decreas
ed. Ten years ago Thomas Cook & Co.
ran an excursion steamer from New
York citv to the Mediterranean, eharg
ing a minimum of one thousand dollars
for the cruise. The Germans saw that
there was money in this-there usually
is in anything that Cook conduets-so
they put on a bigger and better boat,
cutting the cost of the cruise to 800.