The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-01-03

Territory of Hawaii is such a tiny
country, as compared with the main
| land of the United States, it is a good
place 10 watch the working out Of
governmental and economic theories. It
is like working in a laboratory; one
factors in operation in the field under
investigation. I wrote you the other
day from HoTualoa of the eager de.
mands of the Hawaiian coffee plant
ers. that all the coffee drinkers on the
| mainland be taxed in order that the
growers of the berry on Hawaii might
they ask they are supported by prac-
tically all of the residents of the Ter
ritory. Be good enough to examine
the other foot and see where the shoe
pinches.
One of the unwisest laws ever pass
ed by Congress was the extension Of
the coastwise navigation statutes of
the United States to Hawaii. A stag
gering blow was struck at the pros
perity of the Territory and a great
hardship worked on its people. Every
member of Congress now in the is
lands with the visiting party is will
| ing to concede this. The people of
coastwise laws as applied to Hawaii
| be repealed.
The same people who are so loud in
their demands for a tariff on coffee,
are equally vehement in urging the
repeal of the coastwise navigation act
With an ingenious disregard of con-
sistency and logic they brush aside
the fact that the navigation laws as
applied to Hawaii are a protection to
American shipping. The coffee and
sugar growers of Hawaii are, ardent
protectionists where their own pockets
are concerned, but fail to see the beau
ties of a tariff barrier when they are
on the outside of the wall.
PENALTIES FOR SAILING IN FOR
E1IIN ..
Residents of these islands and citi-
zens of the mainland may travel be-
tween San Francisco and Honolulu
only on ships with American registries
and under the American flag. The
penalty for taking passage in a foreign
bottom is fine of 5000. A striking
illustration of the hardship worked by
this law was afforded the other day
when Representative Webb of Northg
Carolina, one of the members of the
visiting Congressional party, received
a cable message summoning him home.
He was forced to sail on the first
steamship arriving here bound for the
United States. 1t proved to be an
English boat. Mr. Webb was forced
to deposit $500 before he was allowed
to purchase his ticket home. 1t is
more than probable that the fine he
was forced to pay will be returned to
him by the government, but it in
censed him to have to pay it. The
people of Hawaii were glad of his
trouble and embarrassment because
they believe the incident will be help
full in securing the repeal of an oner-
Gus law.
Some of the people down here resent
a practise which they declare to be
common. One is told that Federal Of
ficials visiting the islands on business
pay no heed to the law against travel
ing on foreign bottoms, but travel on
the first ship that comes. along, sure
of having their fines RENTED by the
department at Washington. The peo-
pie who have no such privileges COM
plain that it is hardly fair for an Of
fetal of the government to be exempt
from the penalty which they must pay
when necessity demands that they
take passage on foreign liner.
The Joint schedule of the sailings Of
the vessels of the Pacific Mail Steam
ship Company and the Occidental and
Oriental Steamship Company for the
present season show that three yes
sells of these two lines will sail from
San Francisco for Honolulu and the
Orient this month. On none of them
may citizen of the United States
take passage. The steamship Doric'
sailing from San Francisco on June
II, and the Coptic, sailing on June IL,
both belong to an American corpora
ton, the Pacific Mail steamship COM
pany. Both of them are English boats,
and sail under the American flag.
| Neither of these American-owned boats
has an American register. Another
example of the beauties of protectionl
for those who are not protected!
AMERICAN LINES BUY BOATS
ABROAD.
When the Pacific Mail Company
found 1t necessary to augment its fleet
by the addition of two new boats, II
did not give an order to an American
shipbuilder to lay down two new
steamers of the specifications and tom
mage desired. Protection makes Amer
lean boats cost too much to be run in
competition with English and other
foreign-built ships. The Pacific Mail
Line is not managed by philanthro-
pists, but by business men. When they
| needed ships to compete with the Eng
Iish and the japanese they went TO
the cheapest market and bought Eng
lish ships. AS business men they had
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