The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-09-16

vice at the Pacific ports between tn
: two terminal points. The Mexican ant
Central American ports are intimately
connected with the through freigh
traffic and the present complete ser
, vice of the Pacific Mail Company II
this single connection would have tt
be undertaken by the government yes
sells.
Until the last half of the year 1905
1.-The Pacific Mail Company had the priv
lilege of making through bills of lading
between the Atlantic states and the
Pacific Coast. This gave the company
an advantage in through business over
foreign carriers, but the privilege was
later rescinded by the government. The
coffee carrying business from the west
coast of Central America to New York
is held as practical monopoly by the
Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, a
subsidized British company operating
with through billing privileges. The
Atlas Steamship Company of New
York, German company, has secured
some of the trade and with the Kos
mos Steamship Company, controlled by
the Hamburg -Ameriean Packet Com
pany, has made large inroads in the
west coast business.
| 1t. is evident that the interests of
San Francisco are impaired by foreign
vessels transporting freight that should
be directed to the through steamers
/. operating between San Francisco and
Panama. To pay, the government
steamers would have to be of large
capacity and the necessary stops that
would have to be made at the many
Mexican and Central American ports
would cause much delay to big freight.
ers. The hope of the Pacific Coast
exporter is increased accommodations
for traffic and low freight rates. With
rate of $500 or $3.50 per ton from
New York the government line would
also find that the Pacific Coast market
would give about all the freight the
system. could handle from New York to
San Francisco.
The isthmus of Tehuantepec railroad,
owned and operated by the Mexican
government, has come to be a factor in
the through freight shipments from the
Pacific Coast to the Atlantic states.
| The American Hawaiian s. SEQ. uses
the Mexican government s line as
a connecting link and has been
transhipping considerable freight from
New York to San Francisco instead of
sending their vessels to the Pacific by
the Strait of Magellan route. The
Magellan route is, and has been, of
considerable utility to the exporters
and importers of San Francisco in their
trade relations with the Atlantic states.
1t possesses advantages as an all-water
route and has been favored in the
handling of certain classes of merchan-
disc. The freight coming from New
York by the Magellan route does not
receive extra handling in transit and
consequently is received in better con.
dition. Improbable as it may seem it
is nevertheless a fact that the average
time of sixty days by the Magellan
route at the present time compares fav-
orably with that of the 'transcontinen-
tai railroads. Because of its freedom
from freight transfer and frequent dam
age the Magellan route is preferred by
some large Pacific Coast importers to
either the Panama or Tehuantepec sys-
TEN.
A factor that causes those interested
in California s great industry-fruit
grOwing-to favor the establishment of
a government steamship line is the be-
lief that if it was inaugurated now the
service would be continued after the
completion of the Panama canal With
the interoceanic waterway open it is
estimated that the great bulk of Cali |
fornia S fresh fruit shipments would be |
diverted from the transcontinental rail- |
roads. Oranges, aud all but the most |
perishable deciduous fruit, could be |
handled under refrigeration. To sue
cessfully compete with the railroads, |
however. this class of traffic would have
to be undertaken by fast freighters,
sailing upon weekly schedule.
There is little prospect that private
viii meet this problem in OPP
position to the transcontinental rail
roads. The Pacific Mail Company eer-
tainly would not do so while dominated
by the railroad interests. 1t would in
volve a very large investment of CAPT
tai and the strategic point in the situa-
ton would be in the hands of the rail-
roads, who would undoubtedly find it
profitable to lower rates to any figure
in the effort to r0ut the all-water COM
petition. 1t is probable that the CAPT
talists who could be expected to make
such an investment in the face of
able to sacrifice profit in
definitely to dispose of opposition, are
in one of the transcontinental
ines.
So the Pacific Coast looks to the gov
eminent to step forward and, in hand
ing the problem of satisfactory freight
service at the present time, also provide
for the solving of a condition that
.hreatens-from the Pacific Coast view
Doint-to limit the usefulness of the
Panama canal. The Mexican govern
nent has shown great activity in in
,reasing the effectiveness of its rail
'oad across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec,
md has already secured for the line a
considerable volume of intereoast trade
rhe success attending Mexico IS activity
s pointed out as an example of what
could be expected in. a hundredfoldl
greater degree should the American
government extend a policy of benef-
cent development of the merchant ma
inc to the waters of the Pacific Coast.
San Francisco is the largest and most
port on the Pacific Coast, and