The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-02-07


on Oahu island I had just run over
to chat with the managing director OF
the Lever Company in Sydney, and on
nv return received the Commercial Ad-
vertiser making mention. By strange
coincidence our conversation was main
ly on copra growing in the very local
itv that has been selected in Oahu, and
he seemed to think it would be a capital
site-as L described it-sloping down
to the sea from the foot of the noun
tains. Ny primary object in visiting
the Lever people was to ask if there
was any possibility of their large
steamer visiting Hawaii even sug-
gested that soap and oil works in Ho-
nolulu would be more central than in
Sydney, besides which the products
would have free entry into the Unit
ed States. He stated that the COM
pany-which manufactures sunlight
soap-had thought of erecting addi-
tional works in the Solomon Islands,
but had abandoned the project. I trust
the Hawaiians viii now build their own
soap works, and I trust that some
genius will discover a method of using
sugar Misunderstanding the off season
to extract oil from copra. The Sgd
ney works consume 1000 tons of copra
annually, and the Liverpool works, I
believe need fifty thousand tons; the
Pacific islands raising at present not
more than thirty thousand tons, so that
it seems that the price of copra will
not decline very much during the next
twenty years; on the contrary; for now
that such an excellent butter is made
from coeonut oil and the deodorized oil
is taking the place of lard for cook
ing purposes, the demand is increasing
much more rapidly than the visible
supply. hope yet to see Hawaii the
center of the Pacific copra trade, and
/ believe she will reach out and APP
propriate to herself what is hers by
right of position.
As soon as I had read the editorial
in the Commercial Advertiser | dropped
in to see my friends of the Burns
Philip Company. Now this company
has made Sydney the central sailing
point of most of the South Sea Island
cruises. 1t operates line to the New
Hebrides, another to the Solomon s, and
New Guinea. Still another to Java
and Singapore, is operating agent of
lines to FIJI, operates a collier line to
Hawaii-of which more later-and
owns a line to the Gilberts and Marshall
islands-almost under the lee of Ha-
waii. / at once took up the PROPOSE
ton of extending the Gilbert and Mar
shall Island service to Honolulu-this
they would do if Hawaii could offer
one OF two hundred tons of eopra Cor
other freight) per monitor should
the Hawaiians build an oil mill or soap
works, this line would doubtless take
eopra from the Gilberts to Honolulu,
but then if Hawaii goes into the manu-
faeture of soap, oil and butter from
eopra, she viii doubtless have her own
feet of steamers collecting the raw
material. The Burns Philip boats are
usually crowded with island tourists,
the boats being small, seldom more
than a thousand-ton burden with ac-
eommodation for about sixty passen-
gers each. The fare is low, the adj
vertised rate being ten shillings, or
two dollars and half per day, the
food being varied and bountiful, and
regret to say that the food supplied
on many of the big boats in these
southern waters is more often minus
poultry and green vegetables on the
bill of fare than are the little copra
cruisers. I trust something may be
done to induce Burns Philip to link up
Hawaii to their South Sea Island ser
vice-and l believe that its accom-
plishmentsis easily within the range of
possibility.
About the line of Golfers, from Van
couver to Hawaii, Fiji New Zealand
and Australia, controlled by Burns
Philip. let me say a word. This COM
pany is quite willing to put in moder-
ate passenger accommodations and at
the $3.50 a day rate give Americans
and Hawaiians of moderate purse who
are constitutionally opposed to travel
ing second class an opportunity within |
their means of seeing the Pacific is /
lands at a cost not greater than the
ordinary living expenses at home. /
Now, some of my Hawaiian friends
will understand why 1 am so vigorous
~ fighting for cheap cruise trip
around our own beautiful islands.
Think of the teachers, college boys,
poor literary folks and others who
Gould then enjoy a summer months
'ruise at little expense-a month in
Hawaii; then on to Fiji, where a $3.50
per day cruise of those islands is al