The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-01-17

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| congress was not held for the ad.
vancement of any particular project
| One resolution only was passed. That
was resolution that Congress should
advance a comprehensive plan with q
view to the best interest of the entire
country for the development of the
inland waterways, to take ten years to
carry out, and to appropriate for the
purpose fifty million dollars a year.
At the congress it was brought out
what advances had been made in this
way in Europe, where in France and
Germany one may travel between any
! two points by canal. 1t was urged
that the United States could do a great
deal more in view of the facilities at
| command. The traffic of the country
has increased in the past ten years
| 10 per cent. while the railroads have
only increased 10 per cent. This was
agreed to by J. ]. Hill, who pointed
out that it was not a question of cost,
but of getting accommodations. There
is a great wave sweeping over the
United States in favor of this, and
there are reasons to believe that the
| advocates will be successful in carry
ing out the project.
HAWAII WILL BENEFIT.
This will rebound to the benefit of
Hawaii in various ways. We will get
our increased proportion of the appro-
! priations for rivers and harbors and
! we will share in the feeling that will
be engendered in Congress that more
should be done. At the present time
the appropriations for river and har-
Dor work are passed only once every
two years and it has been only recently
that Congress would allow of any con-
tract going over the amount of the
appropriation. Now we may expect
an appropriation of fifty millions every
year for river and harbor work in
accordance with some national, COM
prehensive plan. 1t will benefit us in
other ways. 1t will open the Missis-
sippi river and its tributaries and
promote the trade on the gulf, increas-
ing the business on the Pacific follow
ing the completion of the Panama
canal. Everyone seems to think that
the Panama canal will afford a great
outlet on the Pacific for the products
of the Eastern States.
IMPROVED CONSULAR SERVICE.
II attended a conference of business
men called together by Secretary of
Commerce and Labor Straus, at which
about seventy people from the biggest
cities of the country were present.
There We're only two formal speeches,
one by Secretary Straus and one by
Secretary Root, who is cooperating
with the Secretary of Commerce and
Labor with a view of bringing the
consular service in closer touch with
the business interests Of the United
States. The congress held two ses-
sions. besides sbeing received by the
President andy \attending reception
given by Secretary and Mrs. Straus.
The object in bringing the consular
service in closer touch with the COM
mercial interests is to bring about the
same good results that are found by
the British in their service and in
other European countries. Secretary
Root said that in future only high
class men would be appointed to the
service and it would be no longer a
place for disappointed rivals to be
sent into. Neither will it be a place
where the people sent will consider
that they have nothing to do, as now,
and carry out the duties with great
fidelity.
'Mr. Wood suggested that the con-
suls in the Orient be asked to notify
the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce
whenever they were TO pass through
here and be asked to address the
Chamber. This matter was taken up
and the notifications were sent out.
OFFICIAL INTEREST IN HAWAII.
Regarding the business that took me
to Washington. I will not attempt to
speak of them all, for there were forty
or fifty subjects practically with all
of the departments. I will take the
time to refer to only a few of the
most important. / found the officials
intensely interested in Hawaii and all
stated that they would do what they
could for the Territory. 1 found that
the little expense we had gone to to
carry out the Congressional trip had
been well justified, for we have now
twenty-nine good friends in Congress
as a result. They all expressed great
at what they had seen
and learned here and all are spreading
good seed. They got on to our prob
lens remarkably well and all haveI
promised to work and help US. A /.
great many of the officials say that
they want to come here to end their |
days after they have lost their offices.