The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1909-08-20

Honolulus leaders were building for
the future, and there was future for
the harbor of Honolulu, when the Pa
mama Canal was opened, which the
imagination could hardly exaggerate.
There was no doubt that steamers
would come here from all directions for
orders, besides the calls of vessels on
the great mail routes. Honolulu should
be made one of the greatest harbors of
the world. They should therefore
avoid building wharves out into the
harbor 1t was not land they needed
to make but water. There had been a
natural breakwater here, which Uncle
Sam had unwisely cut away. And
the space that Uncle Sam had filled
in would better have been dug out for
docks. In Hongkong, which had more
shipping than any other port in the
world, the opposition to piers had been
SO great that system of lighterage
was preferred. But Honolulu harbor
could not be extended out into the
ocean. 1t would not do to have
steamers anchor outside and lighter
their passengers and cargo between
ship and shore.
The speaker then spoke of the handi-
caps upon the American mercantile
marine. When he took hold of the Pa
citic Mail business he saw that it was
necessary to make San Francisco the
gateway of transcontinental freight in
Pacific Commerce. Before then a
pound of cotton had never been ship
ped through that gateway An ar
rangement was made with the railroads
and commerce was built up. A few
years ago this traffic attracted the at
tention of the Interstate Commerce
Commission, which forthwith put ex.
perts to work not only on the Pacific
Coast but in Japan to find if the Fa.
cific Mail was not giving rebates on
transcontinental traffic. Probably II
was the venerable age of the Pacific
Mail which caused it to be singled out
for criminal indictment. The Com
mission did not manage to put the
speaker in Jail but it did procure an
indictment of the Pacific Mail Steam
ship Company. And this on a mere
technicality. One of the rules of the
Commission was that any change of
the freight schedule should only be
upon six months notice. 1t must also
be published, but the company obtain
ed modification of this which allow
ed of telegraphing a change, which
could later be forwarded by mail and
published. Well, there was a new
clerk taken on. who omitted to mail
a change with the result that the COM
pany was indicted.
There were three things to be con-
sidered in an ocean transportation Ell
terprise, namely-the cost of the plant,
the expense of operating and the re-
turn on the investment None of the
business men before him would put
money in an enterprise the prospectus
OF which would show a certain loss.
AS to the cost of the plant the Korea,
Siberia, ManchuTia' and Mongolia which
the company had procured to meet the
expanding commerce, were built in the
United States for $4,6OO,OOO, whereas
they could have been built in England
for $2,900,000. With regard to oper-
ating expense, some of the opposition
to a subsidy was on account of the
part Asiatic crew which the steamships
carried. Now, to replace the Chinese
members of the crews of their steam
ships would make a difference of $780,
000 a year. And this in competition
with the Japanese steamers which had
mixed Japanese and Chinese crews,
and which for every trip received a
subsidy of $93, 900. In the meantime,
owing to the discouragement from the
Interstate Commerce Commission the
vessels were showing more and more
red paint, or boot tops" on their
voyages. Mr.. Lane. a member of the
commission, had told him that it was
no use fighting against the natural out
let to the Orient, namely, the Suez
canal. w. r. Castle asked the speak
er where Mr.. Lane belonged, and the
answer was San Francisco.
Mr.. Schwerin spoke of the difficulty
OF pleasing the people of Honolulu and
travellers desiring to get passage hence
b. the Pacific Mail steamers. One OF
the advantages of the competing lines,
which could not do local passenger
business between here and San Fran
cisco, was that passengers embarking
at Chinese or Japanese ports were as
sured of not being disturbed through
reberthing at Honolulu. He hoped in
time that the Pacific Mail boats could
offer the same advantage and still &C
oommodate people waiting for passage
at Honolulu. This was the purpose
of his present visit. A plea was made
for patience as well as Support from
the people here, where business FOR
the steamers had been increasing by