The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-01-22
WHAT A TOURIST SAYS.

''I am certainly in favor of the sus.
pension of the shipping laws, so far as
I am acquainted with the facts of the
controversy that now seems to be pend,
ing, said C. w. Buck, a prominent
capitalist of San Francisco, who is now
stopping at the Moana Hotel Mr.. Buck
came down here with George Bachelor,
the California attorney who has inter
ests in the Rapid Transit company He
will remain here for month or So or
until he gets "tired of the place." as
he puts it.
tThe lack of suitable transportation
facilities between here and the main.
land was impressed upon me first when
I found out that. if the whole party
which had intended coming with me
had shown up, there would have been
no room for them on the steamer. Some
friends of mine were coming here from
Chicago, that is, they were coming to
San Francisco, and then on to Honolulu,
but they were unable to make the trip
and consequently only my Western par,
ty was able to secure transportation
on the Siberia.
TO get the tourist traffic here, it is
certain that you must have transporta-
that so little apparent advertising of
this place as a tourist resort is done
in the United States I knew very lit.
tie about Hawaii before [ came down,
and [ have lived on the Coast for
good many years. One Of the best ad-
vertising assets that YOU could have
would be commodious steamship facil.
tiles. Look at the way the railroad
1arro ,fnS ha7i1 ! h.
vertised the West, they boosted, and
they kept at it all the time. The same
proposition would work here with the
steamship lines
81 know that my case, in which
was unable to get accommodations for
my whole party. is IA minor considera-
ton, and as l haven't gone into the
matter carefully, [ don t want to be
quoted as taking sides in the question
of merchant marine. But I also know
that it would certainly bring the Islands
into the public eye, that it would be
a great lnducement for people to come
here, and that it would in a way. help
to make the Islands more Americanized
If the transportation facilities were ade-
quate. And | can see how the suspen-
sion of the Coastwise Shipping law
would bring about this desirable object.
The shipping law, protecting the Amer
lean merchant marine, was not devised
for this place, three thousand miles
from the mainland 1t was meant to
be, and it is, in effect along the real
coasts, the Atlantic as well as the Pa.
cifie. Hawaii, the Crossroads of the
Pacific, as you say, doesn It want this
law foisted upon her, if [ understand
the situation correctly.
Hawaii could have one out of every
ten people who come to California from
! the East, | believe, if the proper adver-
| tlsing methods were pursued on the
mainland. The American of today has
money, and he wants to spend it, He
/ would great deal rather come to Ha.
wall, if the attra ctiveness of the place
were once pointed out to him, than he
would to go TO Cuba. And / agree with
! You that one of the essential WAYS or
securing the advertising YOU deserve is
to have good steamer accommodations
| always. This place is ideal: I never
I dreamed of the beauties that are here.
F.; / was surprised at the number of splen-
did mansions in Honolulu. and / was
also surprised at the area of the town.
| have travelled 1874 miles within the
| last few days without leaving the town
or going over the same track. This is
according to the speedometer on my
machine. Honolulu, it seems to me. is
! getting lots of tourists, but she has the
right idea when she goes after more.
/ Never be satisfied with a share Of the
trade. Get as much as you cantor
YOU deserve it. And. as I see the mat
ter. one of the best ways to accomplish
this end is to suspend the Coastwise
Shipping laws.