The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-01-22
GOV. CLECHORk
FOR RELIEF
BILL
(FrOm Thursdays Advertiser.)

"I am both Surprised and sorry to
see that small portion of the public
and the press is opposing the suspen'
sion of the Coastwise Laws" stated
Governor Cleghorn yesterday. Gin t9er
opposition, from whatever cause IT
arises, they are opposing the vital IN
terests of the Territory for a few ship |
owners who have shown the Territory |
little consideration. Open ships with
regard to passenger traffic means more
passengers for the American ships, in
the long run, and much more freight.
The application of the Coastwise Laws
to Hawaii is gross absurdity and
something which was never inteded
when the laws were passed.
"In my opinion there is nothing now
so detrimental to the advancement of
these Islands as the present shipping
laws. We are losing tourists, we are
losing the money we are spending to
develop tourist traffic and we are los
ing trade. These laws were passed a
hundred years ago and were intended
to be what the name implies, Coast
wise laws. The ones who passed the
laws never in the widest stretches Of
their imaginations contemplated over
seas possessions and there never was
any contemplation of the extension of
these laws over two thousand niles of
the Pacific to places off the mainland.
] do not know another country in the
world that has such an absurd construc-
ton on a law.
est is not the part of little Hewitt
to strut around as the great upholder
either of the principles of protection or
of the flag. When the heads of the Re-
publican party admit the injustice of
the law there is no call upon us to tell
them that they are mistaken and that
our loyalty to the flag and our convic-
tions on the principles of the party
forbid us accepting what would be CIV
en- us. In taking that position we are
not only ungrateful but ludicrous and
are doing ourselves an injustice for the
sake of a silly pose.
81 have talked on this question with
the members of the Congressional party,
with Secretary Straus, with Secretary
Garfield, with Mr.. Newell, with Com
missioner Loomis, who is to be Assist
ant Secretary of State, and with others
in authority, and each one of them has
admitted the injustice of the present
application of the shipping law to Ha-
wall. Time after time 1 have been
told by tourists visiting here that they
would like to stay here longer if there
was any assurance of their being able
to get away; many times L have known
of people making up their minds not to
come to Hawaii because of the wretch
edness of our shipping conditions. Now,
to refuse something that will remedy
:, this condition, something arranged for
us by our friends, would be the height
of foolishness.
"Get ship subsidy if possible, but
in the meanwhile get something that
VIII OHCc IclltNt lHt COHNllllUu We
are suffering under. Tourists, as a
rule, are not so very patriotic as to go
to the trouble of selecting American
bottoms to travel on, while we do not
expect all our tourists to be ,Ameri-
cans. Tourists want good boats, and
there are good boats coming here noS
under foreign flags and others are to
come. / believe that the North Ger.
man Lloyd will put on two of their
liners next year, while the Japanese
have another great steamer building
for this run. The British have placed
two beautiful new boats in commission
on the Honolulu run. Are the Amer.
leans always to drag behind and we
and our visitors to be compelled al
ways to travel on inferior boats be.
cause the American government will
not subsidize their inesi If the
American government does not want to
pass ship subsidy measure and keep
the American merchant marine on the
seas, then let it disappear. Honolulu
can not keep it going, and we are
only hurting ourselves in trying it.
sit is not to be expected, of course,
that we should have the fast liners on
the Pacific as yet that they have on
the Atlantic, but there is no reason in
these days why we should have to
travel on seven-day boats between here
and San Francisco. The time should
be at hand when we can have five.
day service. The Atlantic boats could
make the run in four days. Three
ears ago. 1 Travelled to the Coast on
the Ventura, one of our greyhounds.
The weather conditions were perfect,
but our runs by days were: Hour of
sailing, 3 p. m; noon first day, 269
miles; then 81, 324, 1888, $40, and 3ls
miles with $40 the last dav making