The San Francisco call., 1910-07-22
Faster Time Promised

The divorce of the Togo Kisen kaisha
from the Pacific Mail company was the
big topic of conversation yesterday in
the transportation world. For long
time it has been generally known that
the relations between the two concerns
had been strained, but until the West
ern Pacific came into the field there
was nothing for the Japanese line to do
but to grin and bear it. The object of
General Manager Shiraishi's visit to
this country was kept secret, and when
w. H. Avery, who handles the t. K. K.
business in the United States, went
north a week or so ago it was given
out that he had gone to Vancouver to
meet "a fuel oil man who was on his
way to Japan"
The special interest that attaches to
the cutting loose of the Japanese line
lies in the fact that it will mark the
dawn of better service across the Pa
cific. The r. K. ks new turbine liners
are triple screw ships and very speedy.
The big liners of the Pacific Mail COM
pany can also make better time than
has been attempted, except on rare
occasions when the company's private
business or the whim of an official with
enough authority to have his own way
have inspired haste. The fieetness of
the Japanese liners was of no avail
in reducing the time of the trans Pacific
trip for the reason that they had to
keep tune with the slower ships of the
Pacific Mail
The Japanese line will have the max
ing of its own schedule. There will be
real competition, and as the Japanese
line has the fastest ships on the Pacific
reduction in the time between here
and Hongkong WILL be one of the first
inducements that the Western Pacifics
new ally will offer the travelling pub
lie. The Pacific Mail liners Korea and
Siberia are also speedy ships, but they
have been kept down to leisurely
jog as measure of economy in the
department of coal consumption 1t
will hurt R. P. Schwerin's feelings and
probably furnish the text for another of
his famous swan songs, but the extra
coal will be burned just the same and
the travelling public will begin to enjoy
the service it thought it was going to
get when the big ships first went into
commission.
In order to hold their own against
the rejuvenated San Francisco lines the
steamers on the northern run will have
to get an extra move on and, unless the
sitting hand of business harmony stops
the good work too soon, the whole
trans Pacific service will assume new
life under the tonic influence of real
competition.
It is not only in the passenger traffic
in getting business. The most valuable
freight brought across the Pacific is
raw silk. A not very large bale of this
product represents a value of about
$500. A million dollar shipment of silk
is not unusual During all the time
this silk is in transit somebody is paw
ing interest on the money invested and
the interest goes on until the silk is
landed in New York. This is the reason
for sending the silk across the conti
ent on fast mail schedule, and for the
same reason the ships that make the
trans-Pacific run in the shortest time
will get the silk trade
Tea is another cargo that is attracted
by rapid transportation. Under the old
arrangement there was no choice be-
tween all the ships running to this
port, as they all We're operated on the
same time schedule. 1t will be differ
ent in a few months, and the history
of the ocean greyhound days on the
Atlantic bid fair to be repeated on the
Pacific.
The transportation world is also
awaiting with interest the appointment
of the new officials that will have
charge of the Togo Kaisen Kafsha's
operations an independent line.
There will be many good jobs to give
out. and as w. II. Avery will have
great deal to say about the selection of
men to fill them he will find himself.
upon his return from New York, more
popular than ever