The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-03-30

tIHlheHt dpPIoplldltS LoF that purpose
| believe?
Mr.. Mcclellan. The Territory has
also appropriated. in addition to the
voluntary contributions.
Mr.. Hardy. Are your people as 4
whole DESTROYS Of having this suspen-
sion'
Mr.. Mcclellan They are.
Mr.. Hardy. What interests oppose
Mr.. Mcclellan. The interests that
oppose il, the effective opposition,
which blocked the bill two years ago,
was the opposition of the American
steamship companies. Since that time
some OF the business men of Honolulu
have become stockholders in one of
these lines Of steamships, and some of
those business houses who had made
that investment and the agents Of
American steamship lines and few
individual citizens opposed this thing,
and | suppose will individually oppose
1t again this year. But | think there
I. no question that an Overwhe Ginning
majority of the sentiment in the Ter
rltory of Hawaii is in favor of asking
this, although | would state to this
committee that the sentiment has grown
very slowly because of hesitation at
asking for any special legislation. There
is not a community under the American
flag that is more reluctant to ask for
any exception to a general American
law than the Territory of Hawaii. and
because of that fact the community
has gone on enduring this limitation
for ten years. Two years ago, when
this bill was first brought out, it was
distinctly understood among the ship
ping people that it was to be held back
by us and made subordinate to the
subsidy law; and it was never brought
up for action in the house until after
the subsidy bill had been defeated Ha-
waii has always been first of all for
the building up of the merchant ma
rine, so that we would not have to
! ask for any such exception as this, and
. that has been our position, and is our
position still, and we are only asking
this as matter of necessity, and not
from choice at all
Mr. Barchfeld. You might state, Mr..
Mcclellan, that your islands have some
tonnage, and you have some shipping.
Give the committee the benefit of your
tonnage in sugar, your tonnage in
canned fruits, and your tonnage in logs.
Mr.. Mcclellan. | would say that the
! tonnage has been sufficient to build up,
! believe, the largest and most profit
able domestic freight shipping line in
the United States. namely, the Amer
lean Hawaiian Steamship Company,
which has been built up exclusively on
that business: | say exclusively, it has
not been exclusively in later develop
ment, but it was originated on that.
and its larger profits and operations
have been and still are the Hawaiian
| carrying trade.
Mr.. Barchfeld You shipped So 900
tons Of sugar last year9
! Mr.. Mcclellan. Yes.
Mr.. Barchfeld. You shipped 100000
cases of pineapples?
| Mr.. Mcclellan. Yes
Mr.. Barchfeld. And you shipped l.
/ 600. 600 railroad ties?
Mr.. Mcclellan. Furthermore, we have
an incoming value Of freight to euuaI
that which is going out, so that we
! afford cargo both ways.
Mr.. Hardy. Does that come all on
! American vessels?
| Mr.. Mcclellan. Yes.
Mr.. Kahn. A good deal Of it on sail,
, ing vessels?
! Mr.. Mcclellan. Not now r.
Mr. Kahn. There is good deal still
! comes in sailing vessels.
! MIR. eClelIan; II you will turn TO
the statistics YOU will find that not
20 per cent. Of the tonnage of the
, Hawaiian Islands today is carr ed in
sailing vessels
Mr.. Fairehid. Has the japanese
company an interest IN this application?
Nh Mcclellan. Absolutely none We
are not interested in the slightest de-
gree IN any foreign steamships On the
contrary, our citizens are stockholders
IN the MatSon company. Some of the
very directors of the company who are
ltnnolulU agents OF the Ma.son r;n[-
are in favor If this legislation; one At
least has so stated openly in a public
meeting i'll Honolulu. saying that even
though bis firm was stakeholder in
tn" Matson Navigation Company. be
d. not think that the community Of
Honolulu should be held down TO il
c1s'-lron limitation as 10 how many
people could come and 90 10 the main
land
Mr.. Kahn. Who was thar,
Mr., Mcclellan. Mr. l.. Tennev Peck.
and he Is good citizen as well as an
Al business man.
Mr. Spight. II is a fact. IS it not.
that you can not ship the freight ex-
cePt IN American vessels, because 9th
erwise II would involve forfeiture of
the cargo, under the law as it is nova
Mr.. Mcclellan. Yes; we are restrain
CT from using any foreign ships.
Mr.. Humphrey. You do not ask any
change in that respect,
Mr.. Mcclellan. | was about to call
attention to the fact thar the bill does
not ash any change there. We would
like to have that matter made very
plain here, gentlemen. This whole prop
oslt'on : not any effort to get trans
portatjon at a lower rate. We are not
seeking to get the benefit of foreign
competition. nor to Get better trans
portatlou rates, We are paving cheer
fully the larger sum for the carving Of
our FIRE ght because we are under the
American flag; we have the benefit of
the American protective system. and
therefore we feel that it is perfectly
proper that We should pay on that basis
tD the ~ +r1FfrI+ p,,%