The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-05-10
OF SHIP SUBSIDY
FOR COASTWISE SUSPENSION

The favorable report made to the
house of representatives, by the com.
mittee on merchant marine and fisher
les on the bill to suspend for six years
the passenger provisions of tile coast
wise shipping law is given below, in
full with the exception Of the letter
of commentator received by the com
mittee from the secretary of commerce
and labor, already printed in The Adj
vortiser.
1t is interesting to note that the re-
port was written by Representative
Humphrey, the father Of tine ship sub
sidy bill, who finds nothing, evidently,
in the suspension request to alarm any
but dollar-marked patriots. The report
was presented to the house on April
% and ordered to be printed. 1t is as
follows:
Recommends Passage.
The committee on merchant marine
and fisheries, to whom was referred the
bill "a. R. 1897 to amend the laws
concerning passenger transportation be-
tween ports of the Territory of Hawaii
and other ports of the United States,
having had the same under considera-
ton, report it back with The recon-
mendation that it do pass, with the fol.
lowing amendment:
After the last word in line IL, change
the period to q colon, and add the fol-
lowing:
Provided further, That the provi-
sions of this act shall extend only
to foreign vessels plying between
ports of the United States and one
or more of the ports of China,
Japan, the Philippines or Austria
lasia,
The purpose of this measure is to af-
ford temporary relief to and additional
facilities for passenger travel between
the Hawaiian Islands and the mainland
of the United States.
During the past year there have been
numerous occasions when the time be-
tween sailings of American ships has
been from ten to eighteen days, with
intervals of ten or twelve days a fire.
quent occurrence. In numerous cases
the American steamers calling at Homo
lulu en- route to San Francisco from
the Orient have not been able to pro-
vide cabin space for more than from
twenty to sixty per cent of the passen.
gers booked for those steamers.
The following statement of intervals
between American steamers is taken
from the official list of mai steamers
arriving and departing from Honolulu:
From the Coast:
November 20 to December II, 1909,
interval of eighteen days.
December 81, 1909, to January Z,
1910, interval of eleven days.
January 13 to January %, 1910, ff-
teen days, with only thirty-passenger
boat intervening.
January 81 to February s, interval
of eight days,
February 10 to March 5, interval of
fifteen DAYS.
March 16 to April l, another interval
of fifteen days.
Schedule from Honolulu to the Coast:
November IS to November 80, 1909,
interval of twelve days.
December to December 81, interval
of seventeen days.
\ December %, 1909, to January 7,
1910, sixteen days, with only thirty.
passenger boat intervening.
February to February IS, interval
of sixteen days.
February % to March 5, interval OF
ten days.
When it is considered that passengers
to and from Hawaii, after waiting from
ten to eighteen days for a steamer, are
then frequently unable to secure pas
sage, it is evident that some relief
must be afforded to this restraint OF
travel.
In February, 1908, this committee
unanimously reported a similar bill (H
R. 1896, Goth cong, LIST sess }, and that
measure passed the house, May %, 1908
r by vote of 1874 to As.
5 That bill was also favorably reported
= by the senate committee on commerce
: but it was not pressed for passage, be
l cause at that juncture the promise OF
e additional American ships led the PEG
pie of Hawaii to hope that they coulC
secure adequate facilities for trave
without resort to the use of foreign
vessels, and as there has been evidsn
a in Hawaii ever since annexation I
strong feeling of interest in and loyalt,
s to the American merchant marine, tn
e delegate from Hawaii consented to hav,
|
without action, in the hope that a sub
p sidy measure would make it possibl
for American steamship companies t.
o provide sufficient accommo dations.
k During the two years that hav
!, elapsed two American freight steam
Il ships have been added to the service
o with total passenger capacity of sew
d enty cabins. But this additional ca
a pacity does not equal the increase i
y the volurae of regular and tourist trave
to Hawaii, and the situation is, if any
thing, worse than IL was two years age
n No additional vessels for the Hi
=. waiian passenger service are now unde
u plans or building except one freigf
y steamer, which win haxe fifteen passeI
81 ger cabins. The existing lines hay
,s declined TO contract for any more pa
senger vessels at present, even thong
" Hawaiian capital offered to take up