Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1910-03-24
appears To be his limit

| Actions speak louder than words,
and therefore we may assume that
| the forty-passenger steamship or
ffty-passenger steamship is all that
the manager of the American-Ha-
waiian has to offer in that line.
To be- as honest as Mr.. Dearborn
| mas been, we do not believe that
accommodation for forty or fifty
passengers Is II fair reciprocltion
for the advantages of carrying be-
tween two and three hundred thou
sand tons of freight.
The response to this Is that the
! big freight is not moved to San
Francisco or Coast ports. And when
that is said, great many men will
ask whether every transportation
line solicitous of the good will of
a community, and anxious to serve
1t in every way possible, always
makes the same ratio of profit on
every line that 1t operates?
If II came to showdown, would
1t not be good business for any
steamship company to operate
short-haul passenger and freight
line Oh a break-even basis, or pos
sibly at a small loss, If IL were able
to operate ten ships on another
long-haul freight line at good
profit? ..... .n... a.
Possibly the final answer may be,
if the full facts were known:
What's the use of talking about
his when il is not likely to come
| } a showdown" ...s ,
This has not beer said, but ac-
tons will speak louder than words.
AS for the passenger steamship
| hat will carry good-sized cargo
of freight, 1t should be noted that
such n transportation proposition.
has yet to prove a failure. The
Matson line appears to have done
very well at 1t. Certainly the
Oceanic Steamship Company is not
operating the steamship Alameda,
and now the steamship Sierra, with
larger passenger accommodations
| from philanthropic motives.
The Oceanic carries less freight
than any other line with ships call
ing at this port. Its steamer has
been the object OF as many gratui-
tous knocks as any that sails the
Pacific. In the face of this. the
managers OF the line find sufficient
support to put large sum of
money into the Improvement OF the
service.
The public does not have the ad-
vantage of perusing the books OF
the steamship companies. II only
knows that John ID. Spreckels would
not run steamer to Honolulu that
was operated at loss on the total
Years business. Ii also knows that
both the American-llawMian and
he Matson Navigation companies
have larger freights assured them,
by thousands of tons, than Is guar
anteed the Oceanic line. ,,t,,5
| The American Hawaiian. carrying
the largest freights, gives the least
attention to passengers. Next
comes the Matson line, that strikes
4 fair average, with passenger ac-
commodation on every steamship II
operates. with the exception of a
chartered boat. And then the Gee.
anic, with the least freights and
the largest relative passenger equip
lment.
With these facts before them, II
Is hard, very hard, for the people
to believe that the carriers of the
largest freights can't afford to give
this town steamers carrying more
passengers. In fact. the people
They believe that the freight-car'
riers are supremely selfish, and
what is more to the point, that they
are supported in this selfish policy
by the attitude of the men who con
troll the great sugar freights
Mighty few of them, however. like
to say so. II Is easier to attach
American laws and cuss the Govern
ment.
The Bull etin is satisfied that
Lue steuHsHlp 'oihpdhice, par
larly the American-Hawaiian, viii
eventually gain the best result
under a broader passenger policy
Protected enterprises should recog
nize that they have some other re
sponsibiities under the advantage
given them by the American polio.
of protection than the mere han
ding of the frelghts, especial!
when dealing with section Of thu
country having no, other mcana o
transportation than by water
- They know what that responsi