Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1910-01-29
HITCHCOCK WANTS
BETTER Ocean
MAIL SERVICE
PoStmaSter.Gen'I Shows
Where Improvement
Is Needed
MAIL ROUTE OFFERS
GO A-sEssIHe
Points Out the Number Of FOREIGN
Steamships Carrying Mail Of
United States in All Oceans
Pacific Service Needs More
Americans.
(By John E. Monk.)


according to the annual report OF
the Second Assistant Postmaster.
General, the cost OF transpacific mail
service for the fscal year ended June
80. 1909, was s1S5.633. and for
transatlantic mail service s1,459,-
go.
Steamers flying the flag of the
united States, but not under formal
contract. are allowed for conveyance
Tor the mails not exceeding the full
postage on the mails conveyed, at
present at the rate of so cents per
pound for letters and post cards, and
cents per pound for other articles:
and steamers under foreign flags are
allowed francs per kilogram (about
30 cents per pound) for letters and
post cards. and 80 confines per kilo-
gram (about 4 l2 cents per pound)
Tor other articles: calculated ON the
basis of the actual net Weights of
tho mails conveyed.
Under the head of "Transpaci6c
Mails" Second Assistant Post MASTER
General Stewart says.
The mails for transpacific desti-
nations have been dispatched with
the usual frequency and regularity.
as also have those for Australia, ex-
cept that service from San Francisco
10 sydney via Honolulu, Page Page
and Auckland (route No. 10 o. NJ.
81 has not been resumed.
Since August, 1907, the Austria
nan Mall Line has been conveying
mails TO Australasia by means of Its
steamers sailing from San Francisco
once every four weeks. alternating
with the steamers of the Canadian
Line sailing once every four weeks
IRON Vancouver. British Columbia.
Since December. 1908, we have had
an additional service by means of
steamers of the Union Steamship
Company sailing from Tahiti to We'll
ilnston, New Zealand, with which
the steamers Of the Oceanic Steam
snip Company, sailing from San
francisco ten times year on route
no. 10 o. NJ. s. connect at Ia
hiti. Compensation for service OF
the Australian Mail Line and the
Union Steamship Company is based
on the net weights of the malls dis
patched.
Central and South American and
West Indian Mails.
THE service to Central America
and the West Indies and to South
America. with the exception OF Bra
I'll and the River Plata countries.
has been frequent and reasonably
regular. No material changes have
occurred during the year.
THE service to Brazil and the
River Plata countries has been rea-
sonaDly FREQUENT but not regular,
the steamers, AS a rule, seldom sail
Ing on he dates originally an
nounced. and the department having
no control whatever over their move
ments. Moreover, they are slow, the
speed rarely exceeding 12 knots, and
are all of foreign register. A SER
Vice on fixed dates and at regular
intervals by 1G-knot steamers under
our own flag and subject to our own
control would vastly improve our
mail facilities to those important
countries. and would be comparable
with the service between those coun-
tries and Europe, which Is perform
cd b. II or l6-knot steamers sailing
regularly and frequently.
Need Fer Improved Ocean-Mail
Service.
Under existing provisions OF law
the department is unable to secure
for the transportation OF
our foreign malls In American
steamships TO the ports Of Brazil and
Argentina, aud those of the Orient
aud Australasia. over 40 per cent.
Of the vessels carrying our mails TO
the Orient fly foreign flags, and not
a single one carrying them to Aus
tralasia and South America, except
~ the north coast, lllc3 the Amcri-