The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-01-13
ARE
CR0WDING OUT
PACIFIC MAIL

president and general manager OF the
Pacific Mail company says, as he does
on every possible occasion, that Il Il
only matter of time before the Japa.
nese will drive the Pacific Mai ships
out Of the transpaciiic trade.
In the matter OF responsibility. how.
ever, Marsh and schwerin do not agree.
schwerin blames Uncle Sam, the Amer.
lean public, the press, Bates & Cheese
brough or any old cause that happens
to at his particular mood. Marsh places
all the blame on schwerin and the Pa.
ciic Mail
Marsh, whose business has kept him
for many years in close touch with
Japan, has crossed the Pacific for the
thirty-ninth time. All of his travelling
has been out of this port. He has
crossed ON the old o. and o. liners
which, under the management Of the
late D. ID. Stubbs, were famous the
world over; on the Japanese liners and
on the ships of the Pacific Mail com
pany. Schwerin was recently sent to
the Orient to find out what was the
matter with the Pacific Mail company.
Marsh could have saved the directors
the expense of that trip. Marsh, with
his thirty nine crossings on his con
science, would have no difficulty in
qualifying as an expert on transpacific
travel. Here's what he has to say
about it:
oficers Restricted.
My last voyage seemed the longest
and was the most tiresome of any /
ever undertook In the old days no
restrictions were placed ON ths..ss;.a,,s
officers, who did everything they could
in their spare time to help make the
passengers enjoy their trip. Today
there is no sociability whatsoever on
Pacific Mail steamers. The passenger
is bound down by so many rules and
regulations of the steamship company
that he is afraid to call his soul his
own. The Pacific Mail company makes
absolutely no provision for the enter.
tainment of it's passengers and will not
allow the ships officers to do anything
in this direction. Should an officer en-.
deavor to popularize his ship by aiding
in the entertainment of the passengers
that officer can safely count on dis.
charge or removal as soon as the ship
reaches port.
efThe Pacific Mail has no use for
broadminded men in their ships. II
they get such they soon reduce them to
mere automatons, as the belief seems
to prevail that the officials in port can
do the pOpularizing from behind Their
desks and that the assistance of the
men who come in contact with the pas
lsengers is not needed
elbow different with the Japanese
| line. Every position, high or low, that
the Japanese have to fill bv Americans
or Europeans on their ships is filled
by men picked for their intelligence
These men are selected with care and
given a free rein as the japanese well
know that making. a ship popular will
the travelling public rests largely will
the ships officers and not with the
bosses and clerks in the port offices.
/ Japanese Misunderstood.
ftThe Pacific Mail is bowling for {
subsidy. A subsidy is not going tt
make their ships popular with the tray
cling public. The Japanese are going
to beat them out, and the Pacific Mai
people have nobody to blame but them
selves. The Japanese line would never
] have reached its present position bu
/ for the Pacific Mail s disregard of thu
favor of the travelling public and Hunt
| ingtOn's lack of knowledge of the Jap
anese character and ability. When the
Japanese first came into the felC
Huntington tied them up with his line
1 in
stified and the Jap assured of the shor
| end of the deal. He had every conf
dence in his ability to prevent the Jap
anese from making money, and expect
ed them soon to tire of running at I
loss, and quit.
"He did not know, however, that h,
was playing right into the hands o
the Asiatics. The Japanese realized
when they started their line that, b,
themselves, they could never win tn
confidence of the travelling public. A
| the partners, however, of the Pacif
i Mail company they were assured o
some recognition and, at least, thu
overflow of travel from the old estab
lished line. With this as a starter the,
went to work to make their ships popu
lar, and they did it largely through
the European officers on their ships
They are now strong enough to 90 /
alone. They will be clear of thei
Pacific Mail bargain in a few days. an,
If the Pacific Mail company does no
wake up the positions will be reversed
and it will be the Pacific Mail compan,
that will get the overflow from TIL
japanese ships"
schwerin Learns.
sehwerin could sympathize wit
Marsh If he would. He. too, ran n
against the Pacific Mail company
choice array of rules aud regulation
for the suppression of good cheer
There was a difference, however. Mars
had TO grin and bear H. sehwerin re
y0ked the regulation.
A fellow passenger with sehwerin OF
his recent voyage 10 the Orient de
seFibes the general managers first ca
counter with his own rules. SHORTY
before dinpeF tins on the hrsf day gu
the Ylee.pTealdent invited a few friend
10 bis suite % join him IN a cocktail
Arrived at the room, sehweTln RAM
for q boy, A Whllnfobed celestial ap
peaFed.