Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-07-06
FRISCO MENOF
BUSINESS SPLIT
ON CANAL BILL
Barneson Starts Fight to Repu-
date Action Against
Pacific Mail

Shipping chiefs in San Francisco
were al war over the Canal bill at last
mail sdvices
Declaring that the board of directI
ors of the recently reorganized Cham
Der of Commerce had a mistaken inn
preston in endorsing the rider sub
mitteo to the Panama Canal bill by
W. r. Wheeler. manager of their traf-
fic bureau in Washington, a group OF
insurgents headed by Captain John
Barnes on, the millionaire shipping
man. had arranged for q big mass
meeting to thresh the matter out on
the floor OF the chamber son Friday OF
last week, the day after the Mongolia
sailed.
The meeting was decided. upon fol-
lowing the refusal of the board of di-
rectors on Wednesday to accede to
the request of the insurgents to re-
scfnd the action of Wheeler in sub
hitting the rider 10 the Panama Canal
bill. which was passed by the House
of Representatives on May % last and
was reported by the Senate commit
tee with amendments killing the rider
on June L. The rider, however. can
come to life again when the bill re-
turns to the House for ratification. ltI
Is to prevent this that the insurgents
are fighting.
Say Industries Suffer.
Since recognizing with the allied
commercial bodies of San Francisco
the Chamber of Commerce includes in
its membership nearly every branch OF
industry in the city. and the insurg-
ents headed by Captain Barneson take
the position that the majority of these
industries will suffer gravely ii the
rider proposed by Wheeler Is incorpor-
ated into the bill.
The rider follows section IL of the
bill, and provides that no ship owned
or controlled by railroad shall pass
through the Panama canal unless at
least so per cent of its cargo, in tom
mage. . destined to or shipped from
Oriental or European ports.
The insurgents, who have aligned
with them. the Hotel Mems Associa-
ton, the Home Industry League and
other commercial bodies in San Fran
cisco. contend that If the rider become
part of the bill 1t will not only dis
criminate against the Pacific Mail and
other ships flying the American flag
in the matter of freight, but that 1t will
also affect their passenger traffic and
react on the business at large OF the
port.
It was after several conferences be
tween the insurgents and the cha mber
directors that the latter finally decid-
ed to stand pat on the Wheeler prope
sition. Captain Barneson in an inter
view said the protesting members had
no grievance against Wheeler. but
they believed the directors would new
er have endorsed the rider If they ap-
precisted its real significance on the
business of the port of San Francisco.
Captain Barneson proceeded TO say:
Pacific Mails Position.
ON the conference we had with the
board of directors on Tuesday SUB
mitted an argument against the rider,
1t was pointed out in this argument
that the Pacific Mail Steamship Com
pany proposed to build four new pas
senger and freight-carrying steamers
of a displacement of $1,000 tons, a
cargo capacity of $50 first-class, ESQ
second-class and large steerage &C
These steamers are
to use oil fuel. Bids were obtained
on them from American yards last
January, and they approximate a total
of $12,000,000.
1.-The Pacific Mail also proposes tol
convert the steamers Mongolia, Man
churia, Korea and Siberia, at present
operated between San Francisco and
the Orient, into oil burners and to
provide additional passenger conven-
fences in order to bring them up to
date.
These American ships, built at an
expense of at least so per cent in ex-
cess of foreign vessels of the same
class, and also operated at consider
ably greater expense, will in this SER
vice be in direct competition with the /
subsidized Nippon Yusen Kaisha,
Togo Kisen Kaisha, Osaka Shosen
Kaisha, Canadian Pacific, North Ger
man Lloyd, Hamburg and
Kosmos lines, as nell as several
minor lines operated under the
French, Italian and Norwegian flags
md oil cuhcidizod nv their roSnactiVeI