The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-05-09
CHAMBER FAVORS
THE OPEN DOOR

The trustees OF the Chamber o.
Commerce do not believe that Homo
lulu has any call to take sides with
California in that states tlme.worn
fight against the Southern Pacific.
Moreover, according to expressions
made by various members at the
meeting held yesterday afternoon,
they do not believe in discriminative
legislation which would bar from the
Panama canal any American ship,
simply for the reason that It was
owned or controlled by a transconti-
mental railroad Accordingly the body
adopted the following resolution:
Where's, The Panama Canal, the
Nations great waterway connecting
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, is
soon to be opened to the commerce
of the world, and &.
Whereas, This great event will
mark an epoch in the commercial de-
velopment of the Pacific Ocean, its
shores and islands, and it Is important
that the presence of the American
flag on the high seas should grow
apace with such development and ex-
pansion of ocean commerce, and
Whereas, Hawaii es the pivotal
point of the Pacific is greatly inter-
ested in benefits that will come with
the opening of the canal; therefore
be it
Resolved, That this chamber voice
the belief that no restrictions should
be placed on the use of the Panama
canal by any vessel of American reg.
lister, irrespective of whether such
vessel is owned in whole or in part
by railway interests or otherwise:
this chamber believing that an open
door through the canal to American
ships should be maintained as essen
tial to the supremacy of the American
flag on the Pacific, and Incidental to
American influences taking their
proper place in the wide development
that must follow the opening of the
greatest waterway that the hand OF
man has accomplished;
Resolved, That copies of this reso-
luton be sent to the Delegate of this
Territory and the chambers repre-.
sentative in Washington"
Resolution Made General,
The matter was brought to the at
tention of the Chamber by H. Hack
field & Company, agents for the Pa
cific Mail Steamship Company, a line
dominated by the Southern Pacific
Railroad, and the one against whom
the discriminatory legislation is prin-
cipally aimed. AS has been previously
detailed in these columns, R. p.
Schwerin, general manager of the Pa
cific Mail, in recent letter to the
local agents, stated that the building
of four large new liners by his com
pany for the Pacific run is dependent
upon the defeat of this clause of the
canal regulation bill now before Con-
gress. This was read at yesterdays
meeting, and was followed by the pre-
sentation of a resolution introduced
by F. Klamp, substantially the same
as the one finally adopted, except that
it made specific reference to the Pa
cif1c Mail Company and its promises.
E. F. Bishop and others objected to
this feature, and it was consequently
eliminated before the resolution Yves
put to vote and carried unanimously.
Why New York Opposed.
In the discussion which took place
on the subject, E. e. Paxton, chairman
of the Chambers committee on ship
ping and transportation, stated that,
from what he could learn, the fight
against the use of the canal by steam
ships owned in whole or in part by
railroads, was being supported largely
by opposing steamer lines, and by
commercial bodies on the Pacific
Coast. The New York Chamber of
Commerce, he said, had refused to
approve the clause, largely on the
ground that the Canadian Pacific Rail-
road, through treaty rights, would be
able to run British ships through the
canal in spite of the restriction pro-
posed, which would be detrimental to
the American shipping interests.
Throwing aside narrow or personal
considerations, Mr. Paxton was there