Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-01-17
SHANGHAI. NOW
TRACKED

The alterations in the joint sailing
schedule Of the Pacific Mail and Togo
kisen companies for the next twelve
months win reudee by forty.nipe the
number Of calls made by mail ships
!. Of these lines at Shanghai, as compar-
ed with fpfner years Thirty-seVen
calls win bBiomitted on the outward
trips, and Twelve calls omitted on the
homeward trip between San Francisco
and HongkohS II
II was CENTRALLY remarked that dimi.
mutton os&he Pacific Mail service here,
has tremendous significance to this
port This fne has been calling reg-s
uiarly at Shanghai for more years
than the oldest inhabitants can re-
lrember. During this period the bust
ness OF the ports has grown eno-muos-
~ In volume "a business in which tie
P1cific Mail and T. X. X. have shared.
Yet their callings here pre- - 49,
Gnced to about one-half of what they
were only short time ago.
What has diverted these mail ships
from Shanghai? What is getting this.
business away from this port? These
and correlated questions were being
skked wherever Shanghai businessmen
foTegathered
An answer to these questions can be
gwen In one word Manila. But ex--
plantations are necessary TO elucidate
tie matter. This conditfon Is partly
due to shifting Of trade conditions IN
the Far East, and in part to the enter.
prise Of the Philippine capital. A few
years ago, soon after the American
occupation, when Malina began to talk
etout the coming the leading port OF
tho Far East, even OF capturing from
Shanghai the function OF being the.
chief distributing center for China.
such projects were taken jocularly. 1t
was pointed out that Manila laborel
under geographical and natural dis
advantages. that she was off on side
track. had no harhor, and was open to
devasting typhoons. This was no
Mace to create a great port OF tran
khiDment, IL was argued.
But Manilans "got busy" The city
spent q huge sum on harbor improve.
mounts, until now many shippers pro-
nounce 1t the best harbor, all things
considered. In the Far East, Now in
one year mail steamers pISifg between
the United States and the Far East
are cutting ont Shanghai TO call at
Manila. t
One reason for this is the large and
rather sudden increase Of trade be-
tween the Philippines and America
which followed removal OF tariff
handicaps from Philippine products.
Formerly almost all cargo from Ma
Mia was transhipped at Hongkong to
is ultimate destination. A year or so
neo large ships in the American trade
discovered that there was plenty Of
cargo at Manila, and began to call
there to get It.. At first only an occa-
sional ship would diverge from the us-
ual route. going from Nagasah direct
8 " to Manila, thence to Hongkong and
home by way ofShanghai. Gradually
other ships took this course.
There are several reasons. The
more important is that these ships
can get more cargo, at less expense,
at Manila than at Shanghai. This is
because in the tirst place the cargo is
there to be moved, and secondly be-
cause Manila has seen to it that the
big ships must call there to get it,
and that II can be handled convent
emily. This was accomplished, in
brief. by securing ruling of the
United States treasury department
that Philippine products shipped to
America without intermediate tran
shipment get q lower tariff rate than
cargo that is transhipped, and by i'm