Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-07-23

eight or ten prominent firms whose
vessels might be sent through the
canal, found that they must be con-
WINGED that there are distinct advan-
tages in coming this way.
THE difference in the time of the
voyage is practically nothing. 1t re-
solves itself down to this: that Homo
lulu, in order to expect trade TO come
this way, must furnish it facilities and
furnish them cheaply enough to be at.
traetiye.
These steamship companies now
have their routes established through
Suez canal. They will not make a
change until they are assured it will
be TO their advantage to do So
Commissioner Wakefield says that
all of the shipping firms are open to
conviction, and that it is up to Homo.
lulu to provide the facilities to con-
vince them.
Must Lower Water Charqes.
For one thing" he declares, eve
must lower our water charges. This
is large item in shipping expenses
here now. In Boston, found, water
is furnished the ships at 101a cents
per thousand gallons. When l was
asked what our charges are, and told
them that We charge 50 per thousand
gallons, they said at once that such
a rate would be one reason for not
coming here
They also desire a change in the
method Of charging pilotage fees-a
ohor 81 ~ ho nh ~, hot
already determined was reasonable.
The present flat rate should be abol
ished, and some system of fees based
on tonnage of the vessel should be es-
tablfshed. The present system, they
say, and it is a fact, works a hard
ship on the smaller vessels.
Full Facilities Needed.
Another thing is that we must be
prepared to furnish facilities for TAX
ing on fuel Our present fuel-oil pipe
line is "a distinct advantage for us,
because many of the vessels coming
this way will be oil-burners. We must,
however, develop our facilities for
coaling. The site of the marine rail-
way will be, according to our plans.
taken by the government and used
for coal wharves
81 was asked, also, what mechani-
cal devices we have for the handling
of coal, and had to admit that We
have none. The big eastern ports
have up-to-date coal conveyors of yari-
Gus types by means of which coal can
be handled rapidly and with small
labor cost. Some are owned by the
port commissions, some by private
companies. Honolulu needs these me-
chanical devices If we are. to assure
steamships of speedy coaling.
"All of the shipping men were in
terested when told them that we had
fuel-oil pipe line running around the
harbor ready to supply oil at any dock.
1t is recognized that oil is the COM
ing fuel of the future for steamships.
But we must be in position to as
sure them of coaling facilities, too.
1.-The experience of Boston is some
thing that Honolulu can well take to
heart Boston's water commerce was
choked off by railroads until the state
awaked to the fact that Baltimore and
New York were leaving it far behind
and that it's interests were suffering
Then began campaign for port de-
velopment in which the city is doing
remarkable work. State bonds to the
amount, think, of $25,000,000 were
issued and Boston began to build.
when / was there the port directors
were completing great pier 1860 feet
long and 300 feet wide for the Ham
burg American Steamship Company,
which had signed fiye-year contract
for its use The steamship company
was given free wharfage and charged
1917 cents per thousand gallons for
water, the special shipping rate.
How Merchants Cooperate.
SO determined are the business in.
terests of Boston to build up the port
that the merchants voluntarily pay a
high tonnage tax to secure necessary
port revenue. Merchandise in transit
over the wharf, whether going or COM
ing, to or from all points outside Bos-
ton, is charged 10 cents a ton each
way. But on merchandise coming or
going from points in the city itself.
forty cents ton is paid by the con-
signee or consignor.e The merchants
are willing to do it to build up the
port. They realize that the only
chance for Boston to compete with
the other Atlantic ports is to build
up commerce.
Honolulu must get the port charg-
es right, must develop new facilities
and must let the shipping firms of the
world know what we have. The big
gest asset that Honolulu now has to
attract shipping is the floating dry
dock that the Inter-Island company is
building here. The Atlantic firms are
interested in this because they can
drydock their ships if necessary i'm the
middle of the Pacific. This drydock
will accommodate vessels 500 feet long
and may be enlarged to take bigger
ones. The biggest drydock in Boston
harbCr will accommodate vessels up to
465 feet only. -. \
..As an instance of the value of the
drydcck, might say that there are
81 steamers running into New York
which cannot be drydocked at all in
America. either in naval or other
docks. Eighty-seyen steamers are
crossing the Atlantic that cannot he