The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1913-08-22
Honolulu Must Reduce Port
Charges or Lose Business
Chamber of Commerce Committee
IL, Report Sounds Warming of
Impending Danger

be urged TO take Immediate steps for
providing the necessary Loan Funds by
the sale of bonds for carrying out the
foregoing improvements.
Port Charges and Facilities.
eve particularly desire to call atten-
tion TO the existing charges at the port
of Honolulu, as follows:
/" llarbormaster S fees, $500.
wharfage, two cents per ton per
day on net registered tonnage.
"Pilotagc, 500 in and 500 out, for
all steam vessels irrespective of size,
draft or displacement.
"Pilotagc for sailing craft, five
cents per ton inward and the same out
ward ON net registered tonnage of the
ship.
"'The charge for water to all vessels
is 81 per one thousand gallons
"ln addition to the above there are
federal charges ON all vessels entering
this port from any Canadian or Mex
lean port, at the rate of two cents per
ton ON net registered tonnage, and
from all other foreign ports, six cents
per ton on net registered tonnage.
"rhc fees and dockage charges, we
believe are sufficiently low and should
be satisfactory to ship owners.
"The pilotagc charges are entirely
too high, especially for small steamers,
and should be equalized on tonnage
basis.
''We are informed by the collector
of customs that under the present reg
ulations, the federal charges are remit
ted only in case the vessel calls for the
purpose of taking coal for its own con-
sumption, or in case the vessel Is in
distress. The result is that when the
Canal is opened many foreign steamers
will call here simply for coal, and will
not spend dollar for other supplies
in order to cvade paying the heavy tax
imposed by the treasury department.
| For instance, the II. X, *. steamers
take on coal here, but absolutely moth
ing else, although they would gladly
purchase general supplies, were it not
| for this burdensomo tax. We see no
| logical reason why tho exemption
should not apply to steamers purchas-
ing fuel oil, water and general sup
plies for their own use, as well as coal.
| II is of great importance to Hawaiian
ports that the law or regulations be so
amended, and u strong effort should be
made in that direction
More Funds Needed.
The committee made an exhaustive
ieport on general harbor improvements
and engagements of harbors, stating
that the total federal appropriations to
date for the. .enlargeq,ent.of Honolulu
harbor amount to ST ,20U,U00. The bal
| ance required to carry out the original
plans for harbor engagements amounts
to $42s ,S64 which has yet to be APP
propriatcd.
The total amounts appropriated by
the federal government for liilo harbor
improvements, including the breakwa-
ter, are $l,l76,Q00, and the balance TO
be appropriated is 100000. fHs9
In referring to tho Kahului breakwa-
ter on Maui the committee stated that
the broaltwater on the east side of the
harhor has had the effect of producing
n lttoral or shore current from the OPP
positc side carrying with it sand or suit
brought down by freshets through the
lao stream, causing rapid shoaiing on
the west side of the dredged basin. The
recommendation is made for the west
side brcalSwater. Tho chambs. was
urged to call the attention of the dele
gate at Washington to have the war de.
partmcnt further investigate this al
legged need.
The delegate, the committee recon-
mcndcd, should also be asked to re-
quest the war department to take ac-
ton on the improvements in Nawili-
will harbor Kauai.