Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-01-16
coAsTWfsE SHIPPING LAWs-AN
OTHER INSTAlLMENT.
Honolulu. January IS, 1914

Honolulu. January -, 1914.
Editor, Honolulu Star-Bulletin,
Sir: Again we hear from Maxim ON
cCastwise shipping, and although ht
writes very authofitatively on the f.
nancial depression all over the main
land, as he would lead US to think.
yet he seems to have an idea that
Honolulu Is the only port in the world,
and all that appears to bother him is
that unless we hang on like a bull
dog" to our coastwise laws our harbor
will be swarined with all the ships
of the world, that this place will be-
come poverty stricken. disease-ridden,
and all that What is the matter with
the health department, and have we
not learned anything about taking care
of the sick? don't think Maxim feels
, sure that too many ship owners will
be looking for business here. We are
not the only people in the world and
, the problem is where can we get ships
enough? Navigat on laws Of some
other countries are more liberal than
ours and their shipping business is
=, very profitable industry. Up to 1908
England did not, substitute as much as
one-fifth Of her merchant marine and
it would be hard to find any consid-
cradle port. in the. world without
British ship. Why not have good navi-
Cation laws? If we can not render
the service the American people want
| why act the dog in the manger" and
tell them that unless they patronize
inferior service they will see that the
government prohibits the free use of
foreign ships? Is not that restrain
ing trade? Should We be compelled
to make terms with our enemies? Are
those who conspire to defraud the
American people By charging very
high freight and passenger rates
worthy of cur support?
1t will be we'll to remind Maxim
that he is little off in his American
history. l do not like TO get into par
tisan political discussions. in writing,
but Maxim might easily find out that
our three great panies occurred during
periods of high tariffs. No Demo
cratic party was in power during the
lpanic of 1873 The panic of 1899 start
/ ed in July Of that year, four months
after the Inauguration of President
Cleveland. Congress did not meet IN
til December, 1899, AID, the Wilson.
bill passed in 1894, year after the
panic. We were working under the
Mckinley high tariff Of the former
Harrison administration and there was
no congressional legislation going on
at all. The panic Of 1907 occurred
under the Dingley high tariff law, un-
der united favorable high tariff adj
ministration. The history of our coun-
try shows only bursts of prosperity
for comparatively short periods dur
ing high tariff times and that our So
called protection has been success
full in creating few millionafres, and
charitable organizations and poor
houses and the like find steady and
regular employment taking care Of the
more unfortunates that made the mil
lionaires. OF course, tmillionaires are
victims of circumstances like the rest
of US, but they suffer differently. We
make the laws and the game is play
ed according to- the rule. Maxim
might not know that the failures are
about. 90 per cent and that we hear
more about them only when our cap
tains of industry are dissatisfied if the
people resolve to have new deal.
1t does seem strange to advance
that consumers are producers, but the
law of demand causes the supply. and
what the consumers will not consume
will not be produced to an alarming
extent Maxim looks at things through
the wrong side of the glass when he
states that the steamship companies
made these islands by spending mil
lions on vessels" The fact is the
oppoSite-the producers on these ISL
ands and the consumers on the main
land and the CONSUMERS on these isl
ands and the producers on the main
land made these islands what they
are and caused the millions to be
spent on ships Only for US there
would be no need of the ships and
none would be built Maxim might
now realize that we are not only pro-
ducers of sugar, but we also produced
ships and are maintaining them and
that we are not getting any charity
from navigation companies. but en-
ploying them to serve us, only our
laws prohibit our employing as many
companies as we like.
If meat is no lower in price. butter
from New Zealand is 80 cents per
pound and cheaper than formerly. ,
Conditions are not quite natural on
these islands and local artificial con-
ditions might be taken care of later by }