Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-02-07

teTeSIS tlat were lllulICdI 10 fiaNall,
Louisiana was not wild with JOY over
HaWaii's prosperity. and the refinery
interests Of that day were inclined to
be favorable to the idea that Hawaii
should get on without treaty benefits.
The incident | refer to was this, and
while recall it myself. my old friend
and preceptor Peter Cushman Jones
mentioned it the other day when | in
formed him ! was getting up some
data for this occasion. 1t was desired
to be known by the people in the
states what the possibilities in Hawaii
were? How far was it possible for
the treaty protection to expand the su.
gar industry? What was the possible
maximum output? | don't recall all
of the men that went into conference
on this question. but they were the
sugar men Of that day and were just
as keen as any that are on the job
today-in fact. think they were more
| keen than the sugar men of today. in
way. because they were the pioneers.
and were carrying con the pioneering
process" under all the burdens Incl.
dental to pioneering generally; every
plantation was a next year affair,
land the money to keep them going
was hard to get and had to be got
! en- IL per cent basis, plus a promise
of big returns Dividends were rare
occurrences. These men got together
| for the purpose of sizing up the pos.
sibilities Of the sugar business in Ha-
waii and made a conscientious esti-
mate, based on past experience and
the areas apparently yet available for
cane culture; the result of their de-
alterations was that 100000 tons was
the limit, the extreme limit. Thus
is measured, gentlemen. the power Of
the human to look into the future
Our firm, in those early SOS, when
Captain Matson was looking for lit
tie ballast, handled about 5000 tons
of sugar, and our, Planters line OF
ships to carry 1t off were the barken-
tine Ella of about 400 tons, the w. II.
Meyer of about $50 tons, and the
English bark LadyJ-ampson CT about
$50 tons capacity. / recall distinctly
that when the Lampson was reported
as off Koko Head, there was a lot OF
rustling, as well as growing because
she was so big that it took long time
to load her and the cargo came in
small Jumps; the island schooners
brought in from 500 to 1000 bags at
a time.
First Real Steam Service
j. In 1889 the Oceanic line put on the
first local steam service of conse-
quence and for year or two operat.
ed the "Mariposa" and Alameda"
semi-monthly, but they were ahead of
their time and were finally put in
the Australian service" under sub
sidy. From that on, we have had
monthly service by the Oceanic line,
which has been maintained ever since
with commendable regularity and de-
pendability.
1.-The Matson Company was incor.
porated in the year 1901, but as
speaker, better informed than l, is to
follow. me on the operations of this
company. I will not take the chance
of detracting anything from his talk
on that subject.
"In the late COS, our domestic ex,
ports expanded to a point where the
Il dSluS SOdoI SOulu l1OI cot w hoI
Hawaii sent them and this necesSitat-
cd our employing the markets of the
east coast, and for a number of years
the Cape Horn clippers Of the Dear
born and Sewall ownership particu-
larly, were employed to carry sugars
around Cape Horn, and from $4,000
to 100000 tons of sugar went over
this long run to market.
meanwhile the traffic between the
coast and Hawaii employed a large
sailing feet that was very prosperous,
in which Captain Matson was prom
inently identified, but an evolution
was taking place in the direction OF
steam craft that for the moment did
not foredoom the "sailer," but you
know today what has happened.
Il recall very we'll a significant oc-
currence, Just after annexation went
into effect in 1900 At that time the
United States navigation laws were
applied to Hawaii; it meant that we
could only ship in American bottoms,
whereas before that our surplus We
could ship and did ship under any
flag that was available. We sized up
the situation from the standpoint of
American bottoms and found a rather
alarming status. What we found was
this: We required 100000 tons capa-
city of sail tonnage, there being no
steam tonnage available, to carry our
quota of Atlantic coast deliveries via
Cape Horn, and upon searching the
records of American shipping We
found that in order to fill our tonnage
requirements we would have to have
every sailing ship that few the Amer
lean flag, competent to go around
Cape Horn, in order to take care Of
our shipments. -
All. Line i'm the Lead 4
ct aas rather remarkable state
of affairs, to say the least, that little,
recently-acquired Hawaii should have,
a commerce via Cape Horn sufficient
to fill every American sailing ship
afioat that could qualify to voyage
that perilous course. The UNI
of the situation soon de-
yeloped itself through California
company acquiring, by purchase, the
larger part Of this shipping and then
sending their head man down hsre tol
make the rate of freight