The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1914-07-14
PLANS FOR FREE
PORT AT H|LO.
Board Of Trade Members Seek TO
Have That Place Put on Same
plane as Panama.

HlIO, July ia plan which MAY.
be an imbossibIe dream, but which some
thsiness men regard as A practical pos
sitility, 10 make Ililo soinmereial on
trep6t Of large size, Is being worked
upon by membcrs Of the R0ard Of Trade
and may come up for discussion at The
ncoffna Of the board Tomorrow, though
there "a not yet Sufficient data at hand
10 formulate definite proposition, or
plan tho necessary campaign m Wash
inRton f..
William Mckay, one Of the members
ol the Board OF Tradc committee which
preached the subject IN It's report to
4overnor Pinkham on waterfront mat
tefs, has sent away for data, and a de-
huite proposition probably viii soon be
worked up. N.
M There is a movement on foot, said
Nj Mckay, 10 make Panama a ffot
port. Our committee proposed this Tor
lilo in its report TO the Governor, and
in The near future il may. be possible
to work out definite PLAN i have SAINT
away FOR literature and information on
the subject. Of course We should have
to have an act Of congress. But il seenls
10 me that our community is specially
well situated to be OF service TO com
merce in this way Vessels from many
different points of the compass might
find Il DO their advantage to leave part
Of their cargoes in d free zone hcre,
and proeeed on with the Fcst ~,
III. Is claimed that al Of the argu-
ulepts that .apply TO banana as on al
~ ~ !, ,,.,,, ,,niot "a. I, f,.n vooa anrft
even more forcibly 70 Hawaii. Opinions
diiieF, AZ TO the anq1nt Of b1sipegs that
would develop, as, this would depend, 10
~ stated, on conditions 70 be tested BY
actual experieneeewhieh alone will show
what lines the new eoumorce is TO FOL.
low across the Pacific
p'e. As How Il works. a
q The New York Wee}ly Independents
recently had the following editorial OK.
lplanatory Of the free zone plan, the cdi4
tofial being a part OF the material Nc
Kay ii gathering for q later report on
u. conercssman Copley, Of Illinois, IN
tends 70 Introduce bill making Pan
anna free port, and the, Merchants
Association Of New York has passed q
fasolutiop in favor Of q free zone With
10 the port Of New York. This indi,
fates p revival OF a system which was
not long ago thought iikely. to lapse III
IA deHpetude, II wa as free ports that
the iianseatic towns and other cominerl
eial cfnters grew pp after the. middle
anes, but as tho European. nations De-
veloped and uniform tariff regulations
were estat lished II became inconvenient
to have such eenters OF exemption, so
one by one the cities were deprived of
this privilege until only Hamburg was
left. In 1855 Hamburg also consented
to come within the tariff wall Of the
German empire in consideration of o
payment from the imperial treasury Of
$l5,O0Q,00O. This money was spent on
docks and harbor improvements and 20
wisely that this port, though with few
natural advantages, has become one Of
the cheapest and most convenient cen
tiers Of exchange in the world.
Continued AS Free Zone.
/" But while Hamburg ceased then. TO
be a free port in the strict sense Of the
word il retained what was practically
as good; that is, a free zone (Freibe,
zirk) OF $50 acres of water and 1850
acres Of land. Within this. area the Gus
toms regulations have no sway and
goods of any kind from anywhere may
here he landed and loaded, stored and
redistributed in perfect freedom. Unless
and until the goods cross the houn-
diaries Of the free zone into German
territory, no customs duties are paid
upon them into tho German treasury.
A., - L..
Hamburg FREQ zone that shiploads OF
whisky have been sent from the United
States TO Hamburg to mature and then
returned, as the transportation both
ways was less expensive than keeping
1t in American warehouses;. Under this
regime the growth OF Hamburg has been
unparalleled and it has outstripped Lon.
don and now ranks next in Importance
as port to New York.
Hongkong strfking Example.
ron the other side Of the world We
have an equally striking example oil
the success Of the FREQ port. The es.
tablishment by the British Of trad,
ing post ON the worthless island Of
Hongkong has made this one of ths
most important commercial centers Of
the Ear Fast with a trpde of three hun
dred million dollars year. Since Hong
kong is independent of China the whole
island of twenty,nine square miles il
a free port In which there are 10 re
strictions upon coInmeree. Panama Ii
IN the same situation, SO the CANA
Zone or the two terminal ports Of Girls
tobal and Balboa could be freed from
all commercial restrictions without any
INJURY TO the interests Of the Republic
of Panama. Here, then, at the cross
roads of the intercontinental land. rout.
and the interoceanic sea routes clear
ing house for the worlds trade could
be developed where the ships OF all ma
lions could exchange eargoes with un
egualed facility by the use Of the elec
tfie power generated from Lake GatuI
! eightY'fve feet above the sen.
Free Zone Plan Simple for New York
New York City could not, of course
Dc made. free port as whole, lik,
IIOhgkong, but II might well have fire.,
conc like Hamburg III this area were
an island or some other easily ISOLATED
district smuggling could be easily
guarded against. Since few people
would live within the zone and ther.
would DO no manufacturing the arrange
ment would not interfere with our tar