The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1915-10-21
PACIFIC MAIL
CEASES OPERATIONS

When the press reported some months
ago that the Pacific Mail Steamship
company was going out Of business be
cause of the LaFollette Seamen's law
passed by the last Democratic Con
eress, to take effect November 4, nexs-
certain administration officials deelsr-
cd this was a huge bluff IN the part OF
that company, intended solely for po-
litical effect.
A report of Consul General George
f. Anderson, H~ongkong, China, recent
ly made public, indicates that the Pa
eife Mail company was in deadly ear
nest. The five American vessels known
as the trans.Paeife fleet, have been dis
posed of. Their tonnage aggregates a
triae over 100000, which Secretary
Redfeld should deduct from his next
report on the growth of the American
merchant MARINE, if he does not wish
TO distort the truth.
General Anderson goes on to say:
THE sale of the vessels of the Pacific
Mail Steamship company, engaged in
the trans-Paciie service has p%recipitat-
cd a crisis in the carrying trade OF the
Far East as related TO trans-Paelhe
service, which is of the greatest posi-
BILE practical Importance to American
exporters and importers interested IN
Far Eastern trade. The personnel OF
the stats in various offices nave beeh
given notice of unemployment and
the Americans employed in various Of
fees have been given similar notice,
with an indication of what steamers
they are TO take for their return to the
United States and notice Of no m
ployment when they reach the United
States. In Hongkong the offices OF the
company are to be closed and the lease
Of an exceptionally favorable office To-
cation has been taken over by the Nip
pom Yusen Kaisha, a competing Japan
csc company. The business Of the com
pony, in short, is being wound up m
mediately." Does that look like bluff
Mr.. Anderson evidently realizes how
distasteful the subject is to Secretary
Redfeld, when he states; "While it is
not competent to discuss in a consular
report the causes or circumstances IN
the United States which have brought
about the winding up of the business
OF this company on the Pacific, there
are certain practical and immediate re-
suits of the change which must be taken
into consideration by American bust
ness men interested in the trade in the
Orient in any way or to any degree,
and, indeed by all interests concerned
10 American trade abroad in general.
The consul general INT three Jap
anese lines, all heavily subsidized by
their government, which are making
every effort to seize the trade of this
American company as ii relipquishes
It's business. He calls attention to the
fact that the Robert Dollar line has
given up the run from the United
States TO China, and the routing of the
one vessel operated by the Great Nor
them company has been changed TO
Canada. He then recalls the fact that
during the acute tonnage shortage OF
lsst spring the japanese government
ordered the Japanese lines (all subsid-
ized) TO take freight during certain
months from japanese ports only, thus
serving japanese industries and Japan.
csc shippers in preference to other
shippers in the Far East, and, of course,
without any reference to American in
forests in the premises, and remarks
that "if when the strain on freight ia
~eilities actually is realized this au-
tumn, the japanese government adopts
the same policy with respect TO Japan
csc cargo and japanese products it
adopted the past spring and summer,
namely, TO confne the cargo space Of
ferings in all ships Of japanese lines to
Japanese ports until such ports are full
ly served, there will be no cargo what
ever taken TO the west coast Of the
United States from H~ongkong and
South China generally, from the Phil
~ippines, North China, or from India
and the East Indies by usual rams
shipment at Hongkong." And our
Chinese export trade will be paralyzed.
1t is becoming daily more evident
that the enactment of the seamen s
law was a frame-up and Secretary
MeAdoo favored it knowing it would
drive American lines out of business,
and form a basis for urging the pass
age of his (snd the Presidents so
e~ialistie ship purchase bill.
--@-