Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-06-08
PACIFIC MAIL
TOQU|T SOON,
IS THE RUMCR
CONTINUED from page onel

TO San Francisco. The time between
Japan and San Francisco is l. days
direct, whereas it requires 10 days if
/ Honolulu is included. The five big
steamers, Mongolia, Manchuria, China.
Korea and Siberia. will omit Honolulu.
/ The Nile and Persia are scheduled TO
call but as they both fly the British
flag no passengers can be picked up
at Honolulu, in accordance with the
CoaStwiSe shipping law.
According to the present indications
no American flag will be seen in the
Orient on vessel after the last Pa
cific Mail boat leaves Yokohama in
December, save on army transports
and other government vessels or stray
tramps. The only other American flag
sailing westward OF the l5&th meridian
will be on the little schooner Flau-
renee Ward, which carries food to the
cable operator On Midway island ev-
cry six weeks.
The line OF demarCatiCn will be
clear said Acting Secretary Taylor
of the Promotion Committee upon re
ceipt of Mr. Woods letter today. The
navy officials can 90 ahead and make
Pearl Harbor the greatest naval base
under the American flag but that flag
will be a novelty in the western Pa
cific."
Secretary Wood offers no suggestion
in his letter but simply states the
facts of the situation. II is under.
stood that the Pacific Mail directors
met in New York, May 2G. hut adj
journed without announcing their
ElanS
Other Lines May Expand.
Whether the other steamship com
ranies will put on new boats or not is
question, thinks Mr.. Taylor Travel,
on the Matson, the Oceanic and the
Canadian-Australian lines will of
course be accumulated. 1t is also pos
sible that other boats, such as the
Great Northern which called at Homo
lulu on her maiden trip in February
and now running up and down the
coast, will establish a triangular .sched
ule to include: Honolulu, San Francisco
and the ports or tlfe north coast 1t
is still further, possible that the pas
senger boats plying between San
Francisco and New York via the ca
nal will see opportunities sufficient to
induce the owners to put Honolulu on
the map.
The possibility,e of the Matson com
pany taking sovefE one OF the Pacific
Mail boats in event. of that company
quitting business has caused consid-
cradle comment among shipping men.
The question. was asked and answer
ed along the Pacific coast great
many times before the steamer Will
helmina departed for the islands, ac-
cording to the officers and passengers
who arrived here today.
Shipping men argue that more pas
senger tonnage will be required to
handle the business. should the Pacific
Mail make good it's oft-repeated threat
and lay up it's liners. Who, they say,
will be better prepared or equipped
to take care of the traffic than the
Matson line? !
In this connection the steamer Chi
ma has been mentioned as possibility.
1t is said the China, while suit able
vessel for Pacific Mail requirements, |
would prove Improbable in the island |
trade because of its small space fCI |
freight. A steamer of the type of the
Siberia or Korea, it is believed, would |
be far more suitable. Either vessel /
would need many alterations to make
it suitable to engage in passenger and |
freight business between Hawaii and !
the mainland
Another loss to Honolulu should the /
Pacific Mail give up business perma-
nently will be in freight from the /
Orient. The entire freighting from the /
Far East to Hawaii will be in the .
hands of the T. K. K. boats The Jap
anese liners are loaded to the scuppers |
on every sailing under the present |
condition with the Pacific Mail as a
The small amount of
freight handled by the Persia and the
Nile will not materially affect the ire
mendous demands for bottoms, it is