The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-08-17
What Are We To Do?


tically contradcts those who have been contend
ing that the threat of the Pacific Mail to cease
operations bluff And Honolulu comes slap
up against the question: ''Nhat are we going to
do about it? 7" .'.i.'' ."' NV.
That it is the earnest desire of the residents
of this American Territory to help keep the Amer
lean flag flying, ashore and ahoat, goes without
saying. That any substitute at all acceptable
which will mean the addition Of American steam
ers on the Coast-to-Honolulu run would best
please everyone should be taken for granted That
wish to cripple any Of the few American ships
remaining in the service exists is necessarily an
axiom in any present discussion of the passenger
and tourist business.
What then is to be done?. - N s&$t
The steamer owners and the steamship agencies
may present all the figures they are able to con
ure up and all the statistics busy clerks may CONF
pile, but they cannot controvert the fact that
there is and has been for the past many weeks
congestion in the passenger traffic to and from
this port. We have all seen in the flesh the peo-
pie who could not leave Hawaii when they want
ed to because of lack of steamship accommoda-
ton. The fact that many desiring to come to Ha-
wai have been unable because of the same lack of
steamer accommodation is known through their
correspondence. Honolulu has been deprived dur
ing the past few months of the opportunity of well
coming number of excursions-Elks Knights of
Columbus, Bankers Association and others-be-
cause there no room for the passengers offer
ing the regular steamers and there were no
steamers available for special charter All the sta
tistcs that may be written cannot controvert these
facts III @##g... ~.
What going to dor If
There are not today American liners available
for the trade. No liner can run between this port
and the Coast without large freight guarantees,
and there must be freight both ways. The i'm
porters OF Hawaii many and it is easily pos
sible to divert sufficient Hawaan-bound freight
to make up cargo The exporters of Hawaii are
few and they are bound up more or less Closely
with the existing lines the Matson line the Amer
can-EIawaian and the Oceanic. 1t is not natural
to suppose that those financially interested in
these three lines are going to divert any portion
OF their export shipments to any new line how
ever much they may love the flag and desire to
see it floating over many ships. They voicing
vigorous objection to any suggestion that they
should share the passenger trade with other lines
and the passenger portion of the traffic is the least
profitable, Certainly they will not share the most
profitable end Of the business, and none would en-
pect them to taunt them with being dollar
patriots for wanting to divert the dollars into
their Golfers whatever the fate of the rest
Of the American merchant marine in being or
prospective. ....+r
What are we going to do? ~
The tourist trade built up through years of hard
work and the expenditure of very many thousands
of dollars, cannot be allowed to slump into moth
iDgness until such time as new ships be built
for the Honolulu trade by the established lines
That would be a nonsensica course. If our tour
list business is dropped for year it means starting
to build it up again from the very beginning with
far Shed in
the face of difficulties thrown away
Lacking available ships to take up what the
withdrawal of the Pacific Maers and the laying
up of the Sierra leaves open, and being unable to
await the building of more ships for existing lines
without seriously prejudicng the tourist trade for
a decade to come, the last and only resort is to
request congress to mitigate the hardships which
face Hawaii by excluding this port temporarily
from the obligations OF the Coastwise Law as it
affects passenger traffic placing Honolulu on an
equality in freedom of travel with every other
portion of the Union.
Congressional action has resulted in our present
predicament We may very properly and with all
justice on our side ask congress to help us. No
sacrifice may make will restore the Pacific Mail
or help the American ships that are left If we
sit down now without taking action the growth
of Honolulu will be checked and with the arrested
development will come no prospect Of freight in
crease for the passenger carrying ships now on
the run If accomplishing acceptance Of our
hard luck would help the American merchant ma
rine there might be some good reason for silence
part but to keep still now will neither help
us nor the Matson and Oceanic steamship com
panies.
The suggested compromise, whereby instead of
asking congress to void the penalty altogether for
using a foreign ship between this port and the