Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-07-08
SUGAR men GET
PLENTY OF BAGS
BY THE CHINA
Arrival of Shipment From the
Orient Relieves Possibility
of Shortage

Producers of sugar in Hawaii breath
ed freely with the arrival OF several
hundred tons of gunny sacks In the
Pacific Mail steamer China. II Is be,
lieyed the threatened famine OF jute
sugar bags has been averted by the
timely receipt of the large eonsign-
ment landed Tuesday afternoon. The
China also carried like quantity OF
gunnies for delivery to California.
Incidentally, on the books OF the
Pacific Mail Company appears a size
able hole. where deliberate sacri.
flee OF $4,000 in freight receipts
from the Orient fell through. the re.
suit OF the threatened sack famine,
according TO a Coast report
A situation as odd as it appeared
ealamitous two weeks ago developed
In California and In Hawaii because
of the disturbed shipping conditions
provoked by the war in Europe; and
but for the fact that the Pacific Nah
threw it's resources into the balance
neither the California grain crop nor
the Hawaii sugar crop could have
been harvested for want of sacks TO
put II in.
Here is the situation in nutshell,
as given out in Coast paper;
California requires annually from
forty to forty-fiye million grain sacks.
and Hawaii some twelve million sugar
sacks.
All OF these sacks are made In Cal
cutta. British ships carry them to
Hongkong. and from Hongkong they
are brought to Honolulu and San Fran
cisco. generally by tramp steamers.
The freight for sacks is IS ton from
Hongkong to San Francisco
The war removed practically all the
sack steamers from their trade. as
many Of them were German ships.
The result early in the year was
that sacks piled up at Hongkong with
no ships to carry them over. The Pa
cific Mail began carrying all it'could,
but other freight pressed to BE brought
across.
Aside from the Pacific Mall the
only other. large lines carrying cargDes
from Hongkong across the Pacific
were the Japanese companies, All
here is where the matter became sci
ious.
Under orders Of the JapaneEe COZ
eminent. which subsidies thea,
ships, the liners Of the Togo .Kisen
Kaisha and other companies were CT
dered first:
To give preference to Japanese
ports; second
To give preference to Japanese sb.n.
pers.
"The result OF this, says Ado IN
Frey, general manager Of the Pacifip
Mail, was that no grain sacks wcre
taken by the Japanese ships, but fay
in Hongkong, while California and
Hawaii were famished for them"
Frey pointed out that since Febru.
airy 2. when the freight congestion
along the Asiatic coast became serious,
the Japanese liners have brought only
four bales of gunnysacks to San
Francisco-two tons OF 1000 sacks.
to San Francisco OF these 35.000.000
were carried to California and 12,000,-
900 to Honolulu.
Now. what would be the situation
IL no American ships had been run
ming. as may be the case after No.
yember II" asked Frey. The Cali
fornia farmer would have been up s
against ii as never before in history
and the Hawaii planter likewise.
This is an argument for American
ships and for American shippers not
to place themselves In position
where they have to depend entirely
on Japanese or foreign ships.
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