The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-06-29
OCEAN COMMERCE
VIA PANAMA HAS
GROWN STEADILY
TWenty-nine Vessels USING Canal
Call Here Between March
IA and June II
HONOLULU TO BECOME
GREAT PORT OF CALL
Developments Indicate This City
And Not San Francisco win
Supply Bunkers


lulu between March ia and June -. On
route to or from the Panama (a,aI.
During the perlod November Il IN
March -, twenty four steamers ,ailcd
here to and from tho Canal. Thus in
three and Onc-haIf months NOR, steam
ers called than had been here in lOur
months.
Each ship spends about $1,000 here
in addition to what it spends for bunk.
ers.
Probably two should be omitted the
non magnetic yacht Carnegie and the
Danish steamer FaIstria. The Game
gle is here on scientific work. ami the
falstrla would not have rallied except
to get medical attention for an i'll sail;
or.
1t is especially significant that cnIv
three of the remaining twenty re. IA
ships were bound eastward through the
Canal. They were the British steamer
lndraghiri, here April ) from Man Ia
and hOngkong for New York; the hor.
wegian steamer Kit, here April IS for
Norway from Yokohama, and the Bi.
fish steamer lnverclyde, here June 20
from Manila for New York. Honuiu-
lu s trade through the Canal, for the
present, is almost exclusively west.
bound. New York almost monopolizes
the business as loading point.
Many Bound for Vladivostok
Significant, too, is the fact that fiji.
nf hn oh r
Vladivostok. Most Of them had some
munitions of war, and some had OK.
cluHvely war supplies Some that
went to japan for orders may have
been diverted to VladivostOk; at any
rate, the Russian port has been the
terminus of more than half the ships
through here to and from the Canal. :.
1t seems generally agreed that
Arehangel will get much of the VIaIi-
vostok business; if it does, Honolulu
seems to stand to lose much OF its
trade; but, on the other hand, there has
been no sign of falling of as yet.
From November IA to March H. only
five vessels were through here opcniy
bound for Yladivostok, although doubt.
less others were ordered there from the
Oriept; this as compared with fit cen
in the last three and one half months.
There certainly is a gain in number Of
ships to Vladivostok, however, and the
only question is whether this gain will
be maintained during the open,ice yea,
son in the White Sea, when ships may
enter Archangel.
1t is significant, too. that twenty. one
of the twenty-nine ships were British.
Three were Russian; two were Nose;
one WAS Japanese and the Carnegie was
American and the Falstria, Danish.
Other Ships Drawn Here
Indirectly, other ships were dawn
here by the Panama Canal; for Cx-
ample, several steamers came during
this time for the lnter-Island from
Muroran and Newcastle. with coal,
much of which was supplied as bunk.
ers for other steamers. 80
These figures are exclusive, of course,
of the many sailings of the American,
Hawaiian ships from the East Coust
through the Canal and their quicker
time and better freight-carrying facili.
ties, resulting from the opening of tdc
Canal, is one of the big benefits to the
Islands.
One fact certainly has been cstabIioh.
ed; Honolulu and not San Francisco
will he the port of call for bunkers and
supplies for vessels going to and f~om
the Canal from China and Japan ports.
This was a point disputed when the
Canal WAS being built, some holding
that ships would go from the Carat to
San Francisco and thence Owe the
northern route to their destinations.
Experience has shown this is not true.
War Confuses Situation
Another interesting phase of the
situation, which time only will settle, l.
what the Canal win mean TO HOU Olulu
in rcarc times. The withdrawal Of tha
immense German tonnage, the diversion
of many British ships to war bu moss
and tn" use of many more as carriers
of war cargoes, all confuse the situa-
tion, and make it difficult to say lust
what differences will come when neace
has been decla, 4. The big trale TO
VladivOstOk probably would fall OF,
but Other trad" undoubtedly would
supplant it TO a great degree. q" the
other hand, Honolulu may be getting,
perhaps rather indirectly, trade that
would have gone to Port Said except
for some uncertainty about tho SueZ.
All in all, the question is confused.
Another thing of great Importance
to Transpacifc trade is the possible
opening of the IurdanclIes. which
might permit Odessa to supplant both
Arehangel and Vladivostok for Russian
tra1a