The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-05-05
Plan COaling Base
on tanning Island
For Tramp Vessels
Lamb Emphasizes Commercial
Character of Station 100
Miles South OF Here

That cOaling station to be established
on Tanning Island, 100 miles south Of
Honolulu, will be commercial altogeth.
err, said Roderick F. Lamb, new manag
or of the coeoanut plantation, who ar
rived from San Francisco in the Lur.
line yesterday noon. Mr.. Lamb is sue
ceasOr as manager to X. M. Fit, who
returned to London last winter. He
wlll remain here until the steamer Kes
trel returns from Tanning to take him
there,f
Mr. Lamb said that he wished to EN-
phasize the commercial character of
the new station.
He said that he had not been on the
island and that a survey of it would
Precede any other steps toward estab-
fishing the. depot. He will be in full
charge of the island s activities, includ-
ing copra and the coahng.
via Help Navy, Too
However, the establishment of the
depot will be of Importance to the
British navy. In the whole central Pa
cifc, the British do not possess what
might be called fuel base, as Pearl
Harbor Is one, although vessels can
take bunkers at Suva, where the Union
Steamship company keeps n supply for
its liners. Even if designed primarily
for commercial purposes the Tanning
station will have wider Significance. B
J. Both fuel oil and coal will be dealt
in, said Mr.. Lamb. From a merchant
vessel standpoint, the station will be
of most importance to vessels bound to
the Colonies from the Panama Canal
and in the other direction. 1t was
pointed out to Mr.. Lamb that establish,
ing the base might be considered here
as intended to compete with Honolulu =
business of bunkering vessels bound be
tween the Panama Canal and the Far
East in both directions, and he replied
that it was accepted that Honolulu al.
ways-would remain the logical port for
tramps in this trade. 1t is true that
Tanning lies far to the south of the
great circle routes between Balboa and
Japan, China and Siberia ports, where.
as Honolulu lies near all of them, in
Guiding that from the Philippines to
the Canal.
Pelly Behind Venture
Behind this venture is the power of
Raymond Pelly, one of the merchant
princes Oh IOnGOn. hecPntly ne pur
chased controlling interest in Fan
ming and the plantation, Mr.. Lamb
said, something which had not been
known here publicly. G. N. Armstrong,
original owner, retains an interest, how.
even Mr. Helly is of the firm of Mann,
George 4 ca as senior partner.
II also is The Intention to operate
other depots, such as a chandlery, neces-
sary at any bunkering port.
At the present time Tanning is Occu
pied also by the station of the British
cable board, whose Vancouver Austral-
ia line touches the island, as the Com
mercial Pacific line does Midway and
Guam. The island is served largely by
the steamer Kestrel, now there, and re-
Gently by Judge COOper's schooner
Luka.
Captain Ferris Arrives
Resides Mr.. Lamb, Capt F. F.. Fer
ris arrived from San Francisco to be
come master of the Kestrel, succeeding
Capt. f. l.. TindaH, who will retire on
her arrival from the South. Captain
Ferris formerly was port captain Of the
Union Oil ut San Francisco, in charge
of its feet of tankers, but his health
forced his retirement, and he has come
here because of the warmer climate