The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1883-07-18
Hawaiian Bell Telephone Company.


EDgroE G,E1rrH.-The effort which is uoE being
made 10 start another Telephone Company IN Ho-
nolulu, Suggests queries as 10 the wisdom q tho
undertaking.. We now have a well established
Company with aboat three hundred and ffiy tela-
phones IN u.s. The lines have boeu Admiralty
constructed under the sppsrvisicn Of Mr.. John
CASSIDY. and the central ufioe system Is well nigh
perfect The business has - piuspersd that "a,
though no dividends have vet heei psil 20 stock-
holders Of the Company, the market value OF he
stock has rrssu FROM SiQuto TO Slut,o Tins Is the
result q the enterprise and perseverance OF norg
thVn tWu wears and half; for tho charter Of thC
/ Company Is dated December iSSo. Il would socr
rs though the establishment OF another Company
Euud not BE- for the benenf Of the Community, ani
would be Of doubtful profit 10 those who may en-
C1e n Il. Nov, every telephone l. couuectes With
/ each Of the other telephones the Island, aud
every additional subscriber extends the c1tutauni
cation aud enhances the value Of tbs service. Tie
I present Company has the ability at its command
10 meet all Of the demands Of the Island, ard 4
supportsd viii become more and more useful as ITS
uusratiuus extended.
II the new Company take away subscribers fruIn
the old Company. 1t viii lessen the usefulness Of
the OLD Company, bGt viii not supply its placs and
I'll the public demand unless IL succeeds IN getting
away an Of the subscribers. This Is utterly cat
u the question, for there are too many directly
and indirceoy interested in the cid Company to
admit Of il.
The community Is not large enough 20 maintain
two systems 70 advantage, and a division VII
prove public misfortune. As 10 the PROFITS TO b.
made by the new Company It Is a matter Of much
doubt II profits can be made for number Of years.
The experience Of the old Company shows that
after two years and half Of most intelligent gork
with large list Of subscribers profits have Vet
been divided; the Company Is still in debt and
perhaps another six months will pass, even If the
whole hist remains uuhruken, before any vii De
divided.
II another set Of telephone poles Is erected on
0gr narrow street- the result viii be most obiec-
ti1uable. Il the Wires laid IN a tube or pipg,
under ground, they can hardly b. expected % %
good service. Laying underground telephone wirs,
understand. has not yet proved successful IN
! other places; the Close contact II which a large
number Of wires are brought, when confined for
long distances in pipe and the effect Of moisture
tend % interfere With the electric currents. And
not only viii the FIRST cost Of laying unds rgr1uui
vires, FAR exceed the oost Of the pole system.
but the cost and DELAY attending repairs viii De
much greater The inaccessibility u the under
ground wires, may sometimes cause serious inter
ruptions.
Il Is said that much fault Is found with the fac.
that so out OF 600 Of the shares Of the present
Company are owned By a foreign Company. ID
there Is justice IN the complaint, trust It Is true
thar tie foreign stock Is soon 10 BE- sold IN this
market.
Il is sincerely to be hoped that no ill-adyiseG
action VII be taken. which Will impair the useful
ness Of our present invaluable telephone system