The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-04-03
FRIDAY
Sd.
LOCAL ABUSES.

There are several local abuses
which should be removed, but the
community must help themselves
and not depend wholly upon the
Government. For example, the hack
regulations are not by any means as
liberal to the public as we believe
they should be, but such as they are,
they should not remain a dead
letter. Occasionally hack driver is
brought up and fined for extortion or
some other violation of the reguIa-
tions, but the examples do no good.
Indeed, they only serve as pointers
to the greatest abuse of its kind that
has ever been submitted to by any
intelligent community. 1t is simply
a matter of public notoriety that
hack drivers, as rule, pay no atten-
ton whatever to the regulations so
far as the rates of fare are concerned.
For example, rule 18th reads: ''Fo
or from any point in Beretania street
and the harbor, and between Mauna-
kea street and Punchbowl street, for
each passenger, 10 cents" This in
cludes all of the city proper; but hack
drivers charge and receive, as rule,
Is cents for any distance, long or
short, within the above limits, and
have succeeded in practically estab-
fishing the larger amount as the rate
of fare. Should any one object to
this extortion, and demand his
change, he is met by fat refusal in
most cases, and is very lucky if he is
not assailed by vulgar abuse. Any
individual who makes point of in
sisting upon his legal rights soon
finds himself a "marked man." The
fraternity of drivers soon know all
about him, and he speedily discovers,
when he wants hack, that all have
prior engagements. He is incon-
venienced in many ways because he
will not submit TO illegal eXtortion.
This was notably so in the case of an
American gentleman who recently
left our shores, and who had been
verdant enough to believe that the
official rates Of fare for licensed hacks
were the actual rates charged.
Regulation IA reads: ITO or from
any point between the second bridge,
Nuuanu avenue, and the harbor, and
the Reformatory School on the Eva
road and the line of Piikoi street, not
conflicting with rule IS, for each pas
senger, IS cents" This line entirely
circles the city and suburbs, running
through the center of Punchbowl
crater, taking in the Industrial School
on the west and Piikoi street on the
east, and includes so wide an area
that fare of % cents is not excessive.
But the hack drivers, having estab-
lisbed a 25 cent rate for the 10 cent
circuit, double upon the Is cent cir
cult and charge so cents for any dis
lance, however short, beyond the 10
cent line. Should the distance be
considerable, an extra charge is often
made in the case of strangers or
ladies. Some drivers fix the 25 cent
limit at the first bridge on Nuuanu
avenue, charging so cents beyond
that point, although % cents is the
legal fare to the second bridge. The
drivers make the so cent rule abso-
lutte beyond the first bridge. This is
an outrageous extortion, yet the
people su bmit to it rather than ex-
pose themselves to personal abuse
and the inconvenience of prosecuting.
Regulation Is reads Outside
these limits, not exceeding two miles |
from the starting point, for each per-
SON, so cents" In practice this is the |
most elastic rule of all. It altogether
depends upon the drivers estimate of
his passenger what the fare will be +; |
il may either be so cents, rs cents, or
81, more frequently the latter, because
ike some of their betters, hack |
drivers dislike fractional currency.
The remedy for this extortion rests
with the public themselves. Let
everyone hiring an "express," or
hack, tender the legal rate of fare and