The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-04-09
A HACKMAN'S PROTEST.

il devotes Il column and q half Of Its
valuable space TO picking poor hack
drivers to pieces these dull times.
That some of our drivers do over
charge is too notorious to doubt and
should be vigorously dealt with; but
| think the writer on local abuses,
through a wrong Interpretation of
Regulation No. II, did hack drivers
a great injustice by accusing them
generally of overcharging. Rule
No. Ia reads to or from any point
between tho harbor and the second
bridge on Nuuanu Avenue, and the
Reformatory School on the Eva
road, and the line of Piikoi street,
not conflicting with rule 18th, for
each passenger 25 cents. Now this
is the rule that has caused so many
drivers TO be accused of overcharging.
Can the local abuse man conscien-
tiously expect to be driven from
Piikoi street TO the second bridge.
Nuuanu Avenue, and from there to
the Rcformatory School, for 20
cents, n distance of nearly three
miles and half. Therule may not
be quite comprehensive enough, but
no intelligent person would expect
such drive, and since the 20 cent
limits are one mile from the Bell
Tower, hack drivers naturally con-
slider themselves entitled to so cents
if they drive beyond mile, without
violating the intended meaning of
rule No. IA. In reference to the
ten cent fare it is certainly q dead
letter, for so few persons ever offer
driver ten cents, or even wait for
change when they give quarter,
that drivers often forget there is
such rule in force. We also wish
to inform the local abuse writer, that
the hack fares of Honolulu are not
so excessive as he would have the
public believe, but on the contrary
they are very moderate and will
compare very favorably with hack
fares in any part of the world; for
instance, take San Francisco. For a
hack for one or two persons, not
exceeding one mile, S1.50; for two
or more persons, not exceeding one
mile, $500; for each additional
mile for each passenger % cents;
for shopping, making calls, theatres,
funerals, etc., the fares are
proportionately high, so that in
stead of our hack fares being so
very excessive, we find they are
lower by two-thirds than the hack
fares in San Francisco, and con-
sidering the eNtortionate prices we
have to pay for everything in the
hack business here, it is surprising
that hacks can exist at all with the
present rates of fare. Every oat, in
fact every mouthful our horses eat
is imported. We pay $40 per ton
for hay; in San Francisco it can be
bought for S12 or S15. We pay
| 81, 100 for a turnout, and every
thing else in connection with the
hack business is proportionately
high, and yet in view of all this
some ill-disposed person whom we
presume is a friend of one Of our
newspaper men, and who is sup
posed to have left our shores n
short time ago, obtains severe
newspaper rating for hackmen.
That person while in Honolulu fairly
drained the bank of all the ten cent
pieces in order to pay his hack fares,
and had to be refused by nearly
every driver in town to take him to
the Pail for five dollars, when the
legal rates allow eight. Then he
retaliates for the imaginary dollars
extortcd from him in the shape Of
hack fares while in Honolulu, by
inducing his newspaper friend te
condemn the hack fares and drivers il
Honolulu as eXtortionate, which every
intelligent person can see is nothing
but piece of undeserved prejudice
In fact the writer on local abuses
while pointing out the abuse prac
tised under Regulation No. ID, ha
given himself entirely away by think
ing the driving public so simple a
to pay SO cents for any distance
however short, beyond the ten cen
line. Does the local abuse maj
: think that hack owners feed thei
horses on shavings that they Cal
afford to be resting their horses a
the rate of 25 cents per hour eac
passenger, and does he think tina
three dollars is. extortionate fo
taking two persons to the Park an
back, distance of about eigll
, miles, which is considerably les
than 2e cents per mile for each pas
, senger. Is ten cents extortionat
for carrying person from Puncf
bowl street to Maunakea street in
. team that cost 81, 100, with the sci
: vices of a driver. 1t appears tha
the only rule the local abuse ma
seems inclined to be partial to
Rule No. ID, which through nj
being quite definite enough compe