The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-09-18
Afternoon Session,

/ The House reaSsembled at :43.
Section 1. The right is hereby granted
| for the term of ten years to c. o. Berger
his associates and assigns, to maintain cleo
! trio works and to light the city of Homo
| lulu with electric lights.
Mr.. Kalua moved the section pass.
Mr.. Dickey moved to strike out the
words 1.-The right is hereby granted for the
term of ten years to c. o. Berger, his as
sociates and assigns" and insert in place
1.-The Minister of the Interior is herebysau-
thorized to grant unto any person, associ-
alton of persons or corporation the right. .
This bill, he said, grants the right to one
person. If they were to have the cleo
trio light they should have the best. In
his opinion the Government should own
the business. He thought it would be a
good thing to spend money to light up the
principal cities, but he did not like the
idea OF spending $4,000 a year for Homo
lulu, for the taxpayers of the Kingdom to
have to pay. He believed in money being
spent for the benefit of the whole people
They had better first try the experiment
in Honolulu, but not on such an expensive
scale as proposed in this bill. He had
been told by d. p. Smith that the ThOmp-
son and EustOn lamp, for which he is
agent, could be landed here for $50, 900,
including everything. This lamp had
driven out many others in some of the
cities in the States. He did not believe in
tying down the Minister of the Interior to
give the right to any particular agent.
The appearance of the whole thing looked
like Job"
Hon. Mr.. Bishop said it was not many
years since electricity was first used for
the lighting of streets and houses. 1t was
believed that it would take the place of
gas. But electricity had been tried and it
was found it would not take the place of
gas. Instead of gas being discarded, it
had come into more general use. Lighting
by electricity was still an experiment. New
machines and new discoveries were con-
stantly being made. There was not at the
present time a single city. of any size
lighted entirely by electricity. 1t was true
it was being used more or less with gas,
but in large cities gas was still used. There
could be found here and there some street,
large building or square lighted by cleo
tricity. His feelings were that they had bet
ter leave this matter to the richer cities.
When the best method was found out,
then would be time enough, To show
they were not behind the times gentle
man from Boston informed him the other
day that the streets in the suburbs
of that city We're lighted just the same as
in Honolulu. They know what the light
ing of Honolulu costs and there should be
more lights. If they adopt electricity they
could not say what the expense would be.
Which was the better system he did not
know. With electricity it would give a
more beautiful light than they had now.
1t was not so much the brilliant light in
one place and darkness in another they
wanted as a light spread over the city.
The wisest thing to do would be to wait
and increase the present number of lights.
The Government owned the present lights.
There was contract, but whether it was
binding or not he did not know He
moved the section and bill be laid upon the
table.
The motion was put and lost.
Mr. KaIua said there had been great
deal of talk about the electric light. One
hundred and eighty lights like those at
present in use would not give so much
light as one electric light. The present
cost of lighting the city is 81 % a lamp,
and if they increase them it would cost
more. There was nothing to prevent any
one coming here with a better system.
With regard TO the present contract, the
did not consider it binding He
moved the section pass.
Mr.. Brown hoped it would not pass.
The section was binding on the Minister
of the Interior, and it might become a
vested right. If the bill was passed Mr..
Dickey's amendment should be adopted.
That allows anyone to come in. He moved
to strike out, land to light the city of Ho
nolulu with electric lights"
Mr.. Kaunamano said this was a new
enterprise. 1t was the nature OF a man to
be striving at something new, and he APP
proved of it, The honorable member
spoke at length in Hawaiian in favor of
the bill.
Mr. Richardson asked the Minister of
the Interior about the present contract for