The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-08-17

The Proposed Oahu Steam Railroad.
Mr.. EDITOR: l am only one of a num-
Der of men who represent and own pro-
| perty along the shore of Pearl Harbor,
and as such owner, am with others
| very anxious to see the passage of the
franchise asked for by our fellow-citizen,
Mr.. B. F. Dillingham;.
An effort is being made by few to
mislead the general public, and especi-
ally members of the Legislature, into a
belief, that the promoter of the Pearl
River Railroad scheme stands alone
| without hackers or any reasonable hope
of assistance to build the proposed road.
Such assertions have been made, but
utterly without foundation, and purely in
the interests of the foreign "ring" or
would-be mOnopolists.
While l am not opposed to the intro
duction of foreign capital for the general
development of the resources of this
country, do seriously object to having
steam railways on this island pass into
the control of a foreign syndicate. l
believe the day is not far distant when it
will be regretted that the street tramway
was not built and controlled by home
capital. A more serious mistake will be
to allow the control of our prospective
Oahu Steam Railroad to pass into the
same hands.
We should do our utmost to carry out
the scheme as proposed by the original
promoter and many stand ready to assist
with capital and liberal concessions of
land. l am one of many who appreciate
the work done by the promoter, and who
propose to stand by him, as [ also believe
every right-minded man i'll the cOmmun-
ity will do.
To refuse to grant Mr.. Dillingham; the
franchise he asks for and to which he
certainly is entitled, upon assumed
grounds that he cannot raise the money
to build the road, is too absurd for any
thing.
If the franchise granted is one favor
able to investors and there is any capital
at home or abroad that would be put
into such an enterprise, it will certainly
be secured as readily by the original
promoter as by an outsider, and in the
home market the odds are very largely
in his favor
Take, for instance, the franchise
granted for the Street Tramway. Did
William Austin find the money to build
that road? And does it make one dol
lars difference to the Treasury of this
country whether that franchise was
granted to William Austin or direct to
Messrs. Skinner & Co.? Have Skinner
& Co. furnished the money to build the
Tramway? No! They have, as stated
in their prospectus, " entered into a con-
tract with another company" to build
the road at a very magnificent profit to
themselves. 1t is already understood
with Mr.. Dillingham; that the franchise,
if granted to him, is to pass into the
hands of a home corporation, and while
we are glad to recognize the service he
has performed, it is only just to that
gentleman, after what has been said of
him by Mr.. Gribble, to state that his
terms to the proposed company are far
more liberal than would have been
asked.
[ understand the committee have re-
ported back the bill leaving out the sub
sidy. This is not in the line of progress.
1t is in the interests of the whole com
munity to have this road built and it
should be built and controlled by home
capital. And why should not this en-
terprise have Government aid in the
shape OF a subsidy, when an exclusive
franchise has been granted, with the
subsidy asked for, for the construction of
cable telegraph?
The franchise owned by the London
Tramway Co. is a valuable concession.
Should not the tax payers of large inter
ests in this country receive the assist
ance asked, when it will enhance the
value of all property near or adjacent to
the road and consequently increase
greatly the revenue?
c. A. Brown.
Honolulu, August Is, 1888.
The ADtiScraa,, OLA,