The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1889-05-07
TUESDAY, MAY Z, 1889.
TINE HAWAIIAN TRAMWAYS.

shS 1aWhllan ATAmWAyS, ITOm
which something new and Of interest
to ourselves may be learnt. The
official returns for the first six
weeks of the cars running, begin
ming with the first day of the pre-
sent year, are given. The receipts
from fares during that period rose
from thirty dollars to one hundred
dollars per day. The passengers
for the first week numbered 3,163,
and the receipts amounted TO f$l58.
There was steady increase during
the following five weeks, the last of
which shows 1892 passengers and
S607. On the basis of these figures
the Financial News estimates
that the completed system-twelve
miles of track-wiu return over six
per cent per annum to the share
holders. To show the popularity of
the tramcars the local press is
Observation-Disclosures, - Advertiser, :"
and Paradise of the Pacific" The
last named paper is referred to as a
journal "which has taken to itself a
luxurious name.
Thestramcars have now been run
ming over four months, and had the
Financial News" the figures of the
last six weeks of that period instead
OF those of the first six weeks, we
have no doubt the showing would
have been still more favorable; for
the increase of traffic, and conse-
quently of receipts, has continued
from the commencement TO the pre-
sent time. Although double cars
are now run Saturday and Sunday
afternoons and evenings, they are
crammed to their utmost capacity,
and sometimes it is impossible to
find room to stand on or place tc
cling to.
Some people predicted that the
beginning was too good to last, and
that when the novelty wore off the
cars would not be so much used.
They who prophesied thus were
neither prophets nor sons of pro-
phets, as experience has shown. No
novelty lasts four months in Homo
lulu. The tramcars have long ceased
to be a novelty: they are felt to be
necessity which cannot now be dis
pensed with. Many business peo,
pie residing along the route of ira
vel use them regularly in preference.
to their private carriages, and many
others in various lines of ayocatior
who formerly came to town in tht
morning and remained there till the
close of the days duties in the
evening, now go TO their residences
to lunch during the noon hour ant
return. The cars have thus created
travel. And not only has trave
been created in this way, but als'
in others, particularly among mo
theirs with families, who avail them
selves of an easy, safe and chea]
ride to Waikiki, to spend an hou
on the sands and in the sea water
This kind of travel increases daily
and is likely to continue increasing
as the summer heat intensifies
Scores of poor families, who, befor
the advent of the tramways, neyc
dared to dream of the luxury of
sea bath at Waikiki, have now tina
luxury brought within the reach c
their means, and they avail then
selves of it. We would here emphs
size the fact, that, according to ou
observation, the surprising tray,
for our little town by the tramcar
Is only to small extent travel d
verted from previously existing pub
lie means of transit, such as publ
expresses, but is mainly travel tha
was formerly by private convey
ance and, above all, created travel
In conclusion we would repeat th
regret that the tramway was nc
undertaken by our own people,
whom the opportunity of doing s
was presented. There is abundanc
of capital in this country uninvest
ed, and portion of it might hay
been profitably employed in supply
ing Honolulu with the convenienc
of street cars. But our capital VIZ
too shy, and the charter had to G
abroad begging for foreign money
Our capitalists have nobody [
blame but themselves. If they di
not embrace the opportunity th
fault was theirs. At the same tim
we would say, all honor to thos
foreigners who had the foresight an