The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-10-30
WHAT is AND WHAT MIGHT BE

Honolulu's street car system wins
the ridicule OF tourists and invites in
vidious comparisons. The cars are
dirty, not because the streets
are so, as the Bulletin says, but be
cause the drivers do not keep them
clean. The rate of speed is less
than that of the heavy BUSES which
run in competition. At many switches
there are long and unnecessary waits
made so by the Indifference of ''whips"
and the laziness of mules So slack is
the discipline that we have seen drivers
smoking in way to affilct lady pas
sengers and on one occasion driver
has been seen in his car with his arm
around a 7Oahtne while his team of
mules trudged along at its own sweet
will. Nowhere in America, in cities Of
eight or ten thousand people, can be
found a service so inadequate, cars so
foul, drivers so slothful and inefficient
and accommodation to the public SO little
thought Of Even the rates are higher
than they ought to be and are wholly
exclusive of the transfer tickets which
are in common use abroad. The
motto of the tramcar system seems to
be to yield to patrons the minimum OF
service at the maximum of cost. SO
much for the frozen facts.
Now as to the remedy 1t has been
proposed to substitute electric cars
which, by their speed, will enable trips
between given points to be made more
frequently and will make communica-
ton with outlying parts Of the town
much easier than i. is at present. The
men having this matter in hand are
Americans who know their business,
are competent to keep their cars clean
and their employees under discipline
and who are ready to risk their capital
in such an enterprise. The Bulletin,
to be sure, thinks that the eectr c
method is still immature and that the
line would not pay but as a matter Ct
fact electric transit has latterly been
perfected and there is a syndicate ready
to take all the risks Of making the Ho.
nolulu venture profitable. Obviously
the investors and not the Bulletin
people are the ones to be consulted on
these points, and there need be nc
further discussion Of that subject in the
press.
There is one point made by the
Bulletin in opposing the electric
transit scheme which deserves particu-
lar notice, namely, that Honolulu is a
slow town and should, therefore be
content with slow locomotion. This is
the argument of the clam; bnt CLANS
must not be consulted in proposition
to push city forward and make ii
modern and great. The same logic
might be used to deter the building Of
the Oahu belt line and the increase Of
steamship facilities. If Honolulu is at
all slow it is not from choice, but be-
cause want of opportunity keeps it from
going ahead. Opportunity given, it is the
duty of all well-wishers ofthe city to put
their shoulders to the wheel and attract
aggressive people here by being progress
sive themselves. An electric line by
saving time to business men and
others by putting suburban residents
in quick communication with the bust
ness district by making the outlying
lands desirable to home-builders by
cheapening means of public convey
ance, still too largely dependant upon
expensive hackS-would be one Of the
most efficient factors in building up
Honolulu and adding to its population.
In our opinion if the question of hay-
ing an electric line were put to vote
it would be ratified by an immense
majority. In spite Of the charge Of
slowness Honolulu is enough Of an
American community to be ambitious
10 move forward.
Regarding the actual prospects of
getting an electric system the STAR
can predict that the moment the pres
ent tramcar profits Ct two per cent. are
wiped ort by buss competition, that
moment will see the English owners
astir either to put in the trolley them.
selves or to Sell the plant to people
who will make that improvement. 1t
remains, therefore, to the Honolulu
travelling populace to eventually bring
the electric system in and we have
falth that they will do it,