Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1895-08-13
A CABLE AT ANY COST.
[Continued from 1st page.

cable to Hawaii. J. w. Mackay
said the idea was preposterous.
Evidently 100000 a year was
about the amount of running ex-
penses and maintenance, irclud-
ing the renewal Of the cable within
twenty years. Did Honolulu want
the cable7 Was it worth $4,000 q
year to have a cable7 If so let
Col. Spalding have this franchise
and Is months to turn round in.
Mr.. Thurston referred to previous
efforts to get cable, and then
made a comparison between the
present proposal and Mr.. Fle-
ming's. There was no interisland
cable in the latter and the main
line was to land at Necker Island,
while the North American
terminus would be at Van
couver. On the latter 40
count there would be an addition
al charge for transferring cable
grams from one line to another
over the international border
Mr.. Feming's scheme depended
on a subsidy divided equally
between Great Britain, Canada
and Australia. There had not
been a sign of support from the
British Government. In Austria
liza there were seven independent
governments to be dealt with, each
being liable to a change of adj
ministration any day. South
Australia had a large claim
on the Eastern Extension Gable
Company, on account of the
land lines, and the representatives
of that colony at the Ottawa Con-
ference insisted on the buying out
of that claim before it would G
into the new scheme. The East
ern Extension cable had bee
paying 9 percent on 81 ,000,000 or
So, 100000 invested capital, and
had 81 900, 900 reserve to fight all
opposition. Mr.. Fleming was
ready to buy out claims on the
Eastern Extension. Canada had
shown she had strong men by tn
obstacles they had overcome,
greater even than the cable pre-
scented, in building the Pacific
railway. Mr.. Jennings scheme
had not, however, taken shape,
and depended on the CO. opera
ton of the Imperial Government.
The speaker denied that monopo-
lies were always injurious in cities
of the United States. 1t was not
so in respect to street railways.
Ii other lines connected here, our
people would have the benefit of
pro ~ ia charges corresponding to
distance. The Eastern Extension
Co. took in $4,000 a day. Rates
to San Francisco in this contract
were so low that no other company
would come in and offer lower.
Mr.. Thurston cited the case of
the ice companies formed in Homo
lulu to prove that the public is
not always protected by freedom
of competition. One company
buys up another and destroys the
competition.
Mr.. Spencer in short speech
said if theGovernment could afford
$40, 900 year, let Col. Spalding
have the exclusive franchise. If
he did not accomplish his aim in
Is months, he would throw
it up. Some people SEEM
ed afraid Col. Spalding would
make great deal of money.
Mr.. Swanzy said he did not
care how much money Col. Spal-
ding made.
Mr.. Thurston considered that
the mounted police could be abol-
ished shortly, and the standing
military reduced one-half, which
would save the country 100000
a year. They could afford 10 pay
two-thirds of that for cable. For
years they had paid $37 500 a year
to the Oceanic Steamship Co. and,
excellent as its service had been,
it was not worth 80 much to the
country AS cable would be.
Mr.. Schaefer, being requested
to give his views from the chair,
favored deferring the question to