The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-08-05
Reasons Why Hawaii Should AS
sumo the Initiative
of Government ControI-Find Out
Cost of Material-Private Company
Seems to Offer the Best scheme.

Lorrin A. Thurston's review of the
| Pacific cable situation is an exhaustive
statement of what has been done in
| the past, the possibility of future ac-
| ton on the part of other governments,
| ard suggestions for the conduct of the
Hawaiian Government. There have
been four different methods of estab-
fishing Pacific cable proposed during
the past year, viz:
l. BY England, Canada and Aus
tralia, from Vancouver to Australia.
2. By the United States Governm nment,
from California to Honolulu. 5. By
the French Cable Company owning
the line from Australia to New Gale
donia; via Samoa to Honolulu and
San Francisco, and including Tahiti
in the circuit. 4. By an American
company from California to Honolulu,
there branching to Japan and Aus
tralia.
PAST ATTITUDE OF HAWAII.
While successive Hawaiian Admin
istratioDs have favored the establish
ment of trans-Pacific cable cOmmuni-
cation, their attitude has been a
passive one. They have successfully
been willing to grant subsidies and
privileges to other governments and
private companies, but have never
themselves taken the initiative. It
is submitted that, next to annexation
to the United States, cable com muni-
cation with the outer world is OF the
first importance to Hawaii and to
secure it should be made leading
feature of the policy OF the present
Government. II this proposition is
correct, further submit that there
are two old saws applicable to the
situation, viz: "The Lord helps them
who help themselves" and "If you
want thing done, do it yourself; if
not, get some one else to do it," For
the past twenty odd years Hawaii has
passed acts, granted franchises and
listened to propositions without secur-
ing a foot of cable or materially ad-
vancing the prospect that one will be
laid.
It is further submitted that the facts
hereinbefore recIted disclose a condi-
ton of affairs under which it is not
only legitimate and proper for the
Hawaiian Government to itself take
the matter up and actively promote
the enterprise; but that such course
will be founded on sound business
principles and good craftsmanship.
There is no lack of precedent in the
past history of Hawaii for the course
suggested.
II When steam communication
between the islands was not profit
able enough to warrant private capi-
tai in engaging therein, the Govern
ment bought steamer and carried on
the business for years, until it became
self supporting. (2) When there was
not enough travel to support a good
hotel in Honolulu the Government
built one. (3) Before private capital
could be prevailed upon to take up
the Honolulu water VOrks and elec-
trio lighting the Government con-
structed the necessary plants and still
operates them. All of these enter
prises have proved beneficial to the
public, although each proposition was
opposed when first projected.
Remarking on the difficulties in the
way of the speedy success of the Cana
dian plan, Mr.. Thurston notes the |
"Opposition of the Eastern Extension
Company" which has monopoly Of !
the Australian business, "Opposition |
to government ownership" as devel- |
oped at the Ottawa conference, the |
apathy of the Imperial Government |
toward giving financial aid, "Difh- |
Guilty of making the cable exclusively !
British" and the "Opposition of
South Australia After fully dis |
cussing the above topics Mr.. Thurston !
says:
"Experience has demonstrated that |
the men at the head of both the Cana |
dian and the Southern Colonial gov !
ernments, are bold, brainy, resource |
full and capable of overcoming Obsta- |
cles far greater than those now in the |
way of the Pacific cable; but it seems |
to be a reasonable inference to draw |
from the foregoing facts, that, unless |
there is a radical change in the attI- |
tude of the Imperial Government to- !
ward the enterprise, there Will at
least be a considerable delay IN the !
cOnsummation of the project
The prospects of cable construction
by the French Cable Company are not
regarded as encouraging. OF con-
struction by the United states Gov
ernment the following is said:
Although the proposition to con
struct Il government cable from Cali
fOrnia to Hawaii secured such strong
majority at the last session OF the
Senate and such a large minority In
the House OF Representatives and al
though the next House of Represen-
tatives is overwhelmingly Republican,
and the measure is practically Re