The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-08-24
Company Side Of Honolulu --HiIO
Passenger Service.
KINAU ROUTE AND BUSINESS
Thjrty-Six Hours vs.. TweIve-Com-
ment on Freight-The Mail-The
Expenses are Heavy.

With the talk of the proposed inter
island steamer line of Rudolph and
Gus SpreckeIs there is revived consid-
Grafton of more frequent and speedier
service between Honolulu and such
principal ports of the group as Hilo.
Mr.. Chas Wight, President and Man
ager of the Wilder Steamship Com
pany, declined to be interviewed upon
rumors of opposition lines, but con
versed freely yesterday Of the business
of his company on the Kinau route
from Honolulu to Hawaii.
1t is now a thirty-six hour run from
the capital to the chief city of the big
Island. There are a number of way
ports and much small local freight is
handled. The round trip is made by
the Kinau in eight days. This gives
tourists an opportunity to visit the
Volcano and return by the same boat
The fare to Hilo and return by the
Kinau is $25. Money is not spared in
the stewards department and the food
is excellent and there are enough ser
wants. There are no less than sixty
employees on the boat and many of
them are high-salaried The steamer
has electric lights, electric bells and
gOOdly number in the aggregate of
the cOnYeniences of a modern passen-
ger steamer. 1t is claimed that the
Kinau's operation or maintenance
costs about 5000 a day, that the boat
is worth say $15OOOO. The repair ex-
pense is by no means light. The aver
age number of passengers to and from
HilO, in the cabin is fifteen.
Ideal service to Hilo would be boat
Of about fifteen knots, to leave here at
6 in the evening and make Hilo bay
al 8 the next morning and make three
trips a week
Now" said MI Wight, If / were
presented with a. fully equipped pas
senger boat and guaranteed bonus Of
$50 a day to run it between this port
and HilO, l should say no, and | will
tell you why. 1t simply would not
pay. 1t would not be business. Why,
they carry freight on the great Fall
River line boats between Boston and
New York You can see those splen-
did ships with 1000 or more fares
aboard stop for an hour or more and
discharge freight. 1t is the same all
along the Atlantic coast. and for that
matter all over the world Take the
cOasting steamers Of California There
is not one Of them but what handles
freight and makes numerous stops on
the run. Without their freight they
would not pay a minute. If we had
The HOnoIulu-HiIO business to warrant
it, we could give the ideal service. If |
we had 100 passengers each way every
"trip it would be all right. This Will |
come in time, probably, but not for |
several years We get nothing for |
the mail to HilO or on the |
run HiIO wants favors, but they are |
not giving or making us business as |
they might. More and more they are |
getting direct from the coast freight !
that was formerly carried by the XII
nau from Honolulu. OF course Hawaii |
is settling and our business is growing
all the time, but it is falling off in a
marked manner in some directions.
The Kinau comes back from Hawaii
now with an empty hold. Up 10 a short
time ago she would bring on an aver
age Of 700 tons of sugar and 1925 ton
was paid for this freight. Onemea and
HOnomu are the latest plantations to
ship direct from their estates. OF
course this is their business and we
get a good share Of it by working other
steamers in connection with the for
eign sailing vessels, but I am speaking
strictly of the HOnOIulu-Hilo trade.
For $3.50 now we give a cabin pas
senger thirty-siX hours on the Kinau
and we treat them we'll. I think it is
as good as steamer travel anywhere.
The complaints are mighty few and
old travellers compliment US right
along They must be pleased to do
that. 4 pretty fair portion Of that
1920 -cas for entertainment Of the
fare. The same time at hotel as good
would cost s. or Sc anyhow and we are
ngl left much margin. A fifteen-knOt
boet and tweIve-hOur run to HilO is
a b-autifuI thing to contemplate. 1t
would be splendid for a business man
of either city. 4 f1fteen-knOt speed is
not the best in the world, but every