The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-02-18
AN ELECTRIC LINE.
Home Capital for Honolulu Rapid
Transit Co.
IA BUSINESS MEETING HELD
Unanimity In Favor of a Progress
SiVe MoVement-Need of Homo
lulu-Committee at Work.
A BUSINESS MEETING HELD

The movement for home capital
electric city passenger line for Homo
lulu in enthusiastically under way. The
business or organization and building
will, from present appearances, con-
tinue right along till the objects sought
to be accomplished are attained.
A meeting of men of the business
circles was held during the noon hour
of yesterday in the offices of Bruce
| Waring & Co., on Fort street. Those
present included: Theo. F. Lansing, G..
G. Ballentyne, F. B. McStocker, F. w.
McChesney, John A. McCandless, w.
c. Weldon, J. A. Gilman, P c. Jones,
L. L. McCandless, J. A. Kennedy, John
Campbell, E. O. White, c. S. Desky, w.
w. Hall, F. S. Dodge, j. S. Martin and
w r. Sims Mr.. Lowrey was made
chairman of the meeting and Mr.. Gill
man the secretary.
Mr. c.. S. Desky, who has been talk
ing for better transit for the city ever
since he arrived from the States, made
a general opening statement. He
thought Honolulu was sufficiently adj
vanced to have and support modern
transit system and that it would be an
enterprising and profitable plan for
the business men of the place to take
the matter up and make a success of
it. His experience was that the re-
sponsible men of a community acting
with unanimity could easily carry out
an undertaking of this character and
that home company, organized on lib
eral lines, would receive the support of
citizens generally.
The keynote of the situation was
struck by Chairman Lowrey in his re-
marks to the effect that the chief aim
of the agitation was to secure to the
city such a transit system as the pro-
gress and condition of the town merit
ed and warranted. There was no ques-
ton about the backwardness of Homo
lulu in the matter of street railway.
While the new venture might return
profits, the citizens who were leading
this movement felt that it should rath-
er be considered from the view of a
public enterprise than as money
| making plan. The present company
| has violated the conditions of it's chart
er and some attorneys are of the opin-
| ion that it's legislative privileges have
| been forfeited. Mr.. Lowrey believed
| that a committee of citizens should
prepare a prospectus, mass all avail
able information on the subject and
then after reporting to meeting, have
a general charter passed by the Legis-
lature and sold at auction to the high
est bidder
Mr.. Ballentyne spoke briefly on the
question to the effect that the project
was an entirely practicable one and
that an electric line here would be a
success. The city was being held back
| by lack of up to date transit facilities.
| J. A. McCandless said that in 1896
there had been gathered in by the Ha-
waiian Tramways Co. about a million
and half of fares and that the most
reliable statistics showed that rapid
| transit succeeding slow lines increased
the traffic four to six times. He was
positive an electric or compressed air
motor line would be a success in Homo
| lulu.
| Mr.. McStocker felt that the time had
come for Honolulu to go forward in the
matter of city transit. w. w. Hall
echoed this sentiment.
Mr.. P. C. Jones was in sympathy
with the movement for better service,
for the benefit of all concerned and had
some data on the subject that he would
willingly place at the service of any
committee that might be appointed.
| Mr. Kennedy said the citizens as
sembled stood in the light of a body OF
men approaching an entirely new mat
ter and that they should move care
fully. He was in favor of the suggested
public improvement, but thought any
prospectus prepared should be reported
back to the meeting before there were
any solicitations for stock subscrip-
TONS There was agreement to this.
These gentlemen were named com
mittee to frame a prospectus: G. G
Ballentyne, J. A. Kennedy, G. S. Desky
T. F. Lansing and F. J. Lowrey. Mr.
Lowrey was placed on the committee
on motion of Mr.. McStocker. 1t wa:
understood that the membership of the
next meeting should include those pre-
sent and such other citizens as nigh
be invited The name Honolulu
Rapid Transit Company, Limited" wa
suggested by F. S. Dodge, who declin
ed to serve on a committee on accoun
of being citg surveyor. J. A. McCand
less refuse3 - committee membership
on account of being a Senator
After the meeting adjourned it wa
decided that the first session Of tn
executive committee would be this ev
ening. Gentlemen who had attended
the meeting continued discussion of it
purpose and plans informally for SOM
time