The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1898-08-26
Company Side Of H0nQllla..- Hio
Passenger Service.
NAAu ROUTE AND BUSINESS
Thirty-Six Hours vs.. Twelve-Com-
ment on Freight-The Mal,-The
Expenses are Heavy.

With the talk of the proposed inter-
island steamer line OF Rudolph ana
Gus Spreckels 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-
yersed freely yesterday of the business
of his company on the kinau route
from Honolulu to Hawaii.
II is now a thirty-six hour run from
the capital to the chief city OF the big
Island. There are q 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 s25. 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
a goodly number in the aggregate OF
the conveniences of a modern passen-
ger steamer. 1t is claimed that the
Kinau's operation or maintenance
costs about $500 a day, that the boat
is worth say sl50,O00. The repair ex-
pense is by no means light. The aver
age number of passengers to and from
Hlo, in the cabin is fifteen.
Ideal service to Hilo would be boat
of about fifteen knots. to leave here at
in the evening and make Hilo bay
at 6 the next morning and make three
trips week.
Now" said Mr. 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, 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. II 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 minute. IL we had
the Honolulu-Hilo business to warrant
il, We could give the ideal service. II
we had 100 passengers each way every
trip 1t would be all right. This will
come in time, probably, but not for
several years. We get nothing for
carrying the mail to Hilo or on the
run. Hilo 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 1t Is falling of 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 SEES a 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 good share of 1t by working other
steamers in connection with the for
eign sailing vessels, but ] am speaking
strictly OF the Honolulu-Hilo trade.
For $3.50 now we give a cabin pas
senger thirty-siX hours on the Kinau
hn,, tnly 10,
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. A pretty fair portion OF that
Sl2.50 goes for entertainment OF the
fare. The same time at hotel as good
would cost s. or So anyhow and We are
not left much margin. A tifteen-knot
boat and a twelve-hour run to Hilo Is
beautiful thing to contemplate. II
would be splendid for business man
OF either city. A fifteen-knot speed IL
not the best in the world, but every
body knows that there is no more cost
ly commodity than steamboat speed. II
comes high. The number of people
who. are in a hurry just now is moi
great. mere VIII De more as tmt
goes on and we are alive in this bust
ness as in any other to the law OF sup
ply and demand. To go down to some
vacation steamer and see a whole lot
Of people on the deck OF the Kinau
people may think the business is {
Klondike first class claim, but they dc
not think of the months OF small pas
senger lists OF Of the scores OF big ant
little items of expense"
1t Is plainly to be seen that Mr.
Wight does not look with favor at pres
ent upon various projects for thund
erbolt service between Honolulu ant
Hiio What the other company pro-
poses to do and possibly what changes
will come over the Wilder company
when the new concern gets into the
field, remains to be seen.