The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-08-23
He WANTS PEACE
Between Rival TramWay
Lines.
Mr. Ptnkham Tells of His Efforts to
Produce Harmony In Street
Car Circles.

| Car Circles.
| \ new element has entered into the
vexed street railway question. This is
not another proposed competing line.
but, on the contrary, peacemaker
working disinterestedly for the public
good. For some time the problem has
occupied the attention of l.. E. Pink
ham, manager of the Pacific Hardware
Company. He feels that a crisis is at
hand and the only manner of escaping
it is to bring about peace and harmony
and consolidation of the rival camps.
Mr.. Pinkham was seen yesterday by an
Advertiser reporter and gave the fol-
lowing statement regarding his action
| in connection with the street railway
matter:
LAS a citizen and a business man
having large mercantile interests in my
charge, |, last spring felt that the
street railway problem of Honolulu
was being treated in a manner that was
! both shOrt-sighted and almost fatally
detrimental to the general interests of
the public and the city, both in the
Ipresent and the future. 1t seemed to
me that the plan to divert rapid transit
from Beretania and King streets, which
are the natural arteries of the city, to
side streets would be an incalculable
injury to the mercantile and real estate
Interests on those streets and those i'm
mediately adjacent To an official of
the Rapid Transit Company l addressed
a letter beginning as follows:
April 4, 1899
MY Dear Sir: Relative to the
street railway problem in and for the
city of Honolulu there are four facts
that must be accepted without argu-
ment:
First. Experience has proved that
| the public can be best served by sys-
! TENS belonging to a single control.
Second. That the main thorough
fare must be the ones provided with
street railway facilities.
! Third. That franchise has val
ue if it controls the main thorough
fares, and such value increases as the
city enlarges, and frequently what may
seem excessive valuation in a few years
proves conservative.
pecially where passionate feeling eX-
lists, the substitution of a third ele-
ment may remove the friction and
bring about a settlement conducive to
public benefit and to the benefit OF dis
agreeing parties, who, in the heat of
iWilfulneSS or resentment jeOpardiSe
! their own money and the public well
! fare
THAT all these untOward elements
exist in Honolulu cannot be denied.
Being greatly impressed with the mis-
| fortune of it, / have taken the WiSeSt
steps l could think of to bring about
the opportunity for an amalgamation
of all street railway interests.
Our first object was to get the rep
IreSentatiyeS of the Hawaiian Tram
ways, Mr.. w. II. Pain, manager, and
Mr.. Paul Neumann, attorney, to con-
slider some arrangement and to over
Hook the feeling engendered by the Sc
were structures of the press on the Ha-
waiian Tramways and it's management
In conversation, Mr.. Pain gave many
good reasons for the condition of the
railway and it's service. AS a business
proposition, the owners expected some
return; the patronage of the road came
very largely from class of patrons who
did not complain, and the patronage
of those who did complain was not sui
ficient to yield enough revenue TO sus-
tain the improvements they demanded
Mr.. Pain, however, recognized the fac
that the settled condition of politica
affairs and the prospective growth O.
the city warranted a modern system
and he recognized that the street rail
way system should be under one man
na1,ch
both he and Mr.. Neumann heartily
agreed that they would use their bes
efforts to bring about this desirable
result.
Mr.. Pain stated, however, that h
had a duty to perform to the owner
of the Hawaiian Tramways in a finan
'ciaI respect: that there were issue
$50 600 of per cent bonds, on Whicl
the interest was promptly and regu
Iarly paid: that there was issued 1925
900 in stock, upon which t per cent wa
being earned; and that he felt it hi
duty to endorse such proposition Onl
las would secure to the owners thel
principal eventually.
In order TO bring about this resul
1T seemed to me, the only way it coul
be done in justice to all concerned an
the public. was for the present owner
and their connections to subscribe fo
sufficient bonds to build and equip a
. the street railways the city of HonolU
III would require for many year
Hence it was proposed the bonds b
&, issued for a term of 80 years to bea
interest at the rate of per cent fC
the first Is years and per cent for til
balance of the term. The first amour
of bonds proposed was $780, 900: late
the proposal was to make the issu
q 1900, 900 The bonds were to be issue
as required, but were to be all sui
scribed for by the English parties il
,terested in the present Hawaiian Tran
ways. Two hundred thousand dollar
of these bonds were to be issued to II
owners of the present Tramways Con
pany in part payment for their plal
and franchises.