The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1901-08-13
OUTLOOK Ri
FOR CABLE
Congress Is Elk.
peCted to Pass
Bill Soon.

DuJ COOU.
| There are excellent prospects that, dur
! Ing the coming session OF Congress, ac-
ton will be taken that will lead to the
construction by the Government Of a ca
bic from the Mainland to Hawaii and
probably on to Manila, by way OF Guam
This is the conclusion reached by every
one who has returned from the Capital
recently. While there was some cnance
for the construction OF the cable by the
Schrymser Company, three years ago,
that time seems to have passed, and now
there looks TO be only two bills before
Congress, the Hale bill and the Corlss
bill, both of which provide for the build
ing of the cable by the Government.
The tie-up on cable matters heretofore
has been in the House. where the advo-
Gates of the private ownership always
have had the majority of the votes in the
committee on Interstate and Foreign
Commerce. and the passage Of the
Scrymser bill was prevented only by the
war and the consequent feeling that the
Government should take up the matter.
Recent private Information received In
Scrymser Company. three years ago.
only opposition to Government ownership
now comes from the private cable com
panies, with the idea that IL the matter
is defeated at this time the Government
ownership people will abandon the hght
In 4 short while and leave the field open
for them. This opinion has been ex-
pressed by naval officers who have all
along favored the laying Of the cable by
the Government through their depart
,, ment.
General A. S. Hartweii, who has been
4. fNr h..,
y decade, when asked as to the matter yes
terday, said: There is a strong sentiment
: in favor of the Government building a
, cable and l hope to see II successful.
!, first became interested in the cable ten
: years ago, when this Government had
y agreed to pay one-third of the then es-
=, timatcd cost of the construction of a ca
=, BILE 100000. If the United States would
=, put up the rest The estimate was too
:, small, and l then got together the people
. who were interested in "A cable and we
. decided to 30 ahead. All the prominent
= business men Were in the matter. and |
having received from London estimates
, as to the cost of the cable, decided to go
:, to the United tSates to see If there could
" bc secured a subsidy for cable.
=, 81 found that there was then much in
tcrest in the project This was in 1891
the House after "A long consideration in
q, committee, decided that my plan for a
- Subsidy Of 100000 for fifteen years should
he passed. There was a hard fight in
the Senate, and / shall always believe
that the failure of the project was du,
to personal jealousies rather than to tn,
value of the plan. | had put In hare
work on this matter and the failure of 4
\ | felt very much. The local government
had voted a subsidy and we all wer,
hopeful that we should have communica
Il tiun with the Coast before many years.
"A Six years after | again became inter
80 ested in the cable and then, as the coun
y .-i for the SCrymser Company, work e.
= here for concession FOR it, and secure
III what was desired This was an exclusiv
NJ right to land cable here. This conCes
oe sion was in existence when the commits
L sion was sent here to consider the sys
is tenn of laws, and their recommendation
~ that the franchise be closed out was fol
AZ lowed. Since that time | have had n
connection at all with the cable compan
/ had been looking after the Scrymsc
-, interests here until two years ago whe
w | was asked to go to Washington as tn
l representative of the Government I
III watch its interests. Then | wrote to Nj
t. SCrymser and told him that could n
st longer act for the concern, as l had othe
n connections At the Capital Since tina
time have had absolutely NO connection
h.. with the company.
. ! "As showing that | have always bee
~ in favor of Government ownership, Will
~. was in Washington, after a subsidy 10
~ company, in which / was then inter
CT ested, the suggestion was made by
ps member OF the House committee on In
he terstate and Foreign Commerce that tn
Government should own the line. ] a
once assentcd, saying that all We wante
was the cable. and that We WOULD like
See ii owned by the United States. Sine
- that time ! have never appeared befor
-. any committee advocating a cable
. did make an address before the CONNER
- cial convention at Philadelphia two year
:, ago, showing what need there was for
no cable, and in that address | simply spok
"a OF the problem Of ownership
~, Senator Perkins OF California has bee
or an advocate of cable as of all othe
"a things which are needed in Hawaii.
or know him, but not well. At dim,
ca given by me in Washington, Hawaiia
100 dinner, he was very eloquent in his de-
,Is laration that he would do everything
CIV his power for the Territory, and tellir
II now he came here years ago as u sailo
i'm l have not had any conversation wit
rr- "to ! Trims On 'aple matters, M
7 certainly have not had any connectiC
tie with him since l was counsel for Il
70 Scrymsor people In 1897. While in Was
NV ington last | did not appear before al
,ut committee In that connection at all.
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