The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-08-12
OUTLOOK
FOR CABLE
Congress Is Ex-
pected to Pass
Bill Soon.
OWNERSHIP BY
GOVERNMENT
Gen. hartweIl Reviews Attempts
to Procure Cable, Which
Failed to Go Through.

ing the coming session OF Congress, &C.
| ton will be taken that will lead to the
construction by the Government of a ca
BILE 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 chance
! 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 Corliss
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
committee on Interstate and Foreign
Commerce, and the passage of the
Scrymser bin 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 if the matter
is defeated at this time the Government
ownership people will abandon the fight
in a 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
- - No..
interested in cable matters for the past
decade when asked to the matter yes
terday, said: There is a strong ntiment
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
agreed to pay one-third of the then es-
timated cost of the construction OF a ca
Bile, 5000 If the United States would
put up the rest The estimate was. too
small, and / then got together the people
who We're interested in a cable and we
decided to go ahead. All the prominent
business men We're 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
be secured a subsidy for cable.
Il found that there was then much in
terest in the project This was in 1891
the House, after a long consideration in
committee, decided that my plan for
subsidy of 100000 for fifteen years should
be passed. There was hard fight in
the Senate, and l shall always believe
that the failure of the project was due
to personal jealousies rather than to the
value of the plan. | had put in hard
work on this matter and the failure of it
l felt very much. The local government
had voted a subsidy and we all were
hopeful that we should have communion
ton with the Coast before many years.
Six years after, | again. became inter
ested in the cable and then. as the coun-
sci Tor the Scrymser Company, worked
here for concession for it. and secured
what was desired This was an exclusive
right to land cable here This conces-
sion was in existence when the commits
SION was sent here to consider the sys-
tenn of laws, and their recommendation
that the franchise be closed out was fol-
lowed. Since that time / have had no
connection at all with the cable company.
l had been looking after the Scrymser
interests here until two years ago when
L was asked to go to Washington as the
representative of the Government 70
watch its interests. Then / wrote to MT
Scrymser and told him that | could no
longer act for the concern. as l had other
connections a the Capital Since that
time ! have had absolutely no connection
with the company
AS showing that | have ALWAYS been
In favor of Government ownership. while
| was in Washington, after a subsidy for
company, in which / was then inter
ested, the suggestion was made bv
member of the House committee on In
terstate and Foreign Commerce that the
government should own the line at
once assented, saying that all we wanted
was the cable and that We WOULD like to
see II owned by the United States. Since
'iat time nave never appeared before
any committee advocating cable
ala make an address before the CONNER
ciaI convention at Philadelphia two wears
ago, showing what need there was for a
cable, and in that address simply smoke
Oh the problem of ownership
Senator Perkins of California has been
an advocate of a cable as of all other
thihss which are needed in Hawaii
hhoW MN, but not well. At a dinner
gwen by me i'm Washington, a Hawaiian
WINNER ne was very eloquent in his dec
a.ioh that he would do everything in
ms power for the Territory and telling
no" ne came here years ago as n sailor
l nave not mad any conversation with
oehator PERKINS on cable matters and
certainly have not had any connection
with him since 1 was counsel for the
scrymser people in 1897. While in wash
ihgton last l did not appear before any
committee In that connection at all