The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-03-31
HoNoLuLU's srREET GAR LINE

ian TrAmWeyD Company, Limited, are
. constant source of amusement to
visitors but they are not amusing to
,ne people Of this city. The methods
used in the feeble efforts of the com
pany to operate a stret-car system in
Honolulu, no longer cause q merry
smile from the patrons OF the lines.
In fact the case has grown to be en-
tirely too serious q question for the
residents to laugh about. No city in
the world Is as badly treated In the
matter of local transportation No
city In the world would endure wat
the people of Honolulu endure every
day. Dirty, miserable cars, which
would not be used for cattle-carryins
anywhere on earth are foisted upon
the people. Small, old, worn-out horses
are driven before the rolling rattle
traps. Brutal. unclean and uncivil
employees are in charge of the cars
and al told the system is about as
bad as anyone cou.u imagine. A man
In evening dress would hesitate to
patronize the cars and of course it IL
entirely out of the question to suppose
that . lady in dinner or theatre cos
tune could be persuaded to enter the
hog-cars.
But the tracks and switches are
wonders Of engineering construction.
The rails have been down 20 loag that
the iron has been largely eaten away
by the earthly salts contained In the
soil. It 10 said that miles Of the rails
are in such condition that one year
more Of service will flnish the use to
which they are being put. On Ala
kea street during the late excavation
Of that thoroughfare, 1t was found that
the tracks had been so eaten away
that there was practically nothing
left Of them but the surface upon
which the wheels of the cars passed
or were supposed to pass. The his
tory Of the rails and switches IL In
teresting for 1t shows that the COM
pany now operating the false alarm
system In this city, either suffered
from gold-brick operations or else they
saw = bargain in scrap-iron. when the
rails now used in this city were Of
fered for sale In the city of Boston,
after having been refused on two pre-
vious occasionA
The rails were originally made for
an a1tiquated car line Of Liverpool,
England. and when they were pre-
scented for delivery to that company,
the concern came to the conclusion
that they we're too bad and refused
them. That was about twenty years
ago and some time later the old iron
was shunted OF on . Boston company.
When the directors Of the Beantown
company saw what they had bought,
they Kicked over the traces and refus-
Cd to take them. But Hawaii was Z
good thing and the iron was finally
sold to the unspeakable concern run
Ming the -rapid 81 transit" lines Of
this city.
That company obtained franchise
IN 1854. While nobody was looking,
which allowed them . whole lot Of
vsry valuable rights In the streets of
his city for period Of thirty yeara
Thsy put down the scrapiron, left
handed switches. and al. and since
hen tie people have had the benefit
(0 e their enterprise It ID the same
company that desires 70 have the pre-.
ut Legislature give Il al the streets
M svesything else IN TINS city, ana
Aas the ~ to oRsr practically moth
10 ~ IL DssvIegss 4 demands.
Wm a. ennsany set what IL i ask
~ MI