The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-08-19

his lamps an average of four hours
day. shall be entitled to a rebate of 10
cents per month per lamp
Manager Gartley, in discussing the
proposed new rates yesterday, said:
I'm electric lighting the fixed charge
of a station must first be considered.
These are the same whether smaller
or a larger amount of current is used.
Consequently it becomes of first inter-
est to the corporation that the amount
of electricity consumed shall be as
large as possible. This has been my
view in outlining the plans for reduc-
ton where lamps were burned a great
err number of hours. The cost of pro-
ducing current consumed will be just
the same whether the lamps burn four
hours or two hours, for our force
must be kept at work, steam
kept up and the machines kept
running If, by these reduction,
we can secure the consumption of any
material amount of electricity, the re-
turns will constitute the added profits
of the company, and at the same time
we will be enabled to furnish our Gus
toners with light at very much
cheaper rate
I'm eastern cities there is now being
charged fixed rate of SO per year for
/ the first lamp with an additional $3.50
per month for each additional light
This covers the fixed charges of operat-
ing the station. All current consumed
is charged for at low rate, say to
, 10 cents per kilowatt hour. We cannot
make this charge, and in consequence
must put our rate for the first 1000 kilo-
watts at % cents. AS soon as a fixed
charge is made it becomes possible for
us to reduce the price to 10 cents per
-, Oh f- Oh ha
est rate possible to charge for such a
service.
cit is the idea of the directors and
myself to get the cost of lighting down
to the very lowest figure and we feel
that we can do this, if by means of
such discounts and rebates as are out
lined in my report are sufficient to in
duce consumers to increase their use of
lights Taken as a whole, there is an
immediate saving to all meter users in
the ten per cent discount on bills, and
we feel confident that when the people
come to realize that the extra lighting
can be accomplished at such a cheap
rate, that they will enjoy the advan-
tage of illumination for a greater num-
Der of hours than is now the case in the
residence districts"
The entire system as reported to the
directors by the manager is contained
in the following letter:
To the Committee on Rates, of the
Board of Directors of the Hawaiian
Electric Co, Ltd:
Gentlemen Any QuaSi-public corpor-
alton supplying a commodity to the
public must meet the requirements by
giving a good and economical service.
They must adopt broad and liberal
business methods and must be straight
forward in all their dealings with the
public All rates made for the COM
modify furnished must be the same to
all. and they must be simple and easily
understood The rate must be fixed at
the lowest price possible commensurate
with fair and just return on the in
vestment.
1t has become a generally accepted
principle with lighting companies that
ii is possible to make the greatest re-
turn on the capital invested when the
rate per kilowatt charged is a mini
mum.
A reduction OF rates means redue-
ton in income, but the amount % new
business taken on and the increased
consumption due to the cheaper rate.
invariably increase the net income and